It’s been another very good week for Chesham United, picking up six league points as we continue to keep ourselves in the mix around the top of the table, whilst still battling on in both FA competitions.
After the euphoria of the FA Cup success it was important that the players and management quickly switched their attention back to the league last weekend with a very tough trip to Poole, and they did it with style. There is no denying that the red card for the home side changed the complexion of the game, but we put in a very mature and professional performance to come away with a 5-2 win at a ground where it is traditionally very hard to come away with anything. Then on Tuesday night we showed the character to come back from 0-1 down at home to Hendon to win the game 2-1 with an impressive second-half display following a slightly lacklustre first 45-minutes. That result leaves us right up there battling it out at the top of the table, after the game the Hendon manager, Lee Allinson, was very complimentary about our team and our performance which is great to hear and I wish Hendon well for the rest of the season.
We now have a break from the league with FA Trophy action tomorrow as we travel to play Cray Wanderers, and then next Saturday it is the small matter of a home FA Cup tie against Maidstone United in the first round of the FA Cup – the first time there has been an FA Cup First Round game played at The Meadow since 1994, so please do come out in full support. Tickets are available in advance and I strongly recommend you use this option as we have already sold over 1250 tickets for the match, it is going to be a very special occasion! Tickets can be purchased here.
With so many big games going on thanks to our success in the cup competitions and our continued pursuit for promotion, you may have seen the announcement today that we have made the very difficult decision to withdraw from this season’s Berks & Bucks Senior Cup competition. The decision to do so was not taken lightly, but as supporters will know we have already played 4 less games than Basingstoke Town and 2 games less than league leaders Gosport Borough, and will fall further behind over the next two Saturdays with our cup commitments. With these fixture rearrangements, within the league required window, I hope you will agree that this is the right decision to ensure our squad is best prepared to undertake the busy calendar ahead.
As a result of our withdrawal, the Berks & Bucks FA Senior Cup tie with Ascot United will now be awarded as a home walkover. We thank the Berks & Bucks FA for their understanding of our position and would like to reiterate that we remain committed to the competition going forward, supporters will have many great memories from this competition over the years and I am sure there will be many more to come in the future, but we could not have given it the focus it deserves this season. We wish Ascot all the best for the remainder of the competition.
A huge week ahead for the club. Before the FA Cup game on Saturday we have our Fireworks Extravaganza in association with Hightown Homes on Friday Night. Again I would urge you to buy your tickets in advance to beat the queues, they can be purchased here. I would also advise you to arrive early, there will be plenty going on to keep you entertained with the main clubhouse and our outside bar serving refreshments (both alcoholic and soft drinks), plus food outlets for your dinner and don’t forget we are the only display around that offers terracing and covered areas to ensure that everyone gets the best possible view and stays dry, even if there is any rain in the air – which I am sure there won’t be.
Finally, our limited-edition replica shirts signed by Alex Horne and Greg Davies along with a signed photo of them both and a thank you note, will end on 30th November. No extra charge for this, it is the same price quoted on our shop www.cheshamunited/shirts. Last Tuesday we sold an amazing 140 shirts in twenty-four hours, which takes us up to 750 replica shirts sold for the season. More exciting news on the shirt front, look out on 1st December for when we will have a limited stock available of our new ‘third kit’ – watch this space!
Thank you as always for your support, I look forward to seeing many of you at the Cray Wanderers game tomorrow (they play at Bromley by the way) and then for our Fireworks and FA Cup double bill next weekend.
Peter Brown
Chairman
