In amongst the wet and horrible weather this week we have had some real moments of sunshine on the football pitch with two league games since my last notes, and another six points in the bag to keep us at the top of the Southern League Premier South.

It all started last Saturday with a very convincing 3-0 win away at Winchester City, this set-up a mouth-watering fixture against fellow promotion hopefuls Merthyr Town at The Meadow in midweek. A big thank you to everyone who turned out on a very wet and windy Tuesday, I hope you agree that it was all worth it. Another very professional performance saw us come out 2-1 winners. Playing against the wind in the first half we were always going to struggle to create too much in attack, but we kept the opposition at bay for long periods and managed to pinch an equaliser after falling a goal behind. Indeed, we could have gone in ahead at the break, but Tosh’s effort went over the bar, but I was happy with 1-1.

The second-half was a different match all together, we dominated possession and territory, and it felt like only a matter of time until we scored again. We had to be patient though, as the game became increasingly fractious and the referee dished out more yellow cards than Brad Pitt will get on Valentine’s Day! Every free kick also seemed to take a long time to restart as the referee spoke to everyone and checked everyone was in position before restarting, including ahead of the crucial penalty that won us the match. Huge credit to Ricardo for staying calm to slot home what proved to be the winner.

The longer the game went on the worse the monsoon conditions seemed to get, but the playing surface held out superbly which is a huge credit to our groundsman Craig Ringsall, but it is also quietly satisfying to us all behind the scenes as well. There are many things that go on, and investments made, that are much less high profile than others. But a few years ago we invested in the drainage of the pitch, and the success of that was evident for all to see on Tuesday night with not a single puddle forming, despite the relentless rain that fell over Chesham from mid-afternoon onwards. I often talk about how we are trying to do things right as a club, investing in all areas and not just the playing squad and this is a perfect example of what I mean.

A special mention also to Man of the Match on the night Steve Brown. Steve has made over 120 appearances for the club since his debut in October 2018 and this was the first time he has received that recognition. That is no reflection on his performances, more an acknowledgement that he typically quietly goes about his job of stopping the opponents from scoring without getting the high-profile glory that more attacking players tend to attract. However, his last-minute block that stopped a certain equaliser was every bit as good to watch as a goal scored…even in the monsoon you could hear the collective sigh of relief around the terraces.

Well done also last Sunday to the Women’s Development team (playing in the 6th tier in the Southern Region Women’s Football League Division 1 North) who had a 4-0 home win against Caversham United Women to cement their place in 5th.They play league leaders Long Crendon this weekend while our first team Women take on AFC Wimbledon Women at The Meadow on Sunday at 2pm in the FA Women’s National League, good luck to both of those sides.

Tomorrow (Saturday) is going to be another tough match when we welcome Swindon Supermarine, we know that from the defeat we suffered in Swindon earlier in the season. That result seemed to spark a resurgence in our visitors form so do not be fooled by their lowly league position, there is no way I can see them being in a relegation scrap at the end of the season. Since Tuesday it seems to have been non-stop rain, but as I write these notes it does seem to have stopped and we will be making every effort to ensure this game goes ahead, please do stay in touch with our social media for updates.

I really hope we can get a league crowd to top 1,000 before the end of the season, so let’s see if we can make tomorrow that occasion? The team is playing some brilliant winning football and showing superb character, so please come along and bring your friends and family as well to be a part of the journey.

The support at home and away games has been magnificent this season, but I do have a request to our wonderful choir behind the goal. We have made huge strides to make the club more inclusive and get a wider audience through the turnstiles, at a community club like ours, in 2024, we really do not need any of the singing with abusive language included. Much of that has gone from football nowadays, especially at non-league level and when you think about it, there are enough great chants around – witty ones, triumphant ones, celebratory ones – that I would like to think we can avoid resorting to ones that are abusive.

I really don’t want to come across as boring and a spoil sport, and I certainly do not want to put you off coming to games and making a noise, I just ask that you have respect and consider others around you. I was around in the days when Graham Taylor eradicated the foul language from Watford FC, I would like to think we can do the same thing. No foul and abusive language is actually in the ground rules and I’m sure if there was one person effing and jeffing constantly at the players or opposition, the stewards would have a word, so let’s make lots of noise and get behind the lads, but leave the foul language at home. I appreciate your cooperation.

On the subject of hospitality, I am delighted to welcome Anna Hickman as our new host inI the boardroom on matchdays, it is fantastic to have a fresh face welcoming our guests to the club – be that visiting officials, sponsors or local community guests.

Thank you everyone for your ongoing support, let’s make it a bumper crowd at The Meadow tomorrow.

Peter Brown, Chairman