Once again, I find myself approaching the weekend with that extra little bit of excitement, a feeling that only the FA Cup can generate. In recent years we have had some fantastic memories of playing clubs from a much higher level and generating huge amounts of interest for the town; although equally we have had our fair share of disappointing (not quite embarrassing, but close sometimes!) exits to lower league opposition, I guess that is what they call the magic of the FA Cup.
Tomorrow we travel to Chertsey Town in the Second Qualifying Round of the competition (three wins away from being in the hat with League One and Two clubs) for what has the potential to be another banana skin. Chertsey play in the Isthmian League South Central Division, one league below us, but have had an excellent start to the season sitting fifth in the league following an impressive 6-1 win over Chalfont St Peter in midweek. Our travelling support will play an important part in the game, I hope to see as many of you there as possible, please note that you can purchase match tickets in advance from the Chertsey Town website here.
On Sunday we have a huge day at The Meadow as we host a Celebrity Football match raising funds for our partner charity, Bucks Mind. These past 18 months have been challenging times for everyone, we have all had our lives impacted in one way or another and the work that Bucks Mind does is very close to my heart. We have all seen the pain, the suffering, the loss, and the heartbreak that has been part of the pandemic, but it is the silent suffering that is often missed and is likely to be felt for many years to come.
We have already sold over 950 tickets for the match; it promises to be a fantastic occasion. Tickets will be available on the day, or you can save time by ordering yours online here.
With such a big crowd, plentiful supplies of food and drink available, we are anticipating the need for a big terrace clean-up on Monday morning. We have one kind volunteer already, but the ideal would be to have 3 or 4 to get the job done, if you could spare a couple of hours from 8.00am on Monday morning it would be much appreciated. Let me know via chairman@cheshamunited.co.uk.
Following on from last week’s management meeting plans have already begun for our first Business Partners Evening for several years. Full details will be released shortly, but we are working towards Tuesday 26th October when we play Beaconsfield Town in a re-arranged league match. The idea of the evening is to provide hospitality for local businesses and sponsors in the area, talk about what we are looking to achieve at Chesham United and explore ways that we can develop mutually beneficial partnerships.
If you run a local business in the Chesham and Amersham area and would be interested in attending, please email commercial@cheshamunited.co.uk and we will make sure you are kept fully up to date. Anyone who would like to help with the organisation of the event, in advance or on the night, please also get in touch.
Thank you as always for your support, an exciting weekend of football ahead – Let’s hope it is a financially rewarding one for Bucks Mind on Sunday, and the prize money from an FA Cup win would also be most welcomed! Good luck also to our Ladies Team that travel to Poole on Sunday for a league match, and to the many Chesham United Youth sides that will proudly be representing the club this weekend.
Peter Brown, Chairman
