So there we have it, the end of another exciting season and at the end of the day we fell just short of qualifying for the play-offs, but can nonetheless hold our heads high and be proud of the season we have had, particularly from October onwards.
Our last game against Wimborne Town last Saturday was a wonderful occasion, winning 5-0 in front of a crowd in excess of 650 was fantastic and already I cannot wait for the new season to begin! We were also delighted to host a number of our Life Vice Presidents in the boardroom prior to the game, it was good to see some old and familiar faces and hopefully this will become something we do more often in the future.
Once again I have to say a special thank you to our stewards and Physio Matty for their rapid response when we had another spectator with a medical condition on the terraces. Thankfully hospital treatment was not needed and the supporter is now recovering comfortably at home. We have this week purchased a second defibrillator for the club which means there will permanently be one accessible from the clubhouse as well as pitch side, it is important that we have these life-saving devices available if needed.
On the pitch it was a fine performance, followed by our player and supporter presentations in the clubhouse after the game. It did also give us an opportunity to say a proper farewell to our defender Mark Kirby who is retiring from football and moving abroad to work alongside his wife and son, with a second child due in October. Thank you for all you have done Mark, you have been an excellent servant to the club, a popular character and you will be missed – good luck in your new adventure.
One minor downside to the weekend was the fact that we received a fraudulent £20 note at one of the turnstiles, hopefully this was done inadvertently and not a deliberate attempt to deprive us of income, hopefully it is just a one-off and we will not have to go to the extremity of reviewing how we manage cash payments and ticketing on matchdays. If you are aware of anyone else that has been a victim of fake notes in the local area, please do let us know and we can jointly pass the information to the relevant authorities.
With the season now over, it is time to turn our attention to the pitch and preparing the ground for the next campaign. Our first working party will be next Saturday 7th May, starting at 9.00am with many jobs to do around the ground so please do look out for more details of the type of work and tools we need for each specific work party. Your time and effort would be very much appreciated, and I am sure we can make it a fun social as well, to make up for the lack of live football over the coming weeks.
Work on the pitch begins Monday 9th May with at least 120 tonnes of sand and copious bags of seeds being used to bring the pitch back to life, as many of you will know, it is looking completely worn out in its current state. We want the pitch to be in superb condition for our start of next year and to this end there will only be three pre-season games at home, with nothing for eight days before the season starts unless Aylesbury are drawn at home in the extra preliminary round in the FA Cup.
On Tuesday we had a very good meeting with the developer, our landlords and the designers to get the heads of agreement signed to progress the move to a new ground to the next stage. We will be having further meetings with Buckinghamshire Council within the next month or so, I am very pleased with the way things are progressing once again.
On the website you will also find details of the new seasonal membership packages for the next campaign with some great discounts, especially if you take advantage of the Early Bird offer. I am delighted with the number of early orders that have come in already. There is only 4 weeks left please do not leave it to the last minute, the Early Bird offer runs until 21st May 2022. Memberships can now be purchased online using our ticketing platform, click here to order. We will also be running some sessions at the club where we can help you with the purchase of the membership through this new method.
To finish on a rather sad note we are holding the wake for Richard Tomkins who was a regular player in the 1950’s for us, and although he lives in Northampton he was a very regular supporter at the club and could be seen on the terraces in a suit on until ill heath took control of him during this season. The Funeral is at Chiltern Crematorium next Friday at 5pm and the wake here at the club after. RIP Richard
Thank you all for your support
Peter Brown, Chairman
