WEEKLY BULLETIN – 7TH JUNE
CHANGE OF MIDWEEK DAY
It has been decided that we will play our midweek games on a Tuesday after several years of playing on Mondays. This decision was made after the management committee were approached by our volunteer ground staff. They put forward reasons why Monday nights were difficult for them to prepare the ground. Their message was compelling and included the following extracts—
‘’We suggest that it may be overlooked that although we may always seem to be at the ground, we do all have lives outside of the football club, so when we have spent around nine hours, from 8am, at the ground for a Saturday home match, the idea of then having to prepare the pitch on Sunday for a Monday home game is not very welcome as we do enjoy spending time with our families, taking part in other activities or even having a rest. Although we may all have outwardly youthful appearances, we are all over 50, some of us by quite a lot, and the majority of us still have full time jobs.
Were midweek matches to return to Tuesday evenings it would give us an opportunity to prepare the pitch on a Monday evening and in the event of forecasted bad weather would still give us the option, out of the kindness of our hearts, to do some work on the Sunday out of our own choice rather than it just being expected of us.’’
The management committee really value the hundreds of hours that our ground volunteers give to the club and we certainly never want to take them for granted. It was therefore decided to listen to their message and for next season return to playing on Tuesdays. Manager Brett Donnelly is happy with the decision which has been relayed to the Southern League
We will monitor this over the course of the season, particularly in respect of:
- Impact on volunteers: both ground staff and also the wider volunteer community required for matchdays
Any impacts on football - Impacts on attendances and resultant impacts on all of our revenue streams
We will then review again at the end of the season as part of our usual planning for the season ahead process.
MANAGER’S NOTES BY BRETT DONNELLY
A much calmer week behind the scenes this week than last. I have pretty much got most of the players I wanted in to commit and the squad is coming along nicely. It’s a horrible time of year for managers as you are constantly on the phone trying to get players over the line or assure those wanting to stay that it’s the right thing to do. Sadly, I couldn’t do this with Diogo. We were quite far apart on finances and the problem is his injury record is awful. There was no doubting his quality but just how many times could we get him on the pitch? I wanted him in fighting for his place and showing everyone what a talent he is. But we couldn’t reach an agreement and he decided he needed a fresh start. I understand that and wish him well.
The last contracted player from last season is Ciaren Jones and talks are ongoing. I would like to think we can reach an agreement as he’s a great lad and will be a top player once again. I just need to shake him out of his comfort zone and push him. As well as helping him get over the trauma of last season.
Obviously, we are announcing a few more signings. I won’t be able to get them all out until preseason begins as coming down on certain days just for a picture is hard work. But I can announce another four signings for you—
Jhai Dhillion may be a surprise for some. It certainly was for me when he rang me! His work life has calmed down, so he wanted to get back into his football. He has undoubted quality and gives us athleticism and energy .I just hope we can get him fully focused on playing again.
Kieron Forbes was next up. Proven non-league player. Experienced, centre midfielder who will bring some calm to the side. He is a top lad and the sort of character I want to be surrounded by. Ex-England C international, he has won leagues throughout his career and was player of the year for Biggleswade Town in their promotion campaign last season. He’s another the fans will love to watch. A proper Hitchin player in my eyes. Can pick a pass, plays in the right areas and is combative. Can’t wait for you all to see him in action.
Next up is Albie Hall. Here’s a lad I’ve tracked for a long time. Big strong centre forward who can hold it up, run in behind and score goals. He’s spent his whole senior career scoring goals at every level. I don’t doubt for one minute that he will be a success at the club. As soon as we met, we both knew it was the right move for him and me. It was like love at first sight! He fully understands the club and where it wants to be. He massively impressed me and Jonesy on our first meeting.
Finally we announce Henry Snee. Another one of the lads who have come across from Stotfold with me. He was step 4’s second top scorer last season in a team not in around the top of the league. Impressive in itself but he also missed a month due to injury and was moved out wide at times as well. Eddie Mac calls him a maverick… he is. At times I just have to let Snee be Snee. He can make something out of nothing for us and he’s hungry to show the Hitchin Town fans how far he’s come since his last spell.
So next year we have Connor Vincent, Liam Brooks, Albie Hall and Henry Snee to choose from up top. What a lovely problem. Throw in Shane Bush and the issue of not having forward options has gone. It’s exciting, I can’t lie, I’m actually quite happy. Those that know me know how rare that is!
We have a few more to announce next week but I am off on holiday next Thursday so it’ll be quiet from me for a couple of weeks. I’ll get some more news for you before our first session on the 22nd June but until then, enjoy the break get a season ticket and start looking forward to the season. “
Brett Donnelly
FIXTURES UPDATE
This morning’s announcement of the Luton Town XI fixture means we now have a full pre-season schedule. Tickets for all home fixtures are available online now.
https://hitchintownfc.ktckts.com/brand/match-tickets
- Saturday 6th July – AFC Rushden and Diamonds (Home)
- Tuesday 9th July – Barnet (Home)
- Saturday 13th July – Histon (Away)
- Tuesday 16th July – Luton Town XI (Home)
- Saturday 20th – St Neots (Away)
- Friday 26th July – Edgware and Kingsbury (Home)
- Tuesday 30th July – Stotfold (Away)
- Saturday 3rd August – Hertford (Home) – Herts Charity Cup
GROUND UPDATE BY KATE DELLER
As usual in the close season, work doesn’t stop and the volunteers from our ground staff are there every Saturday to keep maintaining the pitch to its very high standard. The grass has needed to be cut and watered. Other repairs to pitch perimeter fences and around Top Field have been carried out..
- The Club shop has had a new frame system to strengthen the racking installed and this will ensure we can show as many of our new shirts as possible for you throughout the season.
- Maintenance has been carried out on the changing rooms. This has included painting the shower area, carrying out concrete repairs to floors, painting the floors and benches to freshen them up for the new season
- Hatching around the ground and the disabled area has been given a fresh coat of paint. The timber stands are getting a fresh coat of stain to freshen up and extend their life as much as we can. The supporters toilet floors have had a fresh coat of floor paint as this helps freshen up and assists in the cleaning throughout the season
- The car park area has been mowed as often as possible.
- There will be some timber repairs going on around the Canary Club and the garden has had a tidy up from volunteers and customers alike. There has now been a gardener employed to keep on top of this for us as there is so much maintenance to do around the ground and it isn’t always easy to stretch yourself thin enough to get all the work done.
- More works are planned in the coming weeks and we will keep you updated.
ACADEMY UPDATE BY MICHAEL JONES
We were delighted to see last week that former Academy graduate Lewis Franklin had signed for the first team. Lewis was an excellent player for our academy during his time with us.
Lewis joined our academy after being released from Stevenage FC. Lewis straight away became a regular in our league fixtures, producing very consistent performances throughout his time with us. This then allowed him to have multiple opportunities to play for the Pro:Direct 11 team against some of the top English academies.
While Lewis was part of our academy he had been representing Baldock Town at Step 5 and this earned him a move to Step 4 Welwyn Garden City where they just missed out on the playoffs due to ground grading.
The following season Lewis linked up with current manager Brett Donnelly at Step 4 Stotfold where he became a reliable player for Brett. Brett was keen as soon as the season finished to get him to commit to Hitchin Town FC. We know Lewis will be a great asset to Hitchin Town FC.
As well as representing Hitchin Town this season Lewis is a full time coach for Hitchin Town in the community working under former manager Mark Burke.
Academy manager Stephen Gleeson had this to say about Lewis “Lewis is a hard working honest player. Lewis has worked his way up through the football pyramid and has taken no shortcuts in his development, despite having opportunities to play higher he has made sure he has become established at every level before moving up. I expect Lewis to show his excellent technical ability and I know he will be a consistent performer throughout his time with Hitchin. I look forward to coaching/playing with him this season”
Ashley Hay
We were delighted to see that former player Ashley Hay had signed a contract extension with Brentford FC. Ashley was brilliant when he played for Hitchin and it’s great to see another former player working their way up the footballing pyramid.
Ashley came down to the Arena last week for a 1-1 session where he allowed current player Govind Bains to join in with him. It was great to see Ashley again but it was also great for Govind to work with Ashley in the 1-1. We look forward to seeing Ashley kick on again this season.
BY ROY IZZARD