WEEKLY BULLETIN 14TH MARCH

NEXT FIXTURE

Saturday 15th March – At home to Halesowen Town (kick-off 3.00pm) in the league.

We look to continue our positive home form as we welcome Halesowen Town – we need you to keep up the support. In the reverse fixture in September at The Grove we secured three points in a 4-0 win. Hitchin’s goals came from Lewis Barker, Rio Deall, Joseph Chidyausiku and George Morrall.

On Halesowen Town’s last visit to Top Field in April 2024, they clinched the victory in a closely contested game which ended 1-0.

TICKETS

For lowest prices and quickest entry into the ground please purchase your tickets online here: https://hitchintownfc.ktckts.com/brand/match-tickets

The online box office remains open until 30 minutes after kick-off.

If you do still wish to buy your tickets in person, the matchday ticket office is open from 13.30-15.15 on Saturday and can be accessed from the rear car park (behind the Canary Club). Once you have purchased a ticket at the Matchday Ticket Office you will then need to present your ticket for entry at the Turnstiles on Fishponds Road. More details here:https://hitchintownfc.club/admission-prices/

Turnstiles open at 14.00

Remember our flexi tickets are also available. This allows you to buy a pack of 5x adult or concession tickets at a discounted rate. You can then login to your Kaizen account and decide which league games you want to use these tickets for. You can use as many as you like per game. Buy yours here:

https://hitchintownfc.ktckts.com/merchandise/hit2425flexi/flexi-ticket-202425-5-matches

PARKING

Unfortunately supporter parking is not available in the club car park (unless you are a registered blue badge holder and have made prior arrangements).

FOOD & DRINK

The Canary Club bar is open from 11.00am with some of the lowest prices in Hitchin!
Drinks can be taken into the ground in a reusable plastic cup. (£1 deposit required). You can exit to the bar during the match and will be re-admitted via the side gate by showing your hand-stamp.

Mad Squirrel Brewery will be in attendance serving a great range of craft beers. They will be located adjacent to the main stand.

Canary Kitchen will be open from when the turnstiles open serving a great range of food and soft drinks including our signature HTFC Pies.

CLUB SHOP

Get your matchday programme, teamsheet, chocolate bars, sweets and HTFC merchandise from the club shop.

For full details on the facilities at Top Field see our Matchday Info page here:
https://hitchintownfc.club/matchday-info/

We look forward to welcoming another big crowd and hope everyone has a great afternoon at Top Field.

MANAGER’S NOTES BY MICHAEL JONES

Last weekend’s trip to Bishop’s Stortford

We got off to the perfect start with Dan Stokoe dispatching a penalty after three minutes, but we were unable to capitalise on this good start and for some reason we went into a protect mode. This allowed the hosts to get a foothold in the game and they equalised midway through the half. This then changed the mindset of the group and we attempted to stamp our authority back in the game. We did take a lead into the break with a good goal from Lewis Franklin.

At half-time we spoke about having the mindset to go for the third goal and not try to hold on to the lead and allow the host back into the game again, just like we did in the first half. We also spoke about trying to play our usual game which I felt we were not currently doing.

In the second half the messages spoken about at half-time were not implemented, and the game lacked energy and atmosphere and this suited the hosts more than us. There was not much in the game but midway through the second half the hosts equalised. We then started to utilise the bench to try and inject some energy into the game and get a valuable three points. We did have a chance late on to steal all three points but Bradley Bell’s effort was comfortably saved in the end. Then late into added time we conceded a cheap free-kick and this gave the hosts an opportunity to put the ball in the box and they well and truly punished us for this with a 94th minute winner.

A really gutting way to lose the game but a game where we will all be looking back at, with the thoughts of what could have been. We had such a promising start but we did not play to the best of our abilities and were nowhere near the levels of the previous two weeks, which would have won us this game comfortably.

This weekend’s game at home to Halesowen Town

This is our toughest home game on paper. They come into this match having only lost three of their 12 games in 2025 and in half of these games they’ve kept clean sheets.

They are also only two points off the top of the table and are currently on a five-game unbeaten run.

We do, however, have good home form of late where we are unbeaten in our last six home games with four of these games ending in wins. 

We know how good this group can be as they have shown this throughout the season. We just now need to show this on a more consistent basis going into the final eight games of the season.

We know the table does not lie and we are second from bottom not due to a lack of quality or not being able to compete with the top teams in the league but because we have been inconsistent from week to week.

However, we as a group are still confident that we can get out of this situation we find ourselves in. We understand the strength and character of this group and we know we have enough to get over the line.

We do however need the support, positivity and noise of our great following. This excellent support has shown by our upturn of home form and these remaining four home games are going to be critical to our survival chances.

I know it’s hard now but please continue to remain upbeat and get behind this group starting with Saturday’s fixture.

Player News

• Lewis Barker is still in non-contact training as he recovers from his long-term shoulder injury.

• Kobi Sinclair – Linton is still recovering from his knock he picked up in training last week and will be unavailable for this weekend’s fixture.

• Rio Deall is suffering from a virus and will not be In the squad.

• Bradley Smith has been recalled by parent club Hemel Hempstead to pursue a loan opportunity in the league below.

• Sebastian Stacey has been declared fit to play and will be in goal this weekend.

• Jake Hutchinson has signed on loan from Enfield Town for the remainder of the season. We look forward to seeing Jake back at Top Field tomorrow.

MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE UPDATE BY PAUL SPRAGUE

Our vice chairman Paul Sprague provided an update on the current position at Hitchin Town FC and reflected on the challenges of managing a non-league football club. In case you missed his article it is reproduced in full below:

 

As we head into the final eight games of the 2024/25 season your support is needed as much as ever. You have been absolutely tremendous both home and away this season, bringing passion and noise to show how much you all want the team to succeed.

As a Management Committee we share in a love for Hitchin Town FC and wanting to see the club going from strength to strength both on and off the pitch. We are of course disappointed to have once again found ourselves in a tough relegation battle, but we continue to do everything possible day in day out to look for ways to bring success.

We speak on a near daily basis with Michael and his management team discussing his ideas and plans. Michael, Stephen and Kieron are constantly reviewing, contacting and looking to attract players to strengthen our team as they try to bring the results we would all like to see.

It is clear that the group have dramatically improved performances on the pitch, achieved a positive atmosphere within the squad and grown the connection between the players and the fans. We look forward to continuing to see this turnaround into next season. In the 21 games before Michael took charge we secured 13 points (0.62 PPG). In the 21 games since his appointment we have secured 24 points (1.14 PPG) although we obviously need great consistency and a dramatic improvement in away form!

As things stand, we’re four points from safety with eight games left to play and 24 possible points up for grabs. We know that every single match will feel critical so please make sure you support in the numbers we have seen all season and will the team on to those crucial wins.

I thought this would also be a useful time to reflect on and share some of the challenges of managing a non-league football club.

You will have seen in 2024 we published our strategy for the next four years. Strategy 2024-2028 – Hitchin Town FC. One of our values as part of this strategy is to ensure the club is financially sustainable and we protect it for many more generations. It is imperative that we make decisions on a daily basis to balance competing priorities and our values help to guide the decisions we make.

Every penny that we generate in income for the club goes back into operating the club and we also look to make incremental improvements to facilities that have helped to make the matchday what it is today. The improvements over the last five years at Top Field have led to the fantastic numbers we see coming through the turnstiles every matchday. These attendance increases do obviously help to generate more income for the club; however, they do not suddenly leave us with a huge surplus of funds that we are then able to decide how to spend. This season we have reduced our Season ticket prices to reward our loyal supporters. This has had led to an increase in season ticket holders but only a marginal increase in season ticket revenue. We have also seen an increase in attendance from younger fans over the last two seasons. So some of the additional ticket sales will often be from the lower priced Teen and U13 categories. It is also important to remember that tickets are subject to VAT and so 20% of our ticketing income is paid to HMRC.

The increase in ticket income has helped to contribute the spiraling costs of many items such as utility bills and even seen a big increase in the cost of the paint used to mark the pitch. We also have an increasingly ageing ground to maintain and keep safe and attractive – some of our infrastructure is nearing 100 years old and so keeping this going becomes a bigger challenge every year. Within the last few months alone we have had unexpected bills for areas such as new electrics for the turnstiles and replacement CCTV equipment that have totalled nearly £2000. (This equates to 153 adult match tickets)

We do of course look to invest as much as we can into the playing budget and ensure we are fielding the best team we can every single match. The graph below shows how ticket income and the fantastic contribution from the Supporters Trust compares to the playing budget for the recent seasons:

You can see that even with the significant increases in attendance we are still left with a shortfall to be funded from other income streams just to pay for the playing budget before we then address the rest of the operating costs. We are fortunate to have successfully developed several other income streams, and we continually look for ways to introduce and maximise opportunities for generating income.

Firstly, we see the huge support from you, our fans, whether it’s supporting the various initiatives such as the 50/50, prediction league, achievement sponsorship or individual donations. Then we have our relationships with our commercial partners and sponsors. We have many long-term sponsors as well as new businesses regularly joining as they see the way we look to grow the club. We also have the income from our own commercial operations such as the Canary Club, Club Shop and stadium/pitch hire. We have also worked hard off the pitch to increase the local-level marketability of the club by improving our club merchandise, continued work to forge closer links with the youth and women’s sides and in the community through our work via Hitchin Town Community FC at The Arena.

Over the course of the last three seasons, as a result of both increased club contributions and growing support from the Supporters Trust, we have managed to increase the playing budget by more than 10%.

This isn’t a message to raise concerns about the state of the club finances, if anything its quite the opposite. It’s also not about making excuses. It’s about thanking you for the tremendous contribution you make to helping the club run. We pay all of our bills on time and are well respected for this. This is about ensuring Hitchin Town FC is sustainable and around for us all to enjoy for generations to come. We continue to set the foundations off the pitch to help the club to continue to grow and have a stable platform for the mens and womens teams to compete at the highest levels possible.

I thought it would be useful to highlight the challenges we balance as a club. We always welcome ideas and feedback so feel free to raise them with Andy, Roy, Terry, Mick, Mark David or myself on matchdays or to drop me an email at media@hitchintownfc.club.

TICKET ARRANGEMENTS FOR BEDFORD GAME ON EASTER MONDAY BY CHRIS NEWBOLD

We have four home games left, during which we still hope we can give ourselves a chance of survival going into our last home game against Bedford Town on Easter Monday. With Bedford already looking like play-off certainties and in which a very good chance of taking the title and automatic promotion,  we can expect a bumper crowd.

We had considered making the game all ticket, but we ultimately have decided that we will keep the Match Day ticket window open. That said, and to try to minimise ticket window queues on the day and speed up ground entry for everybody, we strongly recommend that if you can do so, you buy your tickets online in advance. For those who can’t get online to buy, we will be selling tickets for the Bedford game at our Ticket Office at the Halesowen, Royston and Sudbury games to help minimise ticket sales on the day of the game.

We have arranged with Bedford Town that they are selling tickets for the game on their own ticket website, and they also have the facility to sell their fans tickets in advance from their own Club Office should they wish to do so.

So this is really a reinforcement to say if you are able to buy tickets in advance, for this or indeed any games, you really help the Club and its small band of volunteers who are already extremely busy on match days. Thank you in advance.

 

COMMUNITY UPDATE BY MARK BURKE

Helene Wright – RIP

Earlier this week the club were informed of the passing of Helene Wright, the mother of former player Will Wright (now playing at Swindon Town) and former physio Charlotte who was with us during the epic FA Cup run en route to the first round proper and wife of Kevin, who together sponsored the club’s training kit through their company KJW Drylining recently.

We wish to send our sincere condolences and deepest sympathy to the Wright family and let them know they are in our, thoughts and prayers at this sad time.  

Happy Birthday Gaffer!

We would like to wish first team manager Michael Jones a very happy birthday today, and hopefully with the signing of a new striker this week he will be given a nice present of three points tomorrow afternoon.

The Arena Football Courses

The new dates for our coaching clinics at the Arena are out and can be booked on via the website www.northhertsarena.co.uk

On Monday evenings from 5-6pm we host a Junior Ability Counts session for children aged between 7 and 16 years old with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).

Monday 17th March – 31st March 2025 (3 weeks) Cost: £12

On Wednesday evenings from 5.30-6.30pm we host a specific goalkeeping course called Safe Hands for children of all ages and abilities delivered by former first-team goalkeeper Josh Mollison.

Wednesday 19th March 2025 – 2nd April 2025 (3 weeks) Cost: £18

HTWFC UPDATE BY CALLUM ELLIS

Fixtures

Sunday 16th March (14:00 ko): Watton Ladies FC v HTWFC
Location to be confirmed, please visit our socials for the updated venue.

 

ACADEMY UPDATE BY MICHAEL JONES

We are looking forward to our fixture on Monday 17^th March 2025 at Top Field to play against a touring team from China called Zhejiang academy. This will be a 2pm kick off.

It will be a great opportunity for a mixture of our current academy players and potential new recruits for September.

We have another open training session on Friday 21st March at The Arena, Norton Road, Baldock, Hertfordshire, SG7 5AU on the all weather pitch between 5pm – 6:30pm if you would like to book on please email Michael.jones@wearescl.co.uk

If you would like to be part of the academy or would like to find out more information on what we offer please register your details using this link – https://extranet.wearescl.co.uk/ToolkitNew/webenrolment.aspx?page=~/webcontrols/courseapply.ascx&OfferingId=85258

JUNIOR CANARIES UPDATE BY MICHAEL JONES

We are now heading towards our final two issues of this season with the last two issue dates being Friday 4th April and Friday 2nd May.

We will be reviewing our current service during the off season to provide an even better experience for our Junior Canaries next season.

If you have any suggestions on how to improve the current offer please email us.

If you wish to sign up as a Junior Canary, please email juniorcanaries@hitchintownfc.club with the following details:

• Name, Date of birth, Address, School, Club Team (if applicable), Team you support, Parent/Guardian Name, Email, Contact Number.

We look forward to welcoming you all to the Junior Canaries.

WATFORD FC AT TOP FIELD

On Thursday 20th March we are hosting a match with an international flavour. Watford Under 17s will play Zhejiang Under 18s at Top Field.

Kick-off is 7.00pm and there is free entry. Zhejiang are a Chinese Super League team.

CHARITY GAME FOR GARDEN HOUSE HOSPICE BY ROGER LEVETT

 

You may remember our poignant story about David Levett, and his sad passing shortly after our pre-match friendly on August 3rd 2024 with the Arsenal U18s squad – at the time, managed by Jack Wilshere.

We covered the kindness Arsenal FC had shown to David at the match, and their intentions after David’s passing to share a letter of condolence to Roger (David’s son) and the family.  Arsenal were true to their word; however this was only the start of things to follow. 

A signed letter from Mikel Arteta did arrive, accompanied by an obituary within a personalised  matchday programme for the Arsenal vs Liverpool Premier League Match (played on October 27^th, 2024).  A short time later, having learnt Hitchin Town FC had offered Top Field for a fundraiser in aid of the Garden House Hospice, Arsenal FC donated a box full of items as their contribution to the event.  These items included a signed Arsenal FC first team shirt, signed photographs from Arsenal legends David Seaman and Jack Wilshere – along with a signed Fulham first team shirt knowing that David also had an affiliation being with Fulham in the 1950s. 

As an incredible personal touch – the staff also organised the Arsenal U18s players from our match on 3rd August to also sign a shirt, and gift this to the family.  This will be the only item kept for the family, with all other items offered as Raffle prizes in the accompanying raffle (details below).

We are also delighted to confirm, Arsenal and England legend Jack Wilshere has himself offered to play in the Charity Match. The then Arsenal U18 Manager and now first team Coach at Norwich City delighted us at Hitchin Town FC to confirm the news in late February, and we will warmly welcome Jack back to Top Field – adding yet another level of kindness in supporting the charitable ambitions of the event.

Kick-off for the match will be at 1.30pm, on Sunday 6^th April, with the DJ-John Lock kick-starting the event with high-energy music from 12.45pm, and live commentary from local celebrities Mark O’Sullivan and Anna Morris – undoubtedly matching the  fun on the pitch. The raffle closes before the end of the match, with prizes drawn immediately thereafter.

There is no entrance fee,  we only politely invite those attending to purchase raffle tickets to help support the fundraising efforts for the Garden House Hospice.

Please do come along, bring friends family to share in what promises to be a light-hearted, fun family afternoon – paying testament to the kindness that sits in our sport, our community and our club.

Raffle tickets are just £1 each, free additional tickets for bundles of 10+, just scan the below QR code, or visit https://raffall.com/379154/enter-raffle-to-win-from-multiple-great-prizes-hosted-by-roger-levett

BY ROY IZZARD