WEEKLY BULLETIN 15TH AUGUST
Upcoming Fixtures
Saturday 16 August vs Grays Athletic (H)
This weekend sees us host Grays Athletic in the Preliminary Round of the 2025-26 Emirates FA Cup. Kick-off is at 3pm at Top Field.
Grays Athletic are currently members of the Isthmian League North Division (same level as us) and have started the season with wins over Barking (FA Cup) and Takely (league) before losing on 4-3 Monday evening away against Redbridge (league).
We have faced Grays Athletic 35 times in the past, the last time we met was in January 2004 when we welcomed them to Top Field for a Ryman League fixture. That match featured players including Richard Wilmot, Jon Bone, Ian Scott, Darran Hay and Mark Burke on the teamsheet. Hitchin narrowly took the win 1-0 following a goal from Mark Bridge in the 65th minute.
Tickets
As it is a cup match please remember that season tickets aren’t valid for this fixture.
Where possible we advising purchasing online. As well as being cheaper, it will ensure your quick and easy entry into the ground through the gate.
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 need to buy your tickets in person, our Matchday ticket office will be open from 13.30-15.15 , 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 present your ticket at the side gate for entry. More details here: https://hitchintownfc.club/admission-prices/
Turnstiles open at 14.00.
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 and Drink
The Canary Club bar is open from 11.00 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 are now a permanent fixture at Top Field matches serving a great range of craft beers. They are 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. They also have ice creams on offer!
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 everyone to Top Field and hope that everyone has a great afternoon.
Manager’s Notes
Last Weekend’s 2-0 Win over Hadley
Last Saturday we started our step 4 journey together away at Hadley FC. You could feel the excitement, belief and expectation from the huge travelling support.
The game started off as a scrappy affair with both teams trying to come to terms with each other and both trying to not give much away in the early exchanges. I felt both teams created some good half chances in the first half but without really testing either keeper. Hadley did have one great opportunity to score midway through the half but Josh Bowler made an excellent save to keep the score at 0-0. This meant both teams went into the break at 0-0 after a tight, dull first half of football.
Second half we made a change and we started the game with more assertiveness in our play and were looking to create chances and play the game in the Hadley half. The defence looked strong and were able to stop any Hadley attacks and it was not long before Taylor Rhiney got off the mark for the club with a composed finish to give us the lead. This spurred the group on and Ciaren Jones added a second to put the game beyond doubt. Hadley kept going until the end but the team worked hard to not only get the win but also keep the clean sheet.
A great way to start the season, a win and a clean sheet. It was amazing to see so many Hitchin Town loyal supporters who turned up in great numbers and created a good atmosphere. This support not only helped the players but also helped Hadley reach their record league home attendance. Thank you Canaries for your travelling support as ever it is always appreciated and does not go unnoticed.
Monday’s Night’s Late Defeat vs Biggleswade Town
Tuesday we moved on to our second game of the season against Biggleswade Town. The game started off with Biggleswade looking to defend deep and frustrate us, while we were trying to force the issue. It took 15 minutes for us to get to grips with Biggleswade’s tactics but we started to control the game and created some good opportunities to score, with the best chance falling to Liam Brooks who dragged wide from a 1 on 1. Biggleswade had one dangerous counter attack but their forward put the ball wide. I felt we were the more dominant team in the first half but had not really tested the keeper with any of our chances created.
Second Half Biggleswade always looked a threat from their set plays but we stood firm to the challenge. We played the majority of the second period in the Biggleswade half but were lacking the final touch and when we did get it right, it was offside. We continued to try and push for a winner but were unable to have the end product when needed. Then disaster struck and totally against the run of play Biggleswade scored after a mistake at the back allowed Biggleswade a 1 on 1 to score. A real sucker punch! We created one more opportunity but Taylor Rhiney’s effort just went over the bar.
Everyone connected to the club would have been disappointed and deflated with the result but we need to remember we are two games into the season, have 40 games left and 120 points to play for.
I would like to thank the nearly 600 strong crowd, that’s an excellent effort for a Tuesday night fixture and just goes to show what loyal supporters we have. I can only apologise to the supporters for the lack of goals at home at the moment but I can’t thank you enough for the atmosphere you are all creating at games, the addition of a drum has really added to the noise. Please keep up your support and your noise and I can assure you we will be working as hard as possible to put the ball in the back of the net.
FA Cup Meeting with Grays Athletic
We host Grays Athletic in the FA Cup on Saturday which will be another stern test for our new group of canaries. Grays are a very strong step 4 team playing in the Isthmian North. They have also played two league games winning 3-0 at Home to Takeley first game of the season and just losing out away to Redbridge 4-3 after some late goals. They have also played one game in the FA Cup this season already, beating Barking 2-1 away from home.
We are confident that we can put in a good display and get our first goals at Top Field this season.
I look forward to seeing you all at the game Saturday, turn up in your numbers, get behind the group, make lots of positive noise and let’s hope the magic of the FA Cup helps us to a home win with some goals!
Player News
- Lewis Barker is currently taking a break from football due to increased work commitments/personal issues.
- Stephen Gleeson will face a late fitness test to see if he is fit enough for the squad this weekend.
- Toby Syme is back from holiday and will be part of the matchday squad.
- Fernando Bell-Toxtle will be back in the squad this weekend.
- Josh Jackman is away on his stag do this weekend.
- Tyrese Kamara is on a dual registration with London Colney to continue his development.
- Will McNeill is on a dual registration with Biggleswade United where he has scored 3 goals in 4 games.
Academy Update
This week saw Blue Joy selected to play for Pro:Direct against Stevenage Under 18s. Blue should have an advantage in this fixture as he already has played against them for the first team and had a very solid game.
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
by Michael Jones
Interview with Ciaren Jones
I have spoken to club captain Ciaren Jones about the hopes and expectations for this season. The interview will be on all social media outlets shortly.
Top Field Toilets
As you know we are constantly looking at how we can improve the experience for all visitors to Top Field.
The spectator toilet facilities have long been on our list of improvements at Top Field and so we are delighted to confirm that a brand new toilet block will be operational from tomorrow’s game against Grays Athletic. They include new Women’s, Men’s and Disabled/Baby Change facilities and are located at the rear of the main stand next to the old Men’s toilets.
We hope you are happy to see the new facilities in place and hope that everyone treats them with respect.
Season Ticket Update
With the season proper having just started, it’s not too late to buy your season ticket for the forthcoming season. Valid for entry to all of our 21 League games, it represents massive savings on if you were to buy all your tickets individually online or at the Ticket Office window – in most cases anything between 33 and 50%.
The purchases made so far and the loyalty of our supporters is unbelievable. Despite our relegation to Step 4, sales of season tickets are, as of today, only six short of the total for the whole of last season.
So if you haven’t purchased yours yet, or you are still thinking…should I?, give it some more thought and let’s make this season the most successful for some time.
by Chris Newbold
Hitchin Town Online Forum
The Hitchin Town Forum was set up in 2006 as a platform for Hitchin Town fans to be able to communicate with each other and have some reasonable debates about Hitchin Town’s football, other football and anything else you wish. It was originally the means of keeping our fans informed on the team’s progress at away games. It wasn’t without its problems over the years, with some regrettably unable to utilise it fully in the spirit in which it was intended, but ultimately this has been managed and now passed a few years back.
Obviously, with technology and new innovations, communications and social media has moved on. Facebook, X (Twitter), Instagram, Tik-Tok allow for one-line answers, quick communications and sometime visual portrayals of subjects. Instant, in yer face, few words…bang…sorted…move on.
Whilst there can be no doubt that all of these social media can impart information quickly and effectively, there’s no doubt that the art of online conversation is dying amongst Hitchin fans. The demographic profile of our supporters is changing, much younger support which bodes well for our future, and pace of life for many is all about things being instant.
The Forum, twenty years old next year, is still in existence on our website. But sadly very few are using it now and some have stopped. Many may not even be aware of its existence. But if we are an inclusive club, we need to do our very best to cater for all. It used to create a far more “together” atmosphere around the club, and yes it may only have been appealing to certain age groups. But young folk contributed as well back then.
It would be great if a few more felt they could still get something out of conversing with other Hitchin fans on the still in existence Forum. Useful information goes on there from time to time and plenty of things out there to exchange views about. If you have time, please at least give it a look on the website and if you’d like to exchange views about the team with fellow supporters, here’s the place to do it.
I would also like to mention and say thanks to Nick Sopowski who has kept this going for all of this time.
Head to this link (https://forum.hitchintownfc.club/) or find it on the website under Clubs > Supporters-Forum. Start a conversation: I’ll talk to you!
by Chris Newbold
Community Update
Summer Holiday Camps – Week 3
We held our third week of our Summer Holiday Football camp at the Arena and a multi-activity camp at Preston Junior School from 9.30am – 3.30pm on a Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday this week.
The camps are open to children aged 5-14 years with 25 children attending the Arena this week and 24 children attending Preston Junior school.
Remaining Summer Holiday Camps
The Arena, Baldock – Football Holiday Camps
We have 2 more weeks of our football holiday camps at the Arena, Baldock starting on 19th August to 26th August.
The Arena, Baldock – Multi-Activity Holiday Camp
With the success of our Multi-Activity Camp at Preston Junior School we have decided to run one in the last week of the holidays at the Arena, Baldock.
Preston Primary School – Multi-Activity Holiday Camps
There will be one more week of the multi-activity holiday camps at Preston Primary School starting on 19th August.
by Mark Burke