WEEKLY BULLETIN 17TH FEBRUARY

FIXTURES

• Saturday 18th February Home to Nuneaton League kick-off 3.00pm.
• Monday 20th February Home to Barwell League kick-off 7.45pm.

Tickets for both games must be purchased online.

STEVEN GRAHAM
Everybody at Hitchin Town FC was shocked to hear of the untimely death of our former goalkeeper Steven Graham. He played six games for us between 2003 and 2006 most notably the FA Cup win at Saffron Walden in 2003. Steven went to Watford and was a gentle giant. He often came to Hitchin home games. We send our condolences to Steve’s family and friends.

MANAGER’S NOTES WITH MARK BURKE

STOURBRIDGE

An in form Stourbridge side arrived at Top Field last Saturday on the back of a very impressive 3-0 victory at table topping Tamworth midweek. They were the dominant force in the first half which was a little scrappy. The main incident saw the referee make a strange decision when he gave a free kick against Charlie Horlock for handling the ball outside his penalty box but only issued a yellow card. Personally I felt the ball hit Charlie in the midriff in the first instance and then may have brushed his arm which in any case was by his side so in my opinion play should have continued with no free kick awarded. However if the referee did think Charlie was guilty of handball should it not have been a red card?

We reached half time all square but in the second half we started very well and grew in to the game. We scored a well worked goal and I felt we the tables had turned and we were in charge. But unfortunately another poor refereeing decision was made. Firstly he missed a clear infringement on Bradley Bell and then failed to see Charlie scoop the ball off a forward’s feet before he went down over Charlie’s extended arm. So I do not believe it should have been a penalty and to make matters worse Charlie received a second yellow card and now misses the Nuneaton game through suspension. Lewis Barker donned the gloves but had no chance with the penalty.

We replaced Bradley Bell with Stan Georgiou so we could operate a 4-3-2 system for the rest of the game and I was very proud of my players as they defended for their lives protecting Lewis Barker and restricting Stourbridge to just one strike on target. Overall I think 1-1 was a fair result.

COALVILLE

I took in to consideration that on Saturday the team were involved in a hard fought game and had to play with 10 men for the last part. So I decided to rest a number of players and utilise the squad. I was also aware we face 6 fixtures in a short space of time.. Coalville are enjoying an incredible run and we did not help ourselves when we made a bad mistake to concede an early goal. Coalville fed on this momentum but while we were 3-0 down at half time we created some good chances and their goalkeeper made three excellent saves.

We got off to a terrible start in the second half conceding a fourth goal but we continued to battle away and created more chances. Coalville scored a fifth goal on the break but again we did not give up and scored a consolation goal. Coalville were very impressive but the scoreline was very harsh on us. It shows you cannot make mistakes when playing the top sides.

NUNEATON/BARWELL

We are in the middle of a tough run of fixtures and on Saturday host Nuneaton who are in third place. They have had a very good season and have made some high profile signings recently to show their intent. We will look to bounce back from the Coalville defeat to secure more points to consolidate our position.

Then on Monday we welcome Barwell who are also in good form. I will again utilise the whole squad to keep players fresh.

PLAYER NEWS

• Charlie Horlock received a one game suspension for his sending off last week and will miss the Nuneaton game.
• Diogo Freitas-Gouveia trained last night and will be in the squad for Nuneaton.
• Ciaren Jones also trained last night but faces a fitness test.
• Steve Gleeson will miss Nuneaton through injury.

SUPPORTING CHARITIES AT THE NUNEATON GAME BY MICK DOCKING
It looks like it will be a busy day Saturday for a number of reasons – not simply the number of visiting supporters that we are expecting.

First off, as first time Matchball Sponsors, it will be a pleasure to welcome representatives of Mary Seacole Housing Association. They are a charitable body based primarily in Luton which focuses upon helping the homeless. We are grateful to regular supporter David Bye for helping to arrange this link up. All of David’s sponsorship money will be redirected to the Association as a gesture of this Club’s support. Hopefully the fliers around the ground and in the Club, plus social media postings will help to promote their cause. Please take a little time to read what they have to say and if you can support them they would be most grateful.

Down in the Market Square on Saturday morning, amid the hundreds of Pancake Racers you might witness the launch of the Garden House Hospice Charlie Chicks Easter initiative? Well, Harry the Bear and his keepers are with us on Saturday afternoon, trying to sell a few more knitted chicks – in Club colours no less! Crème Eggs at football – whatever next? Another really good cause. Please support them if you can.

MERCHANDISE NEWS
Please visit the club shop on Saturday and Monday to see our wide range of merchandise. We have halved the price of our club calendars from £6 to £3. They feature excellent photos from Peter Else and represent really good value. You can also buy your programme and team sheet from the shop.

ACADEMY UPDATE BY MICHAEL JONES
On Monday 13th February we held an open training session for our academy. This allows potential players to come and sample a training session with us, have a look around the facility and go through a presentation to learn more on what we can offer.

The open session was a huge success with 30+ players attending and we are already looking forward to the next one on Monday 3rd April.

If you are interested in being a part of the academy for September or wish to find out further information, please register your details via this link – https://www.northhertsarena.co.uk/next-trial-dates

HTWFC UPDATE BY KARLA CHAFFEY
Both teams were in action last weekend and this is how they both got on.

St Margaretsbury 2 v 2 HTWFC Firsts
EB Lions 0 v 5 HTWFC Canaries

Fixture on Sunday 19th February 2023, 14:00 kick off
HTWFC Canaries v Welwyn Pegasus
Ickleford Sports & Recreation Ground

We are looking for new players to join our progressing teams. We train weekly at The Arena, Norton Road, Baldock. We train 19:00 – 20:30 each Tuesday and you have to be 16 years old or over.

We are also looking for new sponsors for the women’s set up. We are looking for sponsorship for training kits and tracksuits. If this is something you are interested in please get in touch with Callum on HTLFC.ClubSecretary@gmail.com

BY ROY IZZARD