WEEKLY BULLETIN – 24TH JUNE

HITCHIN V LUTON
There has been great interest in the pre-season game with Luton. We have already sold over 1,000 tickets and there is still a week to go. Make sure you go to our website and order your ticket online.

Please note the kick-off time for the Luton game is 7.00pm on Friday 1st July and the gates will be open from 5.45pm.

SEASON TICKETS
We have been advised we will receive the first batch of season tickets over the next few days and they will be despatched straight away so you should receive them ahead of the Luton game. In any case season tickets can be collected at the Luton game if necessary.

FURTHER SIGNINGS
Kye Tearle has signed a contract for the coming season. He had terrible luck with injuries last year but did finish the season strongly and will only get better as he gains more experience.

Steve Gleeson has also agreed to sign on for the new season. He has vast experience and has much to offer the team . He also suffered with both injury and suspension last season and is very determined to show what he has to offer.

MAINTENANCE MORNING
There is another maintenance morning tomorrow (on Saturday 25th June) 9.00am to 12.00pm. The main aim will be to make sure Top Field is ready for the Luton game so there will be plenty of tidying up and clearing up to do. I joined the volunteers last Saturday and it proved that many hands make light work. If you can spare any time please join our volunteers. Refreshments will be provided.

DAMON LATHROPE BY MICHAEL JONES
As you may have seen, Damon Lathrope (Head of Site at Pro:Direct Hitchin) has been appointed as the Watford Women’s FC manager. We are so pleased for Damon and this new role is thoroughly deserved after his involvement with the women’s team last season.

During Damon’s time as Head of Site of our academy he has developed a great reputation for progressing players into Hitchin’s first team, most notably Stan Georgiou and Kye Tearle who have both now signed contracts with the club. He has also worked tirelessly improving the standards and the culture of the academy in recent years to create this clear pathway from the academy into the first team.

Due to his new role with Watford Women’s team, this will mean Damon will step down as Head of Site for Pro:Direct Hitchin, but he will continue to be involved in a consultancy role within the academy.

Fortunately, Stephen Gleeson will become the Head of Site moving forward, and it goes without saying that Stephen will continue to bring excellent knowledge and experience from the professional game to the academy.

Stephen has been shadowing Damon the last few months within the academy and will no doubt hit the ground running in his new role. Stephen brings a wealth of experience from the professional game having played in the football league for MK Dons and the Championship with Birmingham City. He has also played for the Republic of Ireland, making 4 appearances and scoring a goal against Mexico.

Recently as well as shadowing Damon, Stephen has been playing for Hitchin Town FC as well as scouting for FC Twente on a part-time basis. We are delighted that he has committed to both Hitchin Town first team and his new role at Pro:Direct Hitchin and we are confident he will oversee the progression of many of our academy players into the first team environment, whilst continuing the great work that has already been done to date.

PRE-SEASON TRAINING
The first team were back in training on Thursday 23rd as they started their pre-season schedule. The session was extremely well attended with a few triallists being invited in from our open training sessions. All coaching staff were impressed with the fitness levels of everyone involved as well as the general standard and quality of the session. We now have a couple of sessions before we host Luton Town on Friday 1st July.

KANE SMITH
Congratulations to Kane Smith who this week signed for Stevenage. The 26 year old came through our academy system and still closely follows all events at Top Field. He thoroughly deserves his chance in the Football League

CIDER AND CHEESE FESTIVAL
Please try and attend our popular Cider and Cheese festival. It take place on Friday 1st July from 3.00pm and Saturday 2nd July from 12.00pm. Entrance is free and there are more than 20 ciders to try and copious amounts of cheese.

BY ROY IZZARD