WEEKLY BULLETIN – 1ST NOVEMBER

FIXTURES

• Saturday 2nd November League away to Banbury kick-off 3.00pmk. Coach leaves 11.45am.
• There is no midweek fixture.

MANAGER’S NOTES BY MICHAEL JONES
What a crazy week in the football world.

I want to start by wishing Brett and Eddie all the best in the future. They are both individuals I have known for a number of years now, so therefore I was delighted when they were appointed at Hitchin towards the end of last season. I’m disappointed to see it has ended this way, knowing all the hard work they have put in.

Nathan has been associated with the club for a while as he was part of our successful academy team when he was a player,which led to him becoming a training keeper for the first team. It is a shame that Nathan has decided to step down, but I totally understand his reasons.

I have stepped up as interim manager. I have appointed Stephen Gleeson as player-assistant manager. Stephen still has a lot to offer on the pitch, but his experience, knowledge and contacts will also be a huge help. John Albon has also been added to the backroom team. John knows the club well and he was part of Mark Burke’s coaching staff so he will be the goalkeeping coach to fill the gap left by Nathan.

Kieron Forbes will also be part of the backroom team. Kieron has had a slow start on the pitch this season and has struggled with injuries, meaning he has been unable to find his form. Kieron will add knowledge and experience of non-league football and has many contacts at this level.

As mentioned in the previous bulletin, first and foremost I am a Hitchin Town supporter and I also want what is best for this great club, so I am going to speak from the heart. If anyone is expecting a miracle worker, a quick fix or over ambitious plans then this will not be the case while I am interim manager. I know exactly where we are in the food chain as a club, does this mean we should just accept defeat? Certainly not! Does this mean I know the task we have ahead is going to be difficult? I certainly do!

We all know there are clubs in our league, and the leagues below that are spending BIG money on players. Do we want to become a club of overpaying players and attracting players that do not care about the values of the club, won’t work hard in adversity and will leave at the drop of the hat to the highest bidder? The market we are in wants young, hungry ambitious players who are happy to be given the chance to play for such a great club, with the opportunity to kick on up the football pyramid. Callum Stead, Finley Wilkinson, Ashley Hay and Kane Smith spring to mind (and that’s just in the last few seasons). They weren’t professional footballers when they walked into the club but with the love and support from everyone, we gave them a platform to thrive and develop. They gave us some excellent memories and big moments to remember. If we can mix that with players who are experienced (the likes of Stephen Gleeson and Matt Spring in recent years), as well as getting a good balance of local lads who are the core of the club like Josh Bickerstaff, Liam Brooks and Dan Webb, we will find the consistency we need- sounds straightforward right?

There has been a lot of noise around our restraints as a club, but we do not want to be the next Coalville or Nuneaton who over the years have had plenty of success, but they have not been sustainable and have had to drop down leagues or fold.

Does spending loads of money guarantee success? Well I think you can look at the likes of Manchester United and PSG in recent seasons. Both clubs have spent billions of pounds and have not had the success they would be expecting for their investment and while doing this have lost their club’s values along the way.

Did Leicester have the best squad, biggest budget or most experienced Premier League players when they won the league? I can tell you what they did have was a great team ethos with everyone pulling in the same direction. They didn’t overspend, had players from the lower leagues like Jamie Vardy and experienced players like Robert Huth and Wes Morgan who alongside inexperienced players in the group who were looking to take their chance like N’Golo Kante. This goes to show it can be done!

Who would have thought little old Luton Town would have been promoted out of one of the toughest leagues in the world and lived the Premier League dream? Nathan Jones got a group of hard-working players on a low budget that bought into his vision. Rob Edwards then continued this success alongside an excellent support base that have stuck with the club through their darkest times.

Does this mean that Hitchin are happy to just be relegated or fight relegation every year? Absolutely not. I would love nothing more for Hitchin to be in and around the play offs or achieve promotion. Mark Burke came close during his years as manager, and he had the same restraints as we do now. He had to build new teams most seasons but he managed to keep us in this league and give us the hope and optimism each year that we might be one or two players away from that promotion dream.

Since Boxing Day 2023 the matches have been incredibly disappointing. We nearly went a year without winning at home, we had a 13-game losing run, followed by an 8 game losing run this season and it will certainly have tested the support of even the most avid supporter. I am not going to make any excuses for this and I am unable to tell you the reason for why this has happened to the team, but I want you all to remember that we are not a professional club. We see what happens in the professional game and expect that to be replicated at non-league level. The managers, coaches, players, volunteers, committee members all have full-time jobs, and as supporters we are just passionate fans who want what is best for our club. We need to try and remember this in the dark times because it won’t always be perfect. Although social media has become a great way for us to connect with each other and show the great work going on at the club, it can also be a place to breed negativity during some of the already difficult times.

Whilst I am interim manager, I hope to always be approachable to anyone and will always give my honest evaluation of the situation we find ourselves in. If you are unhappy with something or want to know more about certain things, please feel free to reach out to me, whether that is face to face or via a message, I will be happy to talk.

From the moment you walk into the ground at Hitchin it is a friendly environment, which wants to be at the heart of the community and in recent years has made great strides in doing this. You must look at the ground improvements with new stands, food, drink, the connection with the youth/women’s set up which has improved each season and will continue to grow. The club has released a strategy which will continue to grow the club at the heart of the community and allow Top Field to be used as a hub for all of Hitchin Town teams, players, coaches and so on.

We have a Supporters’ Trust which has supported the club for several years now where dedicated fans have put in their own money to support the club they love.

There are a number of volunteers who work tirelessly behind the scenes to provide the best match day experience; arranging games, tickets, merchandise, car parking, stewarding, ground maintenance and a lot more. A lot of this work is completed throughout the week and not just the matchdays themselves. We have one of the best pitches in the league and I know for a fact Steve Barker and his ground staff team are there most days putting in a lot of hours.

We play in front of such a big fan base each week and despite the difficult times the supporters have stuck with the club. Why do we do it? Because we love this club and it has become part of our life where we plan other activities around the fixtures and try and go to as many games as possible despite the weather (and the results). What player would not want to play in front of that each week!? This maybe goes to show why so many players return or have such fond memories of their time at Hitchin Town FC because the whole ethos of the club becomes engrained into their life.

Now I know the road ahead is going to be difficult and we are going to have some dark days as a club, where we lose a player to a higher level or lose a game, but I know this great club will come through these times and success will follow. How that success will look, only time will tell. Whether that is with me as an interim manager or as a supporter I can assure you that this club will keep striving to be better no matter what the outside noise will tell you. Despite the highs and the lows, remember why you became part of this club in the first place and we will not go far wrong.

Moving onto the recent fixture – Hadley are a very good side. I know their assistant manager Danny Plumb really well as he gave me my first opportunity as an assistant manager in senior football, we enjoyed plenty of success together and he taught me so much during our time together. I will also be forever grateful to him for giving me this chance.

Hadley are a great club with extremely limited resources and they have shown if you can get a group of players together with everyone pulling in the same direction you can still achieve success in the non league game.

We knew Tuesday was going to be an extremely difficult game because of this. Hadley mixed their team up to allow some of their players who were chomping at the bit to play and impress the management for a starting place at the weekend.

Tuesday was extremely enjoyable to watch and I hope the supporters who were at the game had the same feeling as me leaving the ground. We played some good stuff at the right times but most pleasing was we worked extremely hard without the ball, limiting Hadley to 1 shot on target and 0 corners throughout the game.

I wish Hadley every success for the future and hope they can achieve their play off dream as well as continuing their impressive FA trophy run.

We now all need to take the positives from this game and the positivity we felt afterwards and move onto Saturday. We need to stay grounded as although Tuesday was excellent in getting a buzz back around the ground we are up against solid opposition on Saturday in the form of Banbury. Banbury have had a good start to the league campaign where they have scored 11 goals but only conceded 8 meaning they sit in 7th place. Banbury are well organized without the ball but also extremely effective with it and I think their record goes to show that they do not give much away. We know the uphill task we face Saturday and moving forwards but I certainly know that with the positive support of the supporters that the players will give their all to being competitive on the pitch each week while trying their best to pick up the required points.

Player News
Dan Sears and Lewis Barker are both suspended Saturday due to an accumulation of cautions. They will not travel with the squad and will both get game time elsewhere to keep them fresh for the following Saturday.

As you would have seen Jack Dreyer and Coree Wilson have both left the club this week. Please do not look at this as jumping a sinking ship. Jack is going travelling at the end of the month and just wants to play as much football as possible before he leaves. Ware were able to offer this to him and we wish him all the best for the few games he plays there and we hope he enjoys his travels as even though his time at the club has been brief he has committed fully each week.

Coree had a very good offer from St Ives and we all felt it was best he should take up this opportunity. Coree has had an impact this season where he has scored crucial goals and chipped in with the occasional assist. We wish him all the best in the future, apart from when we play St Ives.

On a more positive note we have signed Luke Stokoe, Dan’s twin brother. He has played the level and is similar to Dan. Dan has been excellent so far this season so if Luke could produce even half of this we know we have a very good player on our hands. Please get behind Luke and show him the love and support he will need to flourish.

We welcome back Kye Tearle. Kye is a player that I have known for some time, he has come through the Academy, played over 100 games for the club, knows the level and what it means to play for this great club which is important to me.

Brad Bell has also rejoined the club. Brad has not played for a while and will need sometime to get up to speed. I am hoping I can recapture the form Brad showed at the start of last season where he produced some good assists, goals and a terrible celebration.

We will keep working hard to bring back some old faces as well as some fresh blood to get the correct balance in the group.

ACADEMY UPDATE BY MICHAEL JONES
It has been half term this week so it has been pretty quiet.

We were delighted to see that William McNeill had been giving the opportunity to sign for the first team and be involved in Tuesday’s match day squad. Will made his debut as a late substitute and we hope he will have some more opportunities in the future.

We would like to thank AFC Welwyn and Liam for allowing this to happen and look forward to watching Will develop his senior football under your care.

JUNIOR CANARIES UPDATE BY MICHAEL JONES
Issue 2 will be has been sent out to all current Junior Canaries.

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.

CROWD INCIDENT– LOWESTOFT GAME
Following the conclusion of the Lowestoft Town match on Tuesday 22nd October we unfortunately have had reports of an incident in which aggressive language and behaviour was used as supporters exited the ground towards the Bedford Road gate. This incident is extremely out of character for Top Field and we would like to hear from anyone who may be able to help us identify any of those involved in the incident. This sort of behaviour is not tolerated at Top Field, we are proud of the friendly and welcoming environment for all and will not tolerate an extremely small minority who choose to behave in this way to anyone visiting our club. It should also be noted that incidents such as this can result in severe financial penalties to the club from the FA.

May we also take this opportunity to remind everyone of our ground rules clearly displayed around the ground and our Code of Conduct which can be found here: https://hitchintownfc.club/our-policies/#codeofconduct

ONLINE SALES – CHRISTMAS ISN’T FAR AWAY! BY CHRIS NEWBOLD
I am pleased to report that online sales are still going very well, and we hope that supporters will want to look at the range of items we have to offer as potential Christmas presents.

If you are thinking of buying any of our exclusive online only range of items, please be aware that deadlines for ordering to ensure we can have them with you in good time for Christmas are as follows:

Replica Goalkeeper Shirts : end of Sunday 10th November
Fanwear range (Jade and Mint colour T Shirts and hoodies, Jackets) : end of Sunday 1st December.

If you are buying our online range, please note that it is essential that you select the correct size (all measurements are available online in the item descriptions). We will be unable to exchange any of these items for different sizes as they are all individually manufactured.

Hoodies, Replica Goalkeeper Shirts and T Shirts will be sent out in the post. Jackets will need to be collected from the Club Shop on match days.

Our normal range of replica shirts, scarves, hats and many other items will be on sale in our Club Shop at our home games throughout November and December. We are well stocked for almost all sizes but to avoid disappointment due to any sizes being out of stock through demand, please consider buying early.

If you have any specific questions about online merchandise sales, please email tickets@hitchintownfc.club and we’ll do our very best to help.

HERTS SENIOR CUP
Our reward for beating Hadley on Tuesday is a home tie with Hemel Hempstead in the second round. The full draw is as follows—

• Bishops Stortford v St Albans
• Cheshunt v Sawbridgeworth or Baldock
• Wormley v Kings Langley
• Potters Bar or Hertford v Watford
• Hitchin V Hemel Hempstead
• Enfield v Boreham Wood
• Ware v Royston
• Leverstock Green v Stevenage

COMMUNITY UPDATE BY MARK BURKE
Junior Ability Counts
The last Junior Ability Counts session before the end of October was held at Top Field with 1st team player Stephen Gleeson attending. Glees refereed a match at the end of the session and presented certificates to the players that had attended.

It is on Monday evenings from 5-6pm that we host the Junior Ability Counts sessions for children aged between 7 and 16 years old with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). The course runs for 6 weeks.

October School Holiday Camps
We hosted 2 School Holiday Camps this week during the school half-term and both were very successful with over 60 children attending both camps. The Arena in Baldock hosted a football camp over 3 days and a Multi Activity Camp was hosted for the same period at Preston JMI School.

The Arena
The new dates for the coaching clinics at the Arena have been released and available to book via the https://www.Northhertsarena.co.uk

Wednesday evenings from 5.30-6.30pm we host a specific goalkeeping course called Safe Hands for children of all ages and abilities.

HTWFC UPDATE BY CALLUM ELLIS
RESULTS
Sunday 29th October:
HTWFC Canaries 0 – 4 Flitwick Eagles

FIXTURES
Sunday 3rd November
HTWFC Canaries H – W Bedford Central

Sunday 10th November: 14:00
HTWFC v Wheathampstead Wanderers FC
St Christophers School, Barrington Road, Letchworth Garden, SG6 3JZ

Bedford Central v HTWFC Canaries
Mowsbury Park, MK41 8DQ

We are still recruiting for our teams. We train Wednesday evenings at The Arena, Norton Road, Baldock, between 19:30-20:30. Get in touch today ! hello@hitchintownwomenfc.co.uk

BY ROY IZZARD