WEEKLY BULLETIN – 20TH SEPTEMBER

FIXTURES

• Saturday 23rd September Home to Barwell League kick off 3.00pm. Tickets must be purchased online but please remember this is a pay what you want game so you decide how much you pay. Please see below for more information.
• Tuesday 26th September Away to Kettering League kick-off 7.45pm. There is no coach to this game.

MANASGER’S NOTES WITH MICHAEL JONES

As Mark Burke was not available to do his usual manager’s notes I asked Michael Jones from Mark’s management team to stand in and I would like to thank him for his input.

AFC SUDBURY

Sudbury came with a game plan and set out to be hard to beat and look to attack on the break. They did create a few dangerous moments but we dominated the game and scored midway through the first half. We remained in control in the second half but after 60 minutes Sudbury opened up as they chased the equaliser and we took advantage of this by exploiting the gaps they left and we scored two further goals. Although we deserved to win, 3-0 was a flattering scoreline but that did not matter. Getting through to the next round was the only thing that mattered. Also as it was a second successive 3-0 victory it is good for the supporters and it also gives great confidence to the players as we have scored plenty of goals and kept clean sheets.

I would like to thank our supporters who were in full voice particularly in the second half and it created a great atmosphere particularly behind the goal. This really does lift the players and long may it continue.

The other pleasing thing for the management team is that the last three games have shown the squad depth as we have mixed the teams up but kept the same level of performance. It has also shown the versatility in the squad as the likes of Kye Tearle, Stan Georgiou and Dan Idiakhoa have played in different positions. Being able to change the team is a great bonus as we can manage the game time for the players and rest players who may be carrying slight knocks. It also means there is great competition for places.

BARWELL

I consider Barwell to be a very good footballing side who are well coached and have a few very good players. I expect a very entertaining game as both clubs play good football. It will be a difficult game but confidence is high and hopefully we can build on the momentum from the last few games. Hopefully the supporters will be in good voice again and help us over the line.

KETTERING

We were very pleased with the FA Cup draw as you always want a home draw if possible and we avoided teams from a higher level. It is obviously not ideal that we go to Kettering on Tuesday ahead of the FA Cup game next Saturday. But we will continue to take each game as it comes and we will concentrate on the league game and worry about the FA Cup later. It is likely that both teams will play different line ups in the two games and whatever happens on Tuesday will not necessarily define the FA Cup game. We will be doing our best to pick up the three points on Tuesday.

MICHAEL JONES

PAY WHAT YOU WANT FOR THE BARWELL GAME ON SATURDAY
The Barwell game on Saturday will be out sixth consecutive home game. This has happened because we have had two home FA Cup games while we had switched the Redditch away game to Top Field as their ground was not available.

At a time when so many families are struggling with the cost of living crisis we are well aware that these six successive home games have put a financial strain on our supporters. Therefore we wanted to do something to help so we decided to make Barwell’s visit a pay what you want game. This means supporters can choose how much they pay to watch the game. There is a minimum charge of £1 and hopefully supporters will appreciate this gesture.

I as treasurer have always strongly been in favour of pay what you want games and I can categorically say they were always successful despite some doubting how they would work out. It served two purposes the first of which was giving supporters the chance to save money by paying a reduced entry fee but just as important was the opportunity to attract potential new supporters to come along who would not have to pay the full admission price. I am certain we did gain new followers as a result of paying a reduced sum at a pay what you want game.

In any case even if a new supporter only paid £1 I considered we were gaining £1 rather than losing £12 as they would not have come to the game if normal admission prices were in place. If they buy food or drink or buy a programme we are also gaining extra receipts. I like to see as many people at Top Field as possible and if the new supporters enjoy that special Top Field experience they will hopefully return. It has been great to see so many family groups at recent games and an increase in the number of younger fans and female supporters. I hope this Saturday’s pay what you want game will encourage more new supporters to come along and I urge all current supporters to ask family and friends to take advantage of the chance to watch good quality non-league football at a reasonable price,

Another surprising thing with past pay what you want games is that many supporters paid the full price and incredibly some paid more than the normal price. As treasurer I am very grateful for this but rewarding loyal supporters and hoping to attract new supporters is the aim of pay what you want games.

TIM HARLEY
Tim Harley sadly passed away recently. Tim was the twin brother of Tony who played 242 games for Hitchin and their father Bill was a former chairman of the Canaries. Tim was well known in local football circles and played many games for Pirton. Tim who was 74 suffered from pancreatic cancer and we send condolences to his widow Rachel and daughters Lucy and Lillie.

BEHIND CLOSED DOORS FRIENDLY AT STOTFOLD
On Tuesday we played a friendly at Stotfold and we mainly fielded a development team while the first team trained. But Jack Snelus made his long awaited return and Daniel Emovon also played. Stotfold won the game 1-0. I had the pleasure of watching the game alongside Stotfold manager Brett Donnelly who was on crutches after a foot operation. He certainly makes himself heard as he shouts out instructions to his players and is very entertaining to watch!

PLAYER NEWS

• Jack Snelus should be in the squad for Barwell after playing at Stotfold.
• Diogo Freitas-Gouveia remains on the sidelines as he awaits the results of his scan.

ACADEMY UPDATE BY MICHAEL JONES

FA Youth Cup
On Monday 18th September we were due to play away against Kempston Rovers FC in the 1st qualifying round, after winning the two previous games against Arlesey and Royston.

Luck was not on our side Monday as our team travelling to the game broke down in the middle of the M1 and had to wait for the motorway to be closed before they could be towed to the hard shoulder by the police.

Due to this unforeseen incident the match had to be postponed and now we are due to travel to Kempston Rovers on Monday 25th September.

Player Update
On Tuesday 19th September we had a development friendly against Stotfold where we had 2nd year players Chris Khoo, Henry Silver and Melsion Sykaj as well as 1st year player Lenny Crowter played for us. We also had former players Lewis Franklin, Callum Kane and Aaron Hector play for Stotfold in this match.

Game Update
On Wednesday 20th September we hosted our good friends F2 Academy in a friendly fixture. This was the last chance for everyone to get some minutes before our competitive fixtures start. The game was a very entertaining game with our young Canaries taking the lead on 3 occasions but unfortunately being pegged back on all 3 with the final goal coming with virtually the last kick of the game.

HTWFC UPDATE BY KARLA CHAFFEY

Results from last Sunday
Real Bedford Development 3 – 2 HTWFC Firsts
Watton Ladies FC 1 – 0 HTWFC Canaries

Our next round of fixtures in the Beds and Herts Women’s League are :

Watton Ladies v HTWFC Firsts
Watton FC, Ottway Walk, Welwyn, AL6 9AT

Buntingford Ladies FC v HTWFC Canaries
The Bury, Buntingford

Both matches are at 14:00 kick off.

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