WEEKLY BULLETIN – 21ST JUNE

GREAT AWAY WIN IN RETRO GAME
Having last seen Hitchin in live action on Monday 9 March it was great to see our first retro game on Tuesday and what a great result we achieved. A thumping 3-0 away win at Enfield in the 1993 Isthmian League game was very unexpected as Enfield were one of the top non-league teams in this era and finished runners-up to Stevenage this season.

Their player manager was Graham Roberts who played 209 games for Spurs and he was booked in this game for a challenge that was so late it virtually came after the final whistle but he only received a yellow card! The Hitchin scorers were Steve Conroy 2 and Gary Williams and the team was Gleasure, Bone, Covington, Burke, Miller, Scott, McGonagle, Conroy, Williams, Johnson, Thomas with Cosby and Milbourne the subs.

One feature of the game was how many tackles that would undoubtedly lead to yellow or red cards today were just accepted by the referee and the players and play went on. Physical contact was allowed and players just got on with the game.

So there were a number of Top Field legends in this team who went on to appear in our FA Cup giant killings. Gary Williams is now in Australia while Steve Miller is in Sweden and Rob Johnson in the Czech Republic.

This was our first retro game but we have a number of games to follow including our famous FA Cup ties so watch out for further details. It may not be quite like the real thing but in the short term it allows us to get our Hitchin Town fix.

50/50 CHARITY UPDATE
We received the following email from Claire Adams this week:

Good afternoon all,

We’ve just received your total for this month’s draw – an amazing £183.20!

Thank you so much for your incredible monthly support, it will help us continue to make a real positive impact for patients, staff and visitors across the Trust.

Thank you again and have a lovely weekend.

Kindest Regards, Claire

Claire Adams
Community Fundraiser
The East and North Hertfordshire Hospitals’ Charity

Many thanks to Claire for her kind words and it shows how our online 50/50 draw is helping not just the football club but our local hospital charity as well. The next 50/50 draw will see tickets go on sale next Friday 26 June with the draw being made on Wednesday 8 July.

GROUND REPORT BY STEVE BARKER

The pitch had another cut today as the rain and fertiliser that went down last week have turned the grass into a lovely shade of rich green and growth has been strong.

Work has started to demolish the old shed before it fell down. With the aid of the tractor and a strong rope it took some doing as the shed was well built in the days when it was erected.

I would be interested to know if anything was recorded as to when the shed was originally built?

A skip will be needed to have the wood fromf the shed taken away and if anyone wants some firewood for the winter just drop up the ground next Saturday between 10am and 2pm.

We will be needing a work party when we eventually know when football will recommence.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ARCHIE
Many happy returns to our match day announcer Archie Summerhayes who was 18 on 20 June. If you look at our fixture board there is a special message for Archie.

NEXT SEASON
There is still no news about the date next season will commence but this week I had to complete a survey from the Southern League that was asking questions about our ability to stage games with the social distancing restrictions in place.

The FA have confirmed the prize fund for next season’s FA Cup will be cut by 50% while the prize fund for the FA Trophy will be cut by 6% as the financial impact of the Coronavirus pandemic continues to affect football.

COLLEGE PROGRAMME UPDATE
This week’s question and answer session was with students who had gone to America to take a university scholarship. We have had previous students take this route in their careers.

MANAGER’S NOTES WITH MARK BURKE
Mark has continued to plan the return to training in July and is keeping in touch with the players and coaching team. It remains frustrating that there is no news regarding the start of next season as it makes it so difficult to make decisions regarding any squad additions.

BY ROY IZZARD