WEEKLY BULLETIN – 27TH AUG

FIXTURES
Saturday 28th August – 3PM kick-off – Banbury United – League – Away – Coach leaves 11.15am
Monday 30th August – 3PM kick-off – Royston Town – League – Home
Tickets must be bought online here.

FA YOUTH CUP
On Thursday 2nd September we are at home to Bugbrooke St Michaels in the FA Youth Cup kick-off 7.45pm. Prices will be £5 for adults, £3 for concessions £1 for teenagers and under 13’s and over 80’s are free. Tickets are now available to purchase online here. Please come along and support our youngsters. The winners will be away to Barton Rovers or Cogenhoe in the next round.

MANAGER’S NOTES WITH MARK BURKE

NUNEATON
As I had hoped I thought this match was very entertaining and we were able to get the result we wanted. Nuneaton had bundles of experience in their ranks while we were full of youth and exuberance. Indeed without Dan Webb Daniel Akubuine was the oldest player at 27 with the rest of the team 25 or younger.

Nuneaton started well and I thought they played some attractive football and caused us some problems. After we scored the opening goal our nerves were settled and we went on to play our own attractive football. Overall I thought we just shaded the first half and deserved the interval lead.

In the second half Nuneaton put us under pressure again but we defended with a deal of resilience. As we approached the final quarter Nuneaton were rewarded for their pressure with a goal that saw their striker show a quick reaction in the box. However I was very pleased with our reaction and the goal sparked us in to action and we began to create chances of our own. Our persistence paid off and we took the lead late on. It was a nervy last 10 minutes but all the Hitchin players put their bodies on the line and deservedly saw the game out.

BANBURY AND ROYSTON
On Saturday we visit Banbury who are currently third in the league table. We have had them watched twice and the scouts were very impressed by their performances and they deserve their lofty position. Historically results between the clubs are fairly even and I would be happy to return to Top Field unbeaten and build confidence ahead of Monday.

Royston were very impressive last season and have made another good start this season. Draper, Adams and Bateman are a dangerous and potent front three. We will need to be really on our mettle to restrict their impact on the game. But it is a local derby and hopefully there will be a big crowd to get behind us in what is likeky to be another entertaining game.

PLAYER NEWS

• Dan Webb will miss the Banbury game through injury.
• Ciaren Jones faces a fitness test ahead of the Banbury game on Saturday.
• Jack Green played for Colney Heath last Saturday.
• We had four players turn out for Letchworth Garden City Eagles last Saturday.
• Max Ryan and Jonas Kalonda played for Cambridge City last Saturday and Jonas scored.
• Congratulations to ex Canaries Kane Smith and Will Wright who scored goals for Boreham Wood and Dagenham & Redbridge in the National League last Saturday.

BIGGLESWADE TOWN FA CUP TICKET NEWS
Tickets for our FA Cup game at Biggleswade Town can be bought online through our own website from now – click here. Prices are £10 for adults (and Biggleswade define an adult anyone from age 16 to 65) and £8 for concessions (concessions defined by Bigleswade as anyone over 65) with accompanied under 16’s free. We recommend you buy your ticket this way and our own Kate Deller will be at Bigglewade to ensure easy access. There will be a turnstile accepting cash on the day but by buying a ticket you should avoid long queues.

AWAY SHIRT FOR SALE
Our new away shirt went on general sale on Thursday. With limited stock available, almost half of these have been purchased already, so do not delay if you want to buy one as no further stock will be available. Please check online for details regarding sizes as no refunds or exchanges will be possible. Click here to purchase.

ACADEMY UPDATE BY MICHAEL JONES
We now only have a few training sessions before our FA Youth Cup match on Thursday 2nd September. Tickets will be available via the club website if you want to come down and support the young Canaries.

We still have a few spaces left in our Academy for the new season. If you want to be a part of the Pro:Direct Hitchin Town Football Academy then please register your interest here -https://www.northhertsarena.co.uk/next-trial-dates

HTWFC UPDATE BY KARLA CHAFFEY
HTWFC had no game at the weekend. However pre season training continued.

Fixtures for Sunday 29th August 2021, 14:00 kick off:

• Langford Ladies v HTWFC XI
• Hitchin Belles v HTWFC Canaries

We are still continuing to recruit for players for the 2021/2022 season. We train Wednesday evenings at The Arena, Norton Road, Baldock, Hertfordshire, SG7 5AU. Training starts at 20:30 and finishes at 22:00, all abilities welcome!

BY ROY IZZARD