WEEKLY BULLETIN 4TH JULY
Friendly vs Luton Town
We welcome Luton Town Under-21s tonight (Friday 4 July), with a 7.00pm kick-off at Top Field.
There is no midweek game next week, with our next friendly fixture coming on Saturday 12 July at home to MK Dons, with a 3.00pm kick-off.
Tickets
Where possible we advising purchasing online. As well as being cheaper, it will ensure your quick and easy entry into the ground through the turnstiles. Please use the following link: https://hitchintownfc.ktckts.com/brand/match-tickets
The online box office remains open until 30 minutes after kick-off.
If you do need to buy your tickets in person, our matchday ticket office will be open from 18.00-19.15, and can be accessed from the rear car park (behind the Canary Club). Once you have purchased a ticket at the matchday ticket office you will then need to walk round to the Turnstiles on Fishponds Road present your ticket for entry. Turnstiles open at 18.00.
More details here:https://hitchintownfc.club/admission-prices/
Parking
Unfortunately supporter parking is not available in the club car park (unless you are a registered blue badge holder and have made prior arrangements).
Food and Drink
The Canary Club bar is open from 11.00am with some of the lowest prices in Hitchin! Drinks can be taken into the ground in a reusable plastic cup. (£1 deposit required). You can exit to the bar during the match and will be re-admitted via the side gate by showing your hand-stamp.
Mad Squirrel Brewery are now a permanent fixture at Top Field matches serving a great range of craft beers. They are located adjacent to the main stand.
Canary Kitchen will be open from when the turnstiles open serving a great range of food and soft drinks including our signature HTFC Pies.
Our annual Cider and Cheese Festival takes place this Friday and Saturday so call in and check out our selection of 34 Ciders. Full details here: https://hitchintownfc.club/cider-and-cheese-festival/
Club Shop
Get your matchday programme, teamsheet, chocolate bars, sweets and HTFC merchandise from the club shop.
For full details on the facilities at Top Field see our Matchday Info page here:
https://hitchintownfc.club/matchday-info/
We look forward to welcoming everyone to Top Field and hope that everyone has a great evening.
Cup Draws
FA Cup
The draw for the Extra Preliminary and Preliminary rounds of the 2025-26 Emirates FA Cup were made at lunchtime on Friday 4 July.
We enter the competition at the Preliminary Round, as we face the winner of the Extra Preliminary round tie between Grays Athletic vs Barking at Top Field on Saturday 16 August.
FA Trophy
We have been drawn against Biggleswade Town in the First Qualifying round of the 2025-26 Isuzu FA Trophy.
We’ll make the short journey to Biggleswade on Saturday 6 September.
FA Youth Cup
We’ve been drawn against MK Irish with the tie to be played week commencing 1 September.
Fixture Changes
Due to Ware being involved in the Extra Preliminary Round of the FA Cup, our Herts Charity Cup game has been moved to Tuesday 29 July at Top Field with kick-off at 7.45pm,
We will now play Stevenage Under 18’s at Top Field on Saturday 2 August.
We are offering reduced prices for this game as follows:
– Adults £5
– Concessions £3
– Teenagers £2
– Under 13’s £1
– Over 80’s free.
At the match day ticket office the prices will be £6, £4, £3 and £2.
Managers Notes
3-0 Defeat to Barnet on Tuesday
On Tuesday we played our first pre-season friendly against League Two side Barnet FC. It was great to be back at Top Field and see everyone again after the nine-week break from football. It was also great to see all our volunteers who have worked tirelessly during the off-season to keep improving the ground and the match day experience.
We started the game with three current academy players in the starting XI, four new signings playing their first game for the club and player/assistant manager Stephen Gleeson playing for the first time since Royston Town on 29 March. We knew this friendly would be even harder given these circumstances.
Barnet started off fast and looked a lot fitter and sharper as expected as they have been back in full time training whilst already having played one behind closed doors preseason game, whereas we had only had three sessions prior to this match.
It was not long before Barnet took the lead. We then grew into the game and started to get our foot on the ball without really causing the league two side any problems. Barnet extended their lead after some quick play resulted in a penalty and minutes later they added a third from a header from inside the box. At this point we were probably all fearing a heavy scoreline in Barnet’s favour but we had a few chances as the half drew to the close where Will McNeill went 1-1 with the keeper but the Barnet number one made a good save and Lewis Franklin just putting the ball over from close range.
At half-time it was an expected lead to Barnet, who led 3-0 but as we all know pre-season is not about scorelines its about learning and preparation for the season.
In the second half both teams made a lot of changes with Barnet changing the full XI while we changed 10 players, with only Josh Coldicott-Stevens coming back out in the second half after playing in the first.
The second half was a more even contest and our team consisted of four new signings, five trialists and Lewis Barker who was playing his first game since his dislocated shoulder injury, which he suffered on New Year’s Day at home to Barwell.
Both teams created some good chances but the keepers came out on top in this half making some good saves to keep the score at 3-0. After 70 minutes, Josh Coldicott-Stevens was replaced by player coach Kieron Forbes who was playing his first game since his knee injury suffered on 15 October at Top Field vs Leiston (Well… apart from his unexpected 3-minute cameo against Redditch United on the last game of the season!).
All in all it was a great workout where we have learnt a lot more about the group of players we have this season and it was great to see all eight new signings in the Hitchin shirt. It was also great to see Stephen Gleeson, Lewis Barker and Kieron Forbes all back on the pitch after long-term injuries while it was good to see George Morrall back in the warm-up as he steps up his recovery from his long-term injury suffered at the beginning of last season.
It was great to see our loyal supporters again, who turned up in their numbers with just under 600 people making the game. Thank you for your support of the group and I hope to see you all again on Friday.
I would also like to thank Barnet for bringing such a strong squad over to Top Field. I wish you all the best in your first season back in the Football League.
Friday’s Fixture with Luton U21s
We host Luton U21s on Friday which will be another good test for the group. Although this is not a first team it will still be a big test for our group playing against full time professional footballers. We hope to improve on our performance from Tuesday as we look to build for a positive season.
We also welcome back Toby Syme to the squad who was not available on Tuesday.
Academy Update
On Tuesday 1 July Tyrese Kamara, Blue Joy and Will McNeill all started for the Hitchin Town first team in their opening pre-season friendly of the 2025-26 campaign against League Two side Barnet FC. It’s always great to see our academy players progressing into the first team, especially to play against league two opposition.
We also had former academy graduates feature, Lewis Franklin, Kye Tearle and new first team signing Callum Kane as well as Taylor Franklin.
Out of the 22-man match squad we had seven current/former academy players involved which shows we have a clear pathway for our players to develop into senior football.
We are still recruiting for the 2025-26 season.
If you would like to be part of the academy or would like to find out more information on what we offer please register your details using this link – https://extranet.wearescl.co.uk/ToolkitNew/webenrolment.aspx?page=~/webcontrols/courseapply.ascx&OfferingId=85258
Michael Jones
Season Tickets for 2025-26
Firstly, thanks to all of you who have purchased season tickets for next season. We are already well on the way to last season’s total.
Those of you who have ordered the phone options for your season tickets will have already received them, and maybe even already used them for the Barnet game on Tuesday.
For those of you who have ordered plastic card tickets may have already picked them up, but if you haven’t as yet and wish to attend the Luton game on 4 July, you will need to pick these up from the matchday ticket window in the car park. Please do not go directly to the turnstiles without your season ticket, as you will only end up being sent back to the ticket window to collect your ticket.
If you ordered your plastic card on 27 June or after, it will not have arrived yet. If you are attending the Luton game, we will appoint and direct you to one of our stewards at the turnstiles who will have your details and ensure you gain entry.
Any uncollected tickets will be posted out after tomorrow night’s game, with a view to you receiving it in time for the MK Dons game on Saturday 12 July.
A final polite reminder for anyone buying a season ticket for someone else: You must please read and follow the instructions on the website to ensure that the season ticket bears the name of the person who will be the pass holder. If these instructions aren’t followed, the ticket will not be processed or cancelled and you will be asked to re-apply. Thanks.
Chris Newbold
Cider & Cheese Festival 2025
The day has arrived! Today and tomorrow Friday 4 and Saturday 5 July 2025 sees our popular Cider and Cheese Festival return to The Canary Club. Doors open on both days from 1pm and entry is FREE.
If you are coming to our Luton U21 game, then why not pop in beforehand, at half-time or after the match and take advantage of our amazingly competitive pricing at £4 per pint. With summer here what better way to spend an hour or two with friends.
We have a range of ciders to suit all tastes as well as a selection of low and alcohol-free ciders. Our knowledgeable bar staff will help you choose from our list of 34.
There will be live music on both evenings starting with the ever popular Sandy Ukulele Band at 7.30 on Friday and on Saturday, John Powell from 6pm followed by the Glee Club at 7pm
For more information go to our web page: https://hitchintownfc.club/cider-and-cheese-festival/
Ian Murrell
Player & Staff Sponsorship for 2025-26
Show your support for your favourite Canary by sponsoring them for the 2025/26 season. For just £100+ VAT per player, the benefits include:
- Name / Logo in Programme and on Website
- Sponsorship announcement across our Social Media accounts
- Promotion across Social Media when a player is selected as ‘Man of the Match’
These are available on a first come, first served, basis.
Contact Mick Docking: commercial@hitchintownfc.club
Full details here: https://hitchintownfc.club/player-sponsors/
Mick Docking
A Message from our Club Chaplain
Our club chaplain Maxine Howarth will produce monthly articles for the bulletin this season.
The first one is a timely reflection on the loss of Diogo Jota–
On Thursday the world learned of the death of Diogo Jota, the 28-year-old Liverpool player. He had previously played for Porto & Wolves. He married his partner last month and leaves behind three children. I think Cristiano Ronaldo vocalised the voice of millions when he said “it doesn’t make sense” on hearing the news. It’s hard news to take in – such a young guy with such a young family and his whole life ahead of him. How can that possibly make sense or be fair? Well, whatever your religious views (or none), it isn’t fair and it doesn’t make much sense, so there will be no attempt from me to offer shallow platitudes.
The question of suffering is one that I get asked about most often – why God allows it, why He doesn’t stop it etc etc. Theologians have spent hundreds and hundreds of years theorising and investigating those very questions and have never come up with adequate answers, so I doubt I’m going to manage it in few sentences! However, what I have discovered is that there are different types of suffering: human made suffering – wars, murder etc; natural suffering – earthquakes and so on; and then suffering like the death of this young player – an event that no one can explain, or try to. All I know for certain is that Christians worship a God of love, and he would not cause one of his children to suffer. At St Mark’s we have been praying for Jota’s family and loved ones. May he rest in peace and rise in glory.
Maxine Howarth