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WEEKLY BULLETIN FROM ROY

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FIXTURE
Saturday 6 October home to Hastings United F A Cup 3rd Qualifying Round kick off 3.00pm. Discounted tickets can be bought online up until 8pm on Friday.

As this is such an important game it would be great to see a big crowd at Top Field on Saturday. The players really do appreciate your support and it really can make a difference. So please come along and bring your family and friends to this vital fixture.

If this game is drawn the replay will be on Tuesday 9 October kick off 7.45pm.

The prize money for the winners is £15,000. The draw for the 4th Qualifying Round will be live on talkSport from 12.00noon on Monday 8 October.

FORTHCOMING FIXTURES
There have been various fixture changes. This is the programme after Saturday:

  • Saturday 13 October away to Bedworth League kick off 3.00pm.
  • Wednesday 17 October home to Tring Athletic Herts Senior Cup kick off 7.45pm.
  • Saturday 20 October home to Coalville League kick off 3.00pm. This is also the date for the 4th Qualifying Round of the FA Cup.
  • Saturday 27 October FA Trophy (draw to be made Monday 15 October).
  • Wednesday 31 October home to Kings Lynn League kick off 7.45pm.

BOOK SALE FOR CHARITY AT HASTINGS GAME
On Saturday, we will be having a book sale to raise money for the Isabel Hospice, Welwyn Garden City https://www.isabelhospice.org.uk/ and for the Club.

There will be loads of books covering all sorts of subjects which have been donated by our Assistant Manager Adam Parker who has also chosen the Charity.

The stall is being run by Bill Rogers and Gracie Deller – please have a look in and see if there are some books that you would like to buy thereby helping this worthwhile charity. The stall will be on the right, just inside the turnstiles.

Thanks in advance for your support.

PLAYER NEWS
Dan Webb, Josh Bickerstaff, Robbie Burns and Charlie Smith will return to the squad for the Hastings game on Saturday.

HITCHIN TOWN LADIES FC AND HITCHIN TOWN UNDER 19s
Neither the Ladies nor under 19s had a game last week.

PLAYER FINES PART 4
These are the final examples of the players fine system:

  • No shower gel -£2
  • Dirty boots -£2.50 per boot.
  • No cakes when it is your birthday -£10
  • Lending items -£2
  • Forgetting or not wearing the ‘worst trainer’ kit -£5
  • Incorrect training kit -£2 an item.
  • Missing a penalty -£5 including penalty shootouts.
  • Losing a home game -£4 per player.
  • Missing a training session -£5

MANAGER’S NOTES WITH MARK BURKE

ST NEOTS TOWN
It was good to see so many Hitchin supporters attend this game. I was happy with the first 20 minutes when I felt we played good football and created opportunities to get on the score sheet. But as the game went on a combination of St Neots upping their game, fatigue among our players after the 120 minutes played at Didcot and the lack of confidence creeping back in to our game after not scoring in the early stages resulted in us not sustaining our good start.

There are a number of players who are still conditioning themselves to the rigours of football at this level and it will take them time to fully adjust. But when they do we will reap the dividends.

0-0 was a fair result and I was pleased with the clean sheet, a point away from home and the continuation of our unbeaten run.

ROYSTON TOWN
This game gave me the chance to give players much needed match time. Obviously the players who have not been playing regularly take time to get used to the pace of the game and this was very evident with our first half performance. I was pleased to reach half time only 1-0 down.

With Royston holding such a slender lead it always meant we had a chance to get back in the game and this is what we did. It was a much improved second half performance and on the balance of play we deserved our victory.

HASTINGS UNITED
We look forward to an exciting F A Cup 3rd Qualifying tie at home to Hastings on Saturday. We know we will be in for a very difficult game having had them watched. Our scout said they were the best team he had seen this season. Hastings have won every competitive match bar one this season and have beaten higher league teams in Kingstonian and Leiston in the F A Cup. They have a number of very promising young players and this is validated by the number of scout requests we have had from professional clubs for tomorrow’s game. It will be great to see our ex-goalkeeper Charlie Horlock return to Top Field.

I really hope to see our supporters turn out in force to help us get over the line in this difficult game and progress to the 4th Qualifying Round.

ROY IZZARD