NEWS FROM FLEET TOWN FC - APRIL 2007
ANYTHING CHELSEA CAN DO....OUR SEASON BUILDS TO CLIMAX!
Dear Supporter,
In last month's newsletter we wrote things are getting very, very exciting! Well what an understatement that was as since then we have:
- Reached the promotion play-offs in the Ryman Division One South League
- Reached the Russell Cotes Cup final, the 2nd most prestigious cup in the county
- Reached the Basingstoke Senior Cup final to defend what we won last year
Add this to our Hampshire Senior Cup Final against Aldershot Town and not only are Fleet Town FC having our best ever season but also, at the same time, we are mirroring Chelsea FC by being in contention for four trophies, albeit not the same ones of course!
April's league form has been awesome. We started and ended the month with draws but had five straight victories in between to finish the season in 5th place. This form might also mean that Andy is in with a chance of a Manager of the Month award too.
Our final playing record of 21 wins, 12 draws & 9 defeats meant we finished five points behind champions Maidstone United and we qualified for the play-offs for the 2nd promotion spot. Two games now stand between us and a place in the Ryman Premier League. First we must beat Tooting & Mitcham (1st May) and then a week later on 7th beat the winners of the other play-off game between Dover Ath & Hastings Utd.
April saw our success in the cups continue too. We beat Lymington NM 1-0 in the Russell Cotes and Tadley Calleva 3-1 in the Basingstoke Senior Cups to set up May finals against Gosport Borough & Thatcham Town respectively. Both will take place after the ‘big-one' when we face our near neighbours Aldershot Town in the Hampshire Cup final.
Reasons for our success this season? Well some of the reasons are that Andy (& Steve) have assembled a fit and strong squad of players and instilled within them self-belief, a positive attitude and commitment to the club objectives. When selected all have played with skill and passion such that Fleet Town FC have proudly carried the flag for non-league football in our part of Hampshire this season.
Confidence is high but your vocal support could make the critical difference now. We have had many new Blues fans join us this season (crowds are up almost 30%), so if you want to lend your support to your fellow Blues, we have four, possibly five, crucial games in May that it would be appreciated at.
- Tuesday 1st v Tooting & Mitcham 7.45pm League Play-Off Semi-Final
- Saturday 5th v Aldershot Town 3.00pm Hampshire Senior Cup Final
- Monday 7 th (prov) v Dover or Hastings 7.45pm League Play-Off Final
- Thursday 10th (prov) v Gosport Borough 7.45pm Russell Cotes Cup Final
- Monday 14th (prov) v Thatcham Town 7.45pm Basingstoke Senior Cup Final
The FTFC Reserves have also had a storming month and need just one point from their final game to finish runners-up in their league and gain promotion too! Their form in April was impressive with only one defeat and a current playing record of W16 D4 L5. Several players were promoted to the first team to ease the fixture congestion in the month especially in the cup matches, and they kept the Clubs winning momentum going.
The Youth team ended their losing streak in April with a good 4-1 victory over Chertsey in which Lee Hamilton scored a hat-trick. Their low league position of 8 th hides a lot of progress made this season as more and more young players come through the ranks.
In the young people's teams our Girls won two league cups on one day (22nd ) with the u14's (Reds) beating Reading 3-1 and the u11 girls beating Aldershot 5-0 to complete their cup and league double. The Colts (Boys) club has two more teams close to winning their divisions – u9 Hawks and the u9 Eagles and a good run of form has lifted our u13 Blues to the runners-up spot in their division, ironically behind our u13 Reds. We also expect a couple of the Colts team to win cups too. A lot of re-structuring work behind the scenes has taken place in the club this year and under Jamie Williamson and his managers the future of our Colts Club is very bright.
Away from the pitch we launched our new website and we are tracking to have over 300,000 hits per annum! Take a look to see all events going on at the club, especially our fans and sponsors pages, on www.fleettownfc.co.uk
The next Quiz Night is at the Clubhouse on Friday May 4th from 7.45pm.
Finally the Club Presentation Evening is on Saturday June 2nd . Tickets are available from the Club at £20 each which includes a three course meal and entertainment from the comedian, Jed Stone. It's a great night out if you can come. Our next newsletter will include an end of season review of all our teams' along with who won what in the clubs awards at this evening.
So for many clubs the season has ended but for us at Fleet Town it is building to an unbelievable finale. Thanks for your help in making it happen.
Up the Blues!
Mike Gardner,
Commercial Manager
