Club Newsletter - May 2007

THAT WAS ONE HECK OF A SEASON THAT WAS!

Dear Supporter,

As May moves into June the latest, most successful season in the history of Flee t Town Football Club ended too and what a helter-skelter nine months it has been. In April's newsletter we wrote that things were building to a crescendo and for many May was a month to remember.

Firstly it was thrills followed by heartbreak as we lost our play-off semi-final to Tooting & Mitcham, then on to AFC Bournemouth and in front of almost 1200 fans we were only just beaten by Aldershot Town , 2-1 in the Hampshire Senior Cup final. Next up we easily overcame Gosport to win the Russell Cotes cup (2-0) before rather meekly surrendering our Basingstoke Cup to Thatcham (0-3) in the final game of our season.

In all competitions this season we played 64 games (winning 35) with Will Salmon and James Field playing in 60 & 54 respectively. We scored 114 goals of which Adam Wallace with 15 finished as top scorer. Our biggest crowd at home was 313 and we averaged 175, up 28% on the previous year.

We did actually say farewell to the Ryman League not with promotion but due to a restructuring of the non-league. Being the only team from Hampshire in our division and the fact that teams from Surrey , Sussex and Kent were either relegated or promoted to the Ryman we have been switched into a new league for next season. We will compete at the same level but in the British Gas Southern League (S & W Division). It's a league we have been in before and whilst we will miss some of our trips to Kent the chance to renew acquaintances with our old adversaries at Winchester, Bracknell and Thatcham plus the recently relegated non-league big boys of Slough and Farnborough means it may well be another helter-skelter year as we strive for promotion to the next level.

But with no games now until late August (except friendlies) it's a chance for the players to take a break and reintroduce themselves to their nearest and dearest's on Saturdays. We have ground and pitch improvements to undertake and sponsors old and new to secure for next season. Andy and Steve will speak with current and new players ahead of training recommencing in July with a view to building a team that can maintain the momentum of the past two seasons.

Elsewhere in the club our Reserves secured promotion to the Suburban Premier Division, the boys' u13's Reds and Blues finished 1 st and 2 nd and our girls u11's won their division too. Several of our young people's teams also made cup finals and we have three girls in professional club academies too. Final league placings for all the teams in the club are:

The Club Presentation Evening is on Saturday June 2nd and it will be interesting to see who wins what and the next Quiz Night is at the Clubhouse on Friday June 8th from 7.45pm.

For events in and around the club put www.fleettownfc.co.uk in your favourites folder as this will be being updated at regular intervals.

In closing we thank you for your support this season and trust that you will continue your support again with us next season and beyond. The club has over gained many new fans this season and you will all continue to play as important part of our club as all the players, managers and committees.

So until August and more football at Calthorpe Park , enjoy the summer.

Up the Blues!

Mike Gardner,
Commercial Manager