Saturday 11th April 2015 Biggleswade United V Kings Langley
The Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division Saturday 4th April 2015
Biggleswade United
v
Colours: Red / Navy
Kings Langley Colours: White / Black
1
Grant Beckwith
1
Charlie Crowley
2
Stuart Richardson
2
Danny Hutchins
3
Adam Drakulic
3
Tom Carter
4
Martin Russell ©
4
Jack Pattison
5
Ollie Peters
5
Stuart Deaton
6
Jason Darvall
6
Callum Adebiyi
7
James Chisholm
7
Lee Burgoyne
8
Jack Boyd
8
Dean Hitchcock
9
Tom Cookman
9
Mitchell Weiss
10
Nyasha Sagwete
10
Alex Campana
11
Sam Nair
11
Nick Jackson
12
Brett Leader
12
Connor Toomey
14
Hector Bataller
14
Ant Ladyman
15
Will Wright
15
Ollie Cox
16
Jake O’Neill
16
Lewis Toomey
17
George Melrose
17
Joe Debayo
18
Tre Grant
18
Daryl Atkins
19
Ryan Dobson
19
Luke Ladyman
20
Jude Eboji
20
Sam Warrell
Manager: MICK REARDON
Manager: RITCHIE HANLON
Assistant: MARK ROYAL
Assistants: PAUL HUGHES
Physio: VANESSA FOUCHER
Physio: ANDY BOWMAN Match Officials
Referee: Mr L Smith : Assistants Mr R Pearson and Mr J Brown
Welcome to Second Meadow Good afternoon and welcome to Second Meadow for this afternoon’s Premier Division fixture. Today we extend a warm welcome to the players, officials and supporters of KINGS LANGLEY FC. We also welcome our three match officials and hope that you all enjoy your short stay with us. Last Saturday’s Media Day was a great success with over 180 spectators passing through the turnstiles. It was great to see so many new faces within the crowd and we hope that they will return for next season’s campaign. Also present was Anglia TV sports correspondent, Donovan Blake, who spoke to me after the match and commented on how much he enjoyed the spirit and atmosphere within the club and was impressed with the high standard of football at this level. It was just a shame that we were unable to secure a point from our local rivals Stotfold but it was certainly a game that kept the spectators enthralled with seven goals, play swinging from end to end, two penalty decisions and a stunning overhead strike to allow Stotfold to celebrate a last minute winner. All Roy of the Rovers stuff!! Our visitors today are currently top of the leader board with promotion to Step 4 an almost certainty. A remarkable achievement when you think that last season they were a Division One side. We were hoping to be the side that dented their unbeaten run but that was achieved in the midweek when Hertford Town took all three points in a 3-1 win at Hertingfordbury Park. Kings Langley will be looking to retrieve the winning touch today so we will need to put in a far better performance that that given in our 2-1 defeat at Leverstock Green on Tuesday night. The two sides have met twice this season. Back in September we took the honours in a Premier Division Cup tie but we were given a lesson in finishing at the end of November when our visitors slammed in a quick-fire three goals to give us a mountain to climb in the second period. We rallied, but not enough to overturn the deficit and finished 4-1. Our next match is on Saturday when London Colney visit Second Meadow. Kick Off 3pm. During the week we will be hosting the Bedfordshire FA Intermediate Cup Final. AFC Dunstable Reserves take on Great Barford on Wednesday 15th April Kick Off 7.30pm. Let’s hope for an enjoyable and exciting game this afternoon.
Tracey James – Secretary and Programme Editor
CURRENT LEAGUE TABLE
THE HISTORY OF BIGGLESWADE UNITED (2)
2014-2015 Season Spartan South Midlands Football League Premier Division
P
W D
L
F
A
Pts
1 Kings Langley
37
29
3
5
112
34
90
2 London Colney
36
24
5
7
66
24
77
3 Sun Sports
38
25
2
11
81
51
77
4 AFC Dunstable
37
22
9
6
83
48
75
5 Harefield United
39
22
6
11
92
63
72
6 Wembley
36
22
5
9
77
51
71
7 St Margaretsbury
36
20
9
7
85
41
69
8 Berkhamsted
37
21
3
13
89
60
66
9 Hadley
38
19
4
15
70
64
61
10 Tring Athletic
38
18
6
14
70
50
60
11 Hertford Town
36
17
6
13
75
62
57
12 Oxhey Jets
38
17
6
15
78
68
57
13 Biggleswade United
39
14
7
18
72
77
49
14 Colney Heath
38
11
9
18
65
70
42
15 Leverstock Green
39
11
6
22
56
89
39
16 Cockfosters
37
11
4
22
41
79
37
17 Stotfold
37
9
9
19
56
89
36
18 Hoddesdon Town
38
10
5
23
52
88
35
19 London Tigers
37
7
9
21
55
90
30
20 Ampthill Town
38
8
5
25
40
109
29
21 Holmer Green
36
8
3
25
49
100
27
22 Hillingdon Borough
39
2
9
28
58
115
15
The next eleven years saw the first team led by Steve "Snowy" Wright and under his management the club continued to enjoy a very high level of League and Cup success ultimately achieving promotion to the Molten Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division and with it the opportunity to compete in the FA Cup. And under Snowy the club made three Beds FA Senior Challenge Cup final appearances, winning two of the three with victories over Stotfold (4-1) and Leighton Town (1-0) but missed out in 2006/07 going down 2-0 to Dunstable Town. Snowy's other cup successes came in the form of the Hunts Premeir Cup, North Beds Charity Cup, Hinchingbrooke Cup, the SML Division One Cup and the SML Special Achievement Award once again. The end of the 2006 2007 season saw Snowy step down as manager with his assistant, Nick Burton taking over the first team reins. The 2006 2007 season marked a crucial time in the club's history with the formation of a youth structure that sees Biggleswade girls and boys aged 7 to 18 able to be part of Biggleswade United. We now have twelve youth teams including three girls teams with a well established youth committee. The profile of the club as a community club is very much boosted by the association with such a well organised and well structured youth set up. January 5th 2009 saw the club embark on further ambitious ground improvements. With financial backing from Biggleswade Town Council, Mid Beds District Council and the Football Foundation we installed a 260-seater stand, fully enclosed the ground with a double turnstile entrance and players' secure walkway which raised the ground to Grade E status. After several years of stability in terms of first team managers the next six years saw a regular turnover of first team and reserve team managers with Nick Burton, Dave Elkin and Phil Childs all taking over the first team reins for a time. At the start of the 2013 2014 season we appointed Mick Reardon and Mark Royal as first team managers both of whom have enjoyed success as coaches at the higher levels of football. Their disciplined approach was quickly adhered to and responded to by the players. The new 2014 – 2015 season has seen the arrival of several new young players to the club following the club’s positive decision to introduce a side that will compete in the Suburban League as well as continuing to compete in the SML Premier Division. The Suburban side will be managed by Gary Burkett who enjoyed success with Shefford Saints Under 18s and many talented young players will be part of the United Squad. Gary will be assisted by former Bushey Met Police manager, Tony Jones. In November 2014 the club took a further positive step to realise our ambitions with the appointment of Sky Sports Presenter and renowned author, Guillem Balague as Biggleswade United’s Director of Football. The club has certainly come a long way in relatively few years but we could not have done it without the help of a very supportive Town and District Council who clearly understand the benefits of having a community based club in Biggleswade. Our success is also very much down to a very hard working committee who throughout the year - not just the football season - continue to volunteer their time and commitment to the club, to help it continue to thrive and be a source of enjoyment for our supporters and the Biggleswade community.
BIGGLESWADE UNITED : OUR HISTORY SO FAR Biggleswade United Football Club was reformed on the 16th July 1959. However, local history records indicate that there was a Biggleswade United side playing at Second Meadow as early as 1929. Our first season (1959/60) saw us competing in Division Three of the North Herts. League (NHL). After 10 successful years in the NHL the club made the step up to South Midlands League (SML) football. But towards the end of a 15-year association with the SML the club began to struggle and after three years of finishing in the bottom three of Division One we sought fresh fields. The club joined the Herts. Senior but club continued to find the going tough. In 1986 we elected to return to local League football, joining the Bedford and District Football League and began to build again. The appointment of Brian Swords as first team manager in 87/88 proved to be the turning point in the club's fortunes. During the next ten years the club achieved a tremendous amount of success on and off the football pitch. Our record of League and Cup honours speak for themselves but aligned to this a great deal of work went on behind the scenes to match the on-field success. The club now boasts one of the best clubhouse and ground facilities in the Mid-Bedfordshire area. The success of the club has also attracted many new players as well as commanding a great deal of loyalty from those players who helped the club progress from Division Three of the Bedford and District League to County Senior Club status in just 15 years. The 1995/96 season was the most successful in the club's history - winning five major honours; the Beds Intermediate County Cup, Bedford and District League Championship, League Cup Championship and as the League's representatives the club won the Beds. FA Centenary Cup. Having won every major Bedford League honour the club felt it was time to move on and made the decision to make the step up once again and returned to Division One of the SML. In an exceptionally successful first season we celebrated a Division One "double" by winning the Championship and the Division One Cup. We also retained the Beds. FA Intermediate County Cup, only the second club in the competition's history to achieve this feat. To crown our success the club were awarded the SML Special Achievement Trophy in July 1997. In the season 1997/98 we finally achieved Senior status. This was achieved not only through the endeavours of the players on the field but ultimately as a result of an extremely hard working committee. With the help of the Biggleswade Town Council a new stand was erected and perimeter fencing installed. And two seasons later the club erected floodlights and on the evening of 26th October 1999 we played our first-ever floodlit game at Second Meadow, Ryman League side Leighton Town were the visitors in the Bedfordshire Premier Cup.
BIGGLESWADE UNITED DEVELOPMENT TEAM 2014-2015 Season Suburban Football League North Division P W 1 Berkhamsted 18 14 2 Binfield 18 13 3 Northwood 19 10 4 Camberley Town 18 9 5 Farnham Town 18 8 6 North Greenford United 17 7 7 Leverstock Green 17 6 8 Harefield United 17 6 9 Biggleswade United 19 3 10 Hartley Wintney 16 3 11 Newport Pagnell Town 13 2
D L F A 1 3 56 20 2 3 59 29 1 8 35 44 1 8 35 42 2 8 35 34 3 7 49 33 5 6 41 46 2 9 28 28 5 11 31 55 3 10 30 53 3 8 29 44
Pts 43 41 31 28 26 24 23 20 14 12 9
KINGS LANGLEY HISTORY 1886 Kings Langley Football Club, one of the oldest in the county, formed. 1891-2 Founder members of West Herts League. St. Mary’s Cup winners (attendance 3,500 at the Watford Rec. Grd). 1892-3 St. Mary’s Cup retained. Although it has been stated that the Club did not move to Home Park until 1913, the pitch was certainly hosting a 1998-99 match against Hemel Hempstead Town in front of 300 spectators. 1911-12 West Herts League Division 3 Champions. 1919-20 West Herts League Division 2 Champions. 1920-21 Joined Herts County League. Returned to West Herts League 1922-23. Club folded in Feb. 1930, reformed four months later. Div. 2 Champions & Webster Cup winners 1930-31. Relegated 1932-33, Division 2 Champions 1934-35. 1934-35 New pavilion built on Home Park and this was opened by the future F.I.F.A. president, Sir Stanley Rous. 1935-36 Joined the Southern Olympian League, promoted from Division 2 first season, Division 1 Champions following season and spent two seasons in the Premier until the outbreak of war. 1945-46 Competed in F A Cup. Preliminary round won before losing in the First Qualifying round. 1946-47 Returned to Herts County League, gaining promotion from Division Two. Herts County League Champions 1949-50 and again in 1951-52. St. Mary’s Cup winners 1950-51. Kings Langley regularly competed in the F A Amateur Cup and in September 1949 entertained the famous amateurs of Corinthian Casuals. Although losing 1-3, over 500 watched the game. 1952-53 Joined Parthenon League . Apsley Senior Cup winners. 1955-56 Returned to the Herts County League, for a tenure that would last for the next 45 years. 1960-61 Apsley Senior Cup winners. Herts County League titles 1965-66 and 1966-67, Herts Charity Shield winners 1966-67,Aubrey Cup 1967-68. St. Mary’s Cup winners 1971-72. Relegated 1972-73. Herts County Div. 1 Champions 1975-76. Apsley Senior Cup winners 1976-77. Relegated 1977-78. Promoted back 1979-80. 1980 Home Park lost to redevelopment. A nomadic existence followed, playing at Colne Valley, Rolls Royce and Buncefield Lane and Leavesden Hospital, until March 1997, when the club moved into their present ground at Gaywood Park. The reformation of Kings Langley Youth Football Club in 1989 after a 19 year absence played its part, as both junior and senior supporters combined to launch a project of obtaining the land, laying two pitches and building a pavilion. Sponsors included the National Lottery, Herts. F A, Dacorum Borough Council, Kings Langley Parish Council and the club’s great benefactor, Graham Gaywood, who tragically passed away so soon after the dream was realised. The ground is named Gaywood Park as a tribute to someone who made it all possible. 1997-98 Rickmansworth Charity Cup winners. Lost Herts County League title on goal difference. 2001-02 Joined Spartan South Midlands League (Division 1). Relegated on Ground issues 2003-04. 2006-07 Spartan South Midlands League Division 2 runners up. Herts. F A Intermediate Cup winners. 2007-08 Spartan South Midlands Division 2 Champions, Division 2 Cup winners, Herts. F A Intermediate Cup winners A club record of 47 consecutive matches unbeaten in all competitions between 15-09-07 and 15-1008. 2008-09 Spartan South Midlands Div. 1 runners up. Promotion denied due to floodlights not being in operation by late March 09, (due to the slow turning wheels of the Local Planning Authority), a deadline missed by a matter of weeks.. 2009-10 Paul Hobbs appointed manager and took a new look young side to a highly encouraging seventh place finish, as well as the semi finals of the Herts F A Senior Centenary Cup and quarter finals of the Challenge Trophy and Division One Cup. 2010-11 Third in Division 1, narrowly missing promotion. Unbeaten in League from Nov. to March (10wins, 1 draw). 2011-12 Fourth in Division 1, Herts Senior Centenary Trophy winners, Herts Charity Shield & Division One Cup runners up. Paul Hobbs retired at end of season and Ritchie Hanlon & Paul Hughes appointed joint managers. 2012-13 Sixth in Division 1 and Winners of the League Division 1 Cup. 2013-14 Division 1 Runners Up and promoted to Premier Division. Winners of the League Division 1 Cup. The Youth section continues to flourish and now boasts some seventeen teams ranging from mixed gender teams as young as six up to under-18 level, together with a Ladies Football team. The club has now been granted FA Charter status and looks to further improve its facilities as well as to progress up the football pyramid.
BIGGLESWADE UNITED 3 STOTFOLD 4 It was certainly close encounters for the third time at Second Meadow on Saturday as local rivals United and Stotfold battled it out to see who could come out on top for this third meeting of the season. And with Anglia TV Sports correspondent, Donovan Blake in attendance together with Three Counties Radio’ Matt Massiano it was a game that delivered for all the right reasons – seven goals, an edge of controversy and a spectacular winning goal. In front of United’s best crowd of the season the 189 spectators who had turned out to enjoy the spectacle of the club’s first Media Day were certainly not left disappointed with a game that had seven goals, controversy and a former Chelsea and Espanyol player making his home debut. And it was the former Spanish Under 21 International, Enrique De Lucas, (pictured) that set up United’s first goal in the 27th minute. A deft drop of the shoulder saw him send his marker in the opposite direction leaving himself time and space to chip the ball over the Stotfold defence to the awaiting Tom Cookman who had the simplest of tasks heading home past visiting keeper Adam Harpur. However, De Lucas’ hero status lasted just six minutes when in the 33rd minute he made a rash challenge on Stotfold’s Mark Ellis leaving the match referee little option but to award the penalty from which Ben L’Honore dispatched the equaliser. Guaranteeing your name in the match report must be part of a professional player’s life as two minutes later it was De Lucas that was felled as he entered the Stofold box and Cookman got his second firing past Harpur from the spot to restore United’s lead. On the stroke of half time L’Honore brought it back to all square when United failed to clear from a corner and the much travelled former striker turned defender snapped up the loose ball to send the teams in at 2-2 with all to play for. While the first half was played at a frenetic pace the second period lulled in to a more sedate affair and the opening period saw both sides concentrate play in the middle of the park with only a clutch of half chances falling to both sides. However, the game burst into life once again in the 76th minute when Stotfold youngster, Charlie Joy, received the ball wide on the left flank, turned inside United’s George Melrose and fired low past United keeper, Grant Beckwith for 2-3. No sooner had the visiting spectator’s finished their celebrations than United were back on terms with De Lucas getting his third assist of the day. His corner was met perfectly by Lee Bilcock leaving Harpur grasping at air as the ball flew in to the back of the net for 3-3. United almost made it 4-3 when Harpur spilled a shot from United’s other Spanish import, Hector Bataller, and in the 81st minute Cookman slammed the ball against Harpur’s crossbar after he only managed to parry away a powerful strike from Nyasha Sagwete leaving Cookman to scoop the ball up but the woodwork denied the United striker his hat trick. But with the clock ticking down it was a piece of sheer brilliance that saw the game tip Stotfold’s way and it was a highly memorable goal from Mark Ellis that he will be hoping was captured by the Anglia TV camera. A corner from Ashley Fitton saw Ellis dispatch a once in a football career over-head volley to the far corner of Beckwith’s goal. With the game slipping away from their grasp United went hell for leather to retrieve at least a share of the points. Substitute Ryan Dobson hit the sidenetting in the 88th minute and Cookman was again denied by the woodwork in the final seconds as Stotfold held firm for maximum points that they are hoping will stave off the threat of relegation.
RESULTS Premier Division – Saturday 4th April Ampthill Town Biggleswade United Hadley Harefield United Hertford Town Hoddesdon Town Holmer Green Kings Langley London Colney Sun Sports Wembley
0 3 1 4 0 6 1 2 3 2 2
6 4 0 0 4 1 5 0 2 0 1
AFC Dunstable Stotfold Cockfosters Hillingdon Borough St Margaretsbury Colney Heath Berkhamsted Leverstock Green Oxhey Jets Tring Athletic London Tigers
Premier Division – Tuesday 7th April Berkhamsted Hertford Town Hoddesdon Town Leverstock Green London Tigers Oxhey Jets St Margaretsbury Stotfold
0 3 0 2 1 4 2 1
1 1 4 1 5 2 3 2
London Colney Kings Langley Tring Athletic Biggleswade United Holmer Green Hillingdon Borough Sun Sports Ampthill Town
Premier Division – Wednesday 8th April AFC Dunstable
1 1
Wembley
Leverstock Green 2 Biggleswade United 1
FIXTURES Premier Division – Saturday
11th
April 2015
Berkhamsted Biggleswade United Cockfosters Hadley Hillingdon Borough Leverstock Green London Colney London Tigers St Margaretsbury Stotfold Tring Athletic
v v v v v v v v v v v
Ampthill Town Kings Langley AFC Dunstable Holmer Green Hertford Town Hoddesdon Town Sun Sports Colney Heath Harefield United Oxhey Jets Wembley
Premier Division – Tuesday 14th April 2015 Ampthill Town Colney Heath Kings Langley London Tigers St Margaretsbury
v vv v v v
Holmer Green London Colney Wembley Berkhamsted Hertford Town
Premier Division Hadley
v
Oxhey Jets
North Beds Charity Cup – Semi Final Langford V Stotfold Thursday 16th April 2015 Kick Off 7.45pm
United suffered their third defeat of the season at the hands of Hertfordshire side Leverstock Green at their Pancake Lane ground on Tuesday night. This was very much a game of two halves, with the home side dominating the first half and the visitors having much more of the play in the second half. Injury to Lee Bilcock and without Ollie Peters due to work commitments in Newcastle, United’s manager, Mick Reardon, was forced to draft in a half fit Adam Randall after having also lost Jude Eboji during the pre-match warm up. It came as no surprise therefore that Leverstock took an early lead before United had gotten into their stride. In the fifth minute a cross from Carl McCluskey found the impressive youngster, Louis Bircham, wide on the left hand flank he planted the ball into the path of Callum Wright to stab home from close range. United were having little joy in breaking down a resolute home defence, while Leverstock were making the most of their down-hill slope advantage and they went 2-0 up in the 25th minute. An uncharacteristic sloppy pass from a normally dependable Stuart Richardson gifted Bircham a run at goal. The youngster twisted and turned as he ran at United defender Randall and eventually planted a delicate shot in to the bottom corner of the net. The second half saw United enjoy the benefits of the down-hill slope and with Nyasha Sagwete (pictured) having replaced the struggling Randall, United tightened their defence and went all out to get themselves back into the game. On 64 minutes substitute Jack Boyd made a run from deep and although he beat three players in the process his lack of match fitness saw him under hit his strike. On 70 minutes a long range shot from United’s Adam Drakulic ‘s strike was turned around the post by home keeper, Damien McNicholas and Brett Leader should have made more of a header from Sam Nair’s corner. Time was very quickly running out for United but they were looking at a light at the end of the tunnel when a lofted free kick from Nair floated above the packed Leverstock area, over the grasping hands of McNicholas and in to the top corner of the net for 2-1. With five minutes to go it was all hands on deck for the hosts as they fought to stave off a final onslaught by United. Martin Russell was pushed forward to add to the firepower and was unlucky not to make it 2-2 with the ball scrambled away by the home back line. Boyd went close again with a strike that was palmed away by McNicholas and Nair got behind the Leverstock rear guard but couldn’t find the awaiting Reynaldo Carbon. Despite an added five minutes United were unable to break down the Leverstock back pack and had to settle for another 2-1 defeat by their bogey side.