Pictured: Liam Andrews MOM v Bedford Town
OFFICIAL MATCH PROGRAMME SATURDAY 15TH DECEMBER 2018 SPATAN SOUTH MIDLANDS LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION
BIGGLESWADE UNITED v LONDON TIGERS
Welcome Welcome to Second Meadow Good afternoon and welcome to Second Meadow for today’s Spartan South Midlnads League Premier Division fixture. We extend a warm welcome to the players, officials and supporters from LONDON TIGERS FOOTBALL CLUB. We also welcome our three match officials and hope that you all enjoy your short stay with us. Match preview – Courtesy of Leon Waite United were subjected to the rather unfamiliar feeling of losing a match last weekend as despite holding Bovingdon to a 1-1 draw with ten men, a 4-3 defeat in the penalty shootout saw their progress in the League Challenge Trophy halted. But one would hope a side capable of recording seven consecutive league victories- culminating in the award for SSML Premier Division team of the month- would have the resilience to bounce back swiftly. And Emilio Gutierrez’ outfit responded on Tuesday night by taking their place in the Beds Senior Cup semi-final, courtesy of a 2-0 success over a club a step above them in the shape of Bedford Town. Returning to league action this week, United go in pursuit of another win to help strengthen their position in the upper echelons of the table and they’re tasked with overcoming a slightly beleaguered London Tigers side. London Tigers The Tigers sit 18th after sixteen matches but it’s their recent concession of goals that will concern manager Naim Berisha and encourage Gutierrez and his staff. Since mid-October, they have been beaten both 4-0 and 5-0 twice respectively and they were also ignominiously dumped out of the Premier Division Cup a few weeks ago in an 8-0 reverse against league leaders Biggleswade FC. To compound matters, bottom side Stotfold have only managed to score less goals than the Northwood-based club so it has been a fairly dismal year so far. That record is primarily due to their home performances which have yielded just four goals and three points from six games compared to fifteen strikes and eleven points from their ten matches on the road. United extended their unbeaten run against the Tigers- without conceding a goal- to five games when they triumphed 1-0 earlier in the campaign and the two teams face off once again at Second Meadow on Saturday, KO 3pm. Up Next We have two Christmas Crackers coming up for you. On Saturday we welcome our neighbours from across town, Biggleswade FC, to Second Meadow. Kick Off 3pm. This is followed by Friday night crowd pleaser at Potton United on Friday 28th December. Kick Off 7.45pm. AND HOT OFF THE PRESS..We will travel to Barton Rovers in the Beds Senior Challenge Cup semi final to be played on Tuesday 12th February.
The Players..
Balague on Biggleswade United GUILLEM BALAGUE Biggleswade United Chairman, Guillem Balague, provides this weekly column for The Biggleswade Chronicle.
There is something truly wonderful about the universal appeal of football in all its guises and differing levels of ability.
Our opponents play at a higher level in the Evo Stick Southern League and whether it is Barton Rovers, Luton Town development side, or Biggleswade Town that we will face in I have always maintained that the the semis in February we know that most amazing thing about the sport is we are once again going to have to that, whether played by the elite in punch above our weight if we want to front of 80000 people in one of the progress to the final. world's most prestigious venues or to around 100 hardy souls on a cold I sincerely believe that we have Tuesday winter's night, it's ability to nothing to fear, whoever we might be excite, enthral and enrapture remains drawn against. constant and undiminished. The win comes on the back of our I was thinking precisely that as I sat in winning of the Spartan South Barcelona's Nou Camp stadium Midlands League Premier Division watching Spurs battle their way into team of the month award for the knockout stages of the Champions November and our solid display, League, but with one eye occasionally particularly in the second half served focused on my lap top to witness a as ample evidence as to just why the wonderful performance by our first accolade is so richly deserved. team as they battled to a 2-0 victory over Bedford Town at Second Meadow to earn a place in the the Having scored and had the better of Bedfordshire Senior Cup semi final the first period, for much of the draw. second half, spirit, resilience and dogged, determined, defensive qualities were very much what was required, particularly after we extended our lead.
Continued Overleaf
Balague on Biggleswade United GUILLEM BALAGUE Continued Very often it is how well you defend rather than how powerful you are in attack that defines you as a side and that we managed to get across the line is a tribute to a wonderful set of players who gave everything and showed once again how they have listened and learned from training and are now putting all that hard earned work into practice. An unbeaten league run of of nine games is due testament to that and although I am proud that all this work shows that we seem to have found a way to win, what makes me even prouder is that we now seem to be discovering a way not to lose.
Above all, t is a tribute to the, all so important, communication and symbiosis that is beginning to take shape between the first team side and coaches with the under 23s, two of whom (Codi Spavins, Sergio Gomez) played a significant part in proceedings with their youth, pace and exhuberance when they came on in the second half on Tuesday night.
It bodes well for the future which in the first instance sees us look to extend out unbeaten league run today when we entertain London Tigers.
Current League Standings
Results and Fixtures
Next Up at Second Meadow SPARTAN SOUTH MIDLANDS LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION SATURDAY 22ND DECEMBER 2018 KICK OFF 3pm
BIGGLESWADE UNITED V BIGGLESWADE FC
SPARTAN SOUTH MIDLANDS LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION SATURDAY 5th JANUARY 2019 KICK OFF 3pm
BIGGLESWADE UNITED V OXHEY JETS FC
Biggleswade United Under 23
Our Forthcoming Fixtures
Our History 1959 - 1999 Biggleswade United Football Club was re-formed 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.
Our History 2000- 2018 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 Premier 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 saw Snowy step down as manager with his assistant, Nick Burton taking over the first team reins. 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 had enjoyed success as coaches at the higher levels of football. Their disciplined approach was quickly adhered to and responded to by the players and under their stewardship we achieved the highest Premier Division position in nine years and first silverware in seven years winning the North Beds Charity Cup for the first time in the club’s history. 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. Following Mick and Mark’s decision to step down at the end 2014 2015, Guillem was quick to act and recruited a new Head Coach in Cristian Colas Beccera. Cristian was assisted by former professional player, Stuart Bimson, and under their guidance the team finished in eighth spot in the Premier Division in 2017 2018 - the highest position in the club’s history. Having built a strong reputation for their outstanding coaching ability and playing philosophy Cristian and Stuart moved up to Step 3 level club, Staines Town, for the start of the 2018 2019 season. Guillem was again in search for a high quality coach and Jimmy Martin came highly recommended by his predecessor, Colas, who worked with Jimmy at Stevenage FC Academy. Jimmy was appointed Manager in May 2018 and will be assisted by a former United playing legend and well respected character in SML football, Dean Bull. Also on the coaching staff is Spanish coach Emilio Gutierrez. 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 understands 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.
The History of London Tigers FC London Tigers began life as a small local football club in 1986, under the name Marylebone FC. This was run by a handful of dedicated volunteers with a passion for football, who organised training at North Westminster Upper School (now known as Westminster Academy). The training sessions engaged young people from deprived inner city areas from across Westminster to enter into all types of sporting activities and to realise their dreams and aspirations around sports in general. Marylebone FC competed in local, regional and national small-sided competitions and became a renowned and dominant force within the Asian sports scene. By the mid 90’s the membership and activities of the club became so diverse, there was a clear a need to set up formal structures and processes to ensure the legacy of the work within a quality assurance framework. London Tigers was therefore formed to cater for the health and sporting needs for people living in the North Westminster area. Two youth teams were set up who participated in the Lillie Road 5-a-side league. As the club grew and the young players became older, London Tigers joined mainstream leagues. In 2002 London Tigers FC joined the Middlesex County Premier League. During this time we won the Alex Smith Premier Divisions Cup 2006 and were one of the dominant teams in the league. We played an exciting brand of football that focused on the ethos of players enjoying playing football expressing themselves. In 2006, having achieved success in the Middlesex County League, London Tigers joined the Spartan South Midlands League, providing opportunities to inner city young players to play football at a more challenging semi-professional level. Along with the challenge of a new league came the amalgamation of London Tigers with Kingsbury Town FC and a new management team of Eddie Cardoso to take London Tigers forward as a united Kingsbury London Tigers FC. Valdas Dambrauskas managed seasons 2007 – 2010, which also marked the beginning of our youth development strategy and progression within the club. Valdas and Eddie combined forces to achieve the greatest period of success in London Tigers history, seeing the team playing some superb football, finishing 5th in 2009 and narrowly missing out on promotion. Under their stewardship, London Tigers FC also created history in 2008 by becoming the first club in Westminster for over 100 years to play in the FA Cup and win their first qualifying match. Continued over..
The History of London Tigers FC Continued After Valdas progressed to a professional club, FK Ekranas, Giorgi Minashvili took over as manager for season 2010 – 2012 with the additional task of developing London Tigers’ under 18 players so that there was a conveyor belt of players being readied to play in the senior team. This was a period of consolidation as the structure of the team developed. 2011 was a defining year for London Tigers as we moved to our own home ground in Greenford, setting up as an independent club away from Kingsbury, forming a Football Committee and a formal constitution under the brand of London Tigers FC. Armand Kavaja came on board for seasons 2010 – 2016 with new players to replace the ones that left, with many leaving to take up professional contracts abroad or their own homelands. The team settled into their new home ground which required considerable renovation over this period. In 2015/16, Tigers succeeded in progressing beyond the 2nd qualifying round of the FA Vase Cup. Season 2016/17 started off with a new management team through a joint venture that saw London Tigers work with external partners for the first time. This proved to be a difficult process and saw significant shifts in structure and playing styles that impacted on the performance levels on the pitch. We stabilised the structure of the team in 2017/18 with a substantially new cohort of players and a new management team.
Season 2018/19 begins with the structure cemented from a position of consolidation from last season with an established cohort of players and continuation of the management team, led by ex-Kosovo national team player, Naim Berisha. This season looks set to be an exciting year for London Tigers as we aim to progress from our upward curve from last season.
Appearances and Goals
Match Programmes – a Statement As club secretary I have been producing a match day programme for almost all Biggleswade United first team matches since 1987 – even when we competed in the Bedfordshire County League at Step 7 when there was no obligation to do so. The programmes were produced at no cost to the club and no charges were made for a programme to the spectator. Until very recently – when the quality of the covers and inserts were of a higher quality than my home printer would allow - all costs incurred were paid for by myself.
To date, our digital programme has been read by almost 2,800 people with almost 19,000 viewing it at least once. Compare this to the last hard copy match programme I produced which was purchased by just three people for £1.00 (£3.00) at a cost to the club of £45. It just doesn’t make financial or promotional sense.
I fully accept that there are individuals who like to purchase a match programme as a collector’s item or as memento of their visit to the match / ground. And so far this season, I have received This continued for the next 30 years - 20 / 40 / 50 just two complaints that a programme was not match programmes almost every other week of available and on each occasion I have taken the the season and taking anything from 3 hours to 5 time and trouble to print off a copy and send by hours to compile, print, sort and staple. mail to the spectator after the match. I am happy to meet such requests. However, I hope our In recent years the demand for a match day supporters, opposition supporters and programme has reduced significantly. Access to programme collectors understand that times are instant and up to date information through changing rapidly – who remembers daily various social media and internet sites has, in my newspapers? – and the financial and time opinion, rendered the match day programme a constraints that Non League clubs are faced with thing of the past. It was also very disheartening to require us to look at alternative and more modern take the time to produce 50 programmes on a methods of producing match day information. Friday evening, only to find them scattered across changing rooms, left in Boardrooms untouched or As a club, we have agreed to review the situation left as debris in the spectators stands. at the end of the season but in the meantime we will continue to produce our match day It was for this reason – as well as one of cost and programme in digital format only. time saving – that I recommended to the Biggleswade United FC board the option for Tracey James producing a match programme through a digital Programme Editor format. This enabled a global opportunity to promote our club through the availability of a match programme for the live streaming of our matches whereas the printed version was only available to those who came through our turnstiles.
