B RO INTERACTIVE DIGITAL PROGRAMME 2023/24 NO. 13
v EXETER CITY FC
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BALL SPONSOR
OLIVIA PARRY • RUBY SHAW MAX SHAW • ZACHARY SHAW ALYSSA SHAW • HARRY SHAW
FINLEY KETTEL
Saturday, December 16 2023 Kick-Off: 3.00pm
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MANAGER
All photos by Jim Steele unless otherwise stated
STEVE EVANS
SPONSORED BY
It's a wonderful period if you' re a Stevenage supporter we' re going to need them
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DIRECTOR
I
STUART DINSEY
nto the Christmas schedule then, whilst still catching our breath at the latest cup thriller on Tuesday night. The double comeback at Vale Park took us to our fourth penalty shoot-out of the season and the positive outcome evened things up. We’d previously had a win (Watford) and a defeat (to our guests today, Exeter City) in the league cup and another defeat, to AFC Wimbledon in the EFL Trophy. Our FA Cup run has been full of goals and late drama, perhaps when least expected. But that’s football. It’s why we go to games, and your brilliant support is hugely important to everyone at the club. Our average attendance so far is the highest ever by some distance. After nine home games it is 4,796 – up 56% on the same stage last season. And in welcoming the players and officials of Exeter today, it brings to mind how that club has
successfully built its fanbase and infrastructure in recent years, firmly establishing itself in League One along the way. Stevenage is still a young, small club but we believe the connection with the town, and especially young fans, is growing and if we all stand shoulder to shoulder we can evolve and grow together. More people are experiencing our neat stadium for the first time and coming back. Thank you to everyone who has been spreading the word. Fans, sponsors, multi-channel influencers, back office staff, hospitality and bar staff, the Academy, the Foundation, the squad, the management… everyone makes a difference. But as we play our final home fixture before Christmas, it is the perfect time to give an extra special thank you to the volunteers who contribute to matchday operations every week. Take a bow, you deserve it. Enjoy the game, get behind the lads.
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STEVENAGE FC v EXETER CITY FC
AHEAD OF
THE GAME MATCHDAY TIMINGS
CLUB SHOP: Midday-3pm & 15 minutes after full-time TICKET OFFICE: Midday-3:30pm THE BROADHALL SUITE: Open to Home & Away supporters, Midday-Kick-Off. CLOSED at Full-Time. Bar Food Available THE 76 LOUNGE: Midday-Kick-Off (Home & Away Supporters). 3.15pm-80 minutes (North Stand Ticket Holders). Open again at Full-Time. Bar Snacks Available TURNSTILES: 1:30pm
Mondays, Tuesdays & Friday 10am-5pm) and from Oakwell (£2 increase) on the day. ADULTS: £15, 65 & OVER: £10, 19-21: £10, UNDER 19: £5, UNDER 14: £2 Travel with the Stevenage FC Supporters Association for just £20 for members and £25 for non-members. Book travel online here.
CELEBRATE NEW YEAR’S EVE AT STEVENAGE FC
Looking for New Year’s Eve plans? We’ve got you covered. • DJ Through The Decades • Hot & Cold Buffet • Doors Open at 7pm Celebrate the turn of the year at the home of Stevenage Football Club. Email jenniec@stevenagefc.com or call 01438 223223 to book.
TICKET INFO
MATCH TICKETS STILL AVAILABLE FOR STEVENAGE VS EXETER CITY All tickets must be purchased before reaching the turnstiles either online or from the North Stand Ticket Office.
TICKETS & TRAVEL: BARNSLEY
Kicking off at 3pm on Saturday 23rd December, Stevenage make the 294-mile roundtrip to take on Neill Collins’ Tykes. Match tickets are available online at www.borotickets.co.uk, the Club Shop (open
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STEVENAGE FC
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💬“I had no bottle to refer to!”😂 Taye talks us through last night’s shootout victory. ⏱
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What a time for NT to bag his first Boro’ goal!
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Our FA Cup journey continues!
Game-changer Harvey White!
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CHRISTOPHER’S STORY
DONATE TO GARDEN HOUSE HOSPICE CARE
Christopher discovered he had an aggressive brain tumour after losing vision from the side of one eye. His daughter, Charlotte, shared her perspective on her dad’s story and the care the family received from the Hospice at Home team. Read Christopher’s story and watch the video of Charlotte talking about how the Hospice helped them spend their last Christmas Day together.
Help pay for Christmas Day for our patients by texting GARDENHOUSE to 70085 to donate £5 to Garden House Hospice Care. Texts will cost the donation amount plus one standard network rate message, and you’ll be opting into hearing more from us. If you would like to donate but don’t wish to hear more from us, please text GARDENHOUSENOINFO instead.
ENTER THE HOSPICE’S RAFFLE FOR A CHANCE TO WIN A 3RD KIT SHIRT SIGNED BY THE PLAYERS
The Hospice will also be doing a raffle on match day. If you want to be in for a chance of winning a new 3rd kit shirt signed by the players, make sure you stop by the Hospice’s stand in the 76’ Lounge to buy your raffle tickets before kick-off and at half-time. The winner will be announced after the game and all of the money raised from the tickets will go towards providing care for people in our local community living with lifelimiting conditions.
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K.B.COINS PO Box 499 Stevenage, Herts SG1 9JT T: 01438 312661 F: 01438 311990
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Match
3
V
PORT VALE
STEVENAGE
Garrity 6’, 55’, Loft 114’
3
White 81’, Hemmings 90+6’, Thompson 119’ Stevenage win on penalties 4-3
51%
49%
16 12
POSSESSION
6
SHOTS
6
SHOTS ON TARGET
7 5
CROSSES
ACTION
Stevenage’s never-say-die attitude evident in shootout victory after two last minute levellers at Vale Park…
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SPONSORED BY
MATCHDAY MASCOTS
Charlie Endersby
I
Bonni Mclean & Skye-Patrick Mclean
t’s a warm Boro welcome to our four mascots today as we go hunting for another three points against Exeter. First up, hoping to bring a bunch of good luck, is Charlie Endersby, 8, who lives in Stevenage and attends Woolenwick School. Charlie is a fan of the entire Stevenage squad and he lists football and more football as his hobbies! We also welcome Bonni Mclean 10 and Skye-Patrick Mclean 7 as mascots today. Both attend Woolenwick School, and both list
William Adams
football as their main hobby. Skip Carl Piergianni is a favourite of Bonni while Jamie Reid is the first pick of Skye. Last but not least we welcome William Adams and say a big happy birthday as he will be 11 tomorrow! William lives in Sandy and attends school in the town. Among his hobbies are football and cycling and Carl Piergianni is his favourite player. We hope all four have a great day at the Lamex and get to see another Stevenage success.
interactive Boro quiz!
Welcome to our latest interactive quiz of the season, the focus is on our visitors Exeter City.
CLICK HERE!
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FROM THE
ARCHIVES
S
heffield United travelled to Boro full of confidence, they hadn’t lost in their last four games, winning two and drawing two. Stevenage wished they’d had the same type of results as Nigel Clough’s side; Boro’ hadn’t won in three games and had only managed to amass four points across the previous six games. The first chance of the game fell to Aidan White who unleashed a venomous curling effort from the left wing. His effort was unorthodox and got the better of the unexpecting Stevenage ‘keeper, Chris Day, the post was the only thing preventing the visitors from leading.
Saturday 21 December 2013
Nationwide Conference
Stevenage’s first chance was a miss that proved to be costly, as Francois Zoko worked his way down the right wing, he then cut the ball back to Jordan Burrow who managed to put the ball wide of the post from close range. Sheffield United struck the woodwork again in the second half as Chris Porter nodded a long ball forward into the feet of Jose Baxter, but his strike thundered off the inside of the post and bounced out. Despite a late effort from Greg Tansey: which was easily saved and then headed clear by Harry Maguire, neither team threatened to break the deadlock. ALFIE NICHOLSON CLICK BELOW TO CHECK OUT THE PROGRAMME
0 STEVENAGE 0 SHEFFIELD UTD
STARTING XI
16 Chris Day 20 Jimmy Smith 4 Ben Chorley 5 Jon Ashton 15 Luke Freeman 7 Filipe Morais (24) 14 Simon Heslop 17 Greg Tansey 13 Dean Parrett (53) 10 Jordan Burrow (86) 12 Francois Zoko
SUBSTITUTES
1 Steve Arnold 2 Sam Wedgbury 6 Luke Jones (24) 8 James Dunne (58) 19 Marcus Haber 21 Oumare Tounkara 25 Bruno Andrade (86) Stats courtesy of Boroguide
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STEVENAGE FC v EXETER CITY FC
BORO
HISTORY
ON THIS DAY: 16 DECEMBER
We should probably look at this weekend as the calm before the storm. Whatever today’s result, we have the benefit of one last clear week before the festive schedule kicks into gear. But what will today’s result be? If history is anything to go by, it’ll go one way or the other – seven past outings on 16 December have yielded four wins and three defeats. One one hand, we’ve been on a run of alternating results since the turn of the century – win, loss, win, loss. So, a win should surely follow? Perhaps. But will our record on this date even itself up with a fourth defeat? The elephant in the room is our last fixture on this date in the diary. Specifically, our 2017 League Two encounter with today’s opponents – albeit down in Devon. The promotion-chasing Grecians scored twice in the second half to give us a mountain to climb. Matt Godden halved the arrears with 10 minutes left, but it wasn’t to be enough. In more positive times, one of the most memorable solo performances occurred on this date in 2007. Boro’ may have been highly-fancied to get past Merthyr Tydfil in the FA Trophy. But George Boyd wasn’t taking that for granted; a four-goal haul from the young wing wizard setting us on course for a handsome 7-0 thrashing against our Welsh visitors. A shout-out too for Drewe Broughton, scoring twice on debut today in 2000 to help us defeat Forest Green Rovers.
IT’S EXETER CITY AGAIN…
Since first meeting each other during the 2003-4 season, we’ve become quite accustomed with the Grecians. Today is the 33rd meeting between the teams – putting them joint fifth with Yeovil Town in the list of opponents we’ve played most in competitive fixtures. Sadly for us, our headto-head record is pretty dire – six wins, 11 draws, and 15 defeats. So, where did it all go wrong for us against the Grecians? Well, it never really went right – except for four straight wins between December 2004
1985 Stevenage Borough 3-2 Stansted, Eastern Floodlit League (Gittings, Marshall, Armsby) 1989 Potton United 2-0 Stevenage Borough, FA Vase R3 1995 Northwich Victoria 1-3 Stevenage Borough, GM Vauxhall Conference (Hayles 2, Browne) 2000 Stevenage Borough 3-1 Forest Green Rovers, Nationwide Conference (Broughton 2, Illman) 2003 Stevenage Borough 0-1 Aldershot Town, Nationwide Conference 2006 Stevenage Borough 7-0 Merthyr Tydfil, FA Trophy R1 (Boyd 4, Morison, Guppy, Dobson) 2017 Exeter City 2-1 Stevenage, Sky Bet League Two (Godden) and March 2006. In our time as a Football League club, we’ve met them 20 times – and won just twice. April 2018 is the last time that happened; Alex Revell with a hattrick and Terence Vancooten also featuring.
BORO’ AT THIS STAGE…
Gameweek 22 The halfway point is now in clear view – and a 39-point haul is Boro’s 11th best-ever return from 21 league fixtures. It puts us two points better off than our previous best in League One (20123). We’re also seven points further on when compared with the 2011-2 campaign; one in which we ended up in the playoff mix at the end of the season. Even at this firmly-established stage of the season, Boro’ were romping it in 1990-1; sitting pretty with 17 wins and the one solitary defeat at this stage. No other campaign comes close to our 54 points from a possible 63 back then. Even if the 1980-1 season awarded three points for a win, we still wouldn’t have hit the half century mark at this point. Worst return at this stage of the season? It’s very clearly the 2019-20 season. With two wins and 10 draws, we had just 16 points to our name. But this was only one point worse off than this stage during the 2002-3 campaign; Wayne Turner’s fortunes as manager taking a nosedive – and ultimately costing him his job just a couple of games further along.
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MAGIC MOMENT
Nationwide Conference – 11 December 2004
3 STEVENAGE FC 2 EXETER CITY It wasn’t far off this time in December 2004 when the Grecians arrived for what was only their second-ever visit to us. In terms of the 2004-5 season, we’d already been down to Devon – recording a second defeat in as many trips to their place. Our first-ever meeting at Broadhall Way in the 2003-4 season, meanwhile, had ended in a 2-2 draw. Hopes rose for a first-ever Boro’ win against Exeter City when Anthony Elding put us in front on 33 minutes. But Steve Flack had other ideas; scoring twice inside two minutes at the end of the first half to turn things on their head. Into the second half and Boro’ plugged away in search of an equaliser. It duly came on the hour mark when a George Boyd free kick was headed home by Dino Maamria. As the match entered the final 10 minutes, a repeat of the previous year’s 2-2 draw was on the cards. But a spectacular Maamria bicycle kick with six minutes to go sealed the points.
ON BOTH SIDES…
To play today?: On current form, you’d have to say the Grecians’ loss is very much our gain when it comes to Big Goal Reidy. After start-ing his career and turning pro at St James’ Park, our top goalscorer ended his time with Exeter City in 2017 with a move to Torquay United (after a handful of loan spells). On the other side of the fence, meanwhile, is Jack Aitchison; the Scottish forward who came to us on loan from Barnsley in 2020. After a brief spell at Motherwell, the forward signed for Exeter City during the summer. Best of the Rest: A few names catch the eye when it comes to the others who have played for both ourselves and the Grecians. Jake Tay-lor is one of the most recent examples, having joined us from Exeter in summer 2021. James Dunne made a similar move in 2012 too. Corey Browne, Lee Boylan, and Santos Gaia have also spent time at both clubs. By Pete Hayman courtesy of
boroguide.co.uk
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22
STEVENAGE FC v EXETER CITY FC
STEVENAGE FC
ACADEMY G ood afternoon and welcome to the Lamex. Today’s notes give us an opportunity to share some of the terrific work going on at the Academy over the last few months, with some great performances, explorative coaching and a progressive programme of work being delivered across our phases. Our games programme finished with the visit of Norwich City, which closes off a fantastic calendar year of fixtures, something that our staff are tasked with providing in addition to the EFL games we participate in. It has been Tom Farr’s (and of course the other coaches) mission to take us to all corners of the country and he is having a real go, with the likes of Swansea, Brighton, Manchester City and Wolves (and many more) hosting us to provide excellent experiences for our young players. We recently hosted our second CPD event of the season, exploring the topic of ‘Periodisation and Cognitive Effort’ with different learning tools, ideas and challenges being proposed. The staff engaged fully and made it an enjoyable experience for all involved, and hopefully one which will stretch our young players in the future. I have been really lucky in my time here to have such brilliant coaches to work with and it is something I will greatly miss. This will be my last programme notes as a member of the Stevenage FC Academy, as I move on to a new challenge in the new year. I would like to thank all the club staff, past and
Ieuan Lewis present players, parents, coaches and multidisciplinary staff I have had the privilege of working with over the past nine and a half years. The last 18 months have been hugely enjoyable for me as I have worked closely with our Academy Manager, Jorden Gibson, to develop our programme and environment to become such a fantastic place to work. I believe the Academy is in great hands and I will keep a keen eye on our brilliant coaches, staff and of course the young players under their care for years to come. There are clearly too many people to thank individually, so I will simply say that it has been an honour to spend a near decade here and I will be forever grateful for the experiences I have had at Stevenage FC. Up the Boro. IEUAN LEWIS HEAD OF COACHING
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STEVENAGE FC v EXETER CITY FC
STEVENAGE FC
WOMEN 1 HARINGEY BOROUGH Hensel-Burg, Shack, Dennis, Wade, Hourigan, Ions, Pickard, Lowe, Manktelow, Haynes, Boabonay Subs: Humes, Pollendine, Campbell, Malik, Leighton Goals: Humes Booked: Campbell Off: Hensel-Burg
2 STEVENAGE FCW O’Brien, Nebbitt, Edge, Brooks, Schofield, Gunn, Bodily, Makewell, Millen, Dempsey, Thomas-O’Keefe Subs: Mercer, Gooderham, New Signing Goals: Makewell x 2
S
tevenage advanced into the quarter finals of the ERWFL League cup with a statement victory against Haringey Borough. An Amy Makewell brace, that saw her net her 50th goal of her career, was enough to see Boro’ home despite a late goal from Ronnell Humes to give Haringey a glimmer of hope. Within the opening ten minutes, as both sides fought the battle of the midfield, it was Hannah Nebbitt who was first to try her luck. Having scored an outstanding goal the previous weekend against St Albans, Nebbitt tried to outdo herself with a shot from just inside the half and with Liamara Hensel-Burg off her line, only for the ball to drop just over the bar. Lilia Dempsey had a couple of opportunities, the first a simple save, but the second was harder for Hensel-Burg who pushed it away at her near post. On attempting to collect the follow up from Matilda Thomas-O’Keefe, the latter was seemingly felled, but the referee deemed it a fair challenge and play continued. Eight minutes later, Boro’ were ahead. Dempsey did excellent work down the left before dropping it back to Nebbitt, instead of shooting, the left
back crossed the ball for Thomas-O’Keefe – only for Tayla Dennis and Saoirse Hourigan to intercept. Makewell robbed the latter, shifted the ball left and dragged the ball to the near post and beyond Hensel-Burg. With five minutes of the half remaining, ThomasO’Keefe was sent through one-on-one with the ‘keeper after showing excellent strength to get past her defender. The idea was there as the youngster attempted the lob, but the ball curled wide of the goal. Within sixty seconds, Boro’ had doubled the advantage. Emily Schofield broke free down the right and sent her ball into the middle for Makewell to scoop it goalwards and in off the far post for a glorious fiftieth Boro’ goal. Haringey came out fighting for the second half, to the surprise of nobody. Having been 5-0 up against Boro’ in the game at the Herts County Ground at this point, this scoreline was unexpected and Boro’ did well to keep them at bay with O’Brien doing her fair share of goalkeeping duties. Thomas-O’Keefe thought she had scored again following her disallowed effort last week, but as in that game, the offside flag put paid to any ideas of celebrating that she had. Makewell saw two free kicks off target while Ella Mercer was close to opening her Boro’ account, but the ball was always curling wide. As the final ten minutes began, Dempsey cut in from the left and sent the ball towards goal, for Hensel-Burg to collect. Her kick was a good one and after bouncing found Humes who put the ball beyond O’Brien and into the net. Haringey were revitalised, although they had to suffer the dismissal of their goalkeeper after she took down Thomas-O’Keefe to stop her from what surely would have been the tie settler. David Dice reluctantly produced the inevitable red card as she was the last player. The hosts were pressing more and more, with a shot against the post and a great save from O’Brien, but the defence stayed firm as Boro’ took the win and the progression in the cup. Following the previous result, Stevenage had laid down a marker and with Kings Lynn around the corner in the final match of 2023, things finally start to look brighter for the Boro.
2023/2024 STAT PACK STEVENAGE
EXETER CITY
MATCH FACTS & TOTAL CARDS Stevenage have failed to win any of their last eight League Two matches against Exeter (D2 L6), their longest winless streak against them.
46
Exeter City are unbeaten in their last four away trips to Stevenage (W2 D2), winning two of their last three (D1).
35 3
2
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12
GOALS
248
243
SHOTS
28
20.8
20
30
EXPECTED GOALS
GOALS CONCEDED
40.4
12.5
55.4
AVERAGE POSSESSION %
4.9
SHOT CONVERSION RATE %
25
27.6
10
EXPECTED GOALS AGAINST
3
6
CLEAN SHEETS
1
11
POINTS GAINED AFTER TRAILING
6
POINTS DROPPED AFTER LEADING
GOAL TIMES 0-15 16-30 31-45 46-60 61-75 76-90
SCORED
CONCEDED
5 5 7 3 5 6
2 2 3 5 1 7
0-15 16-30 31-45 46-60 61-75 76-90 _
POWERED BY
SCORED
CONCEDED
2 1 1 1 3 4
3 4 6 2 4 11
26
STEVENAGE FC v EXETER CITY FC
STEVENAGE FC
FOUNDATION FUNDING PARTNERS
CHRISTMAS CARD COMPETITION 2023
1 ST
Congratulations to Theo, Age 9, who has won our Christmas Card Competition 2023! Theo joins us today where he will be presented with his card in a frame, on the pitch before Stevenage FC Vs Exeter City. Theo has also won a free mascot package, goody bag and certificate! His design is also on sale in the Stevenage FC club shop, as our official Christmas card 2023! Congratulations to Nathaniel who won second place and Nathan who won third! Both join Theo on the pitch today where they will receive a goody bag and certificate for their designs. A huge Thank you and well done to everyone who took part in our 2023 Christmas Card Competition! We had some amazing entries, some of which we have included in this programme as a special mention! Hopefully we will see everyone next year for another great competition! All entries can be viewed on our website - Christmas Card Competition 2023 – Stevenage FC Foundation
2ND
3RD
Supporting you to be the best father Being a father is extremely rewarding and wonderful, but at the same time it comes with many challenges and can be a big learning curve, particularly for new dads. With so many resources being aimed at mums, Hertfordshire County Council have collated a collection of places to go for advice, guidance and support especially aimed at dads and male carers to support you to become the best father you can be. View the page at www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/familiesfirstdads or by scanning the QR code above.
‘It’ is discrimination, in all its forms. Racism. Homophobia, Misogyny. Disablism. If you have seen it or heard it, follow the QR code to report it to Kick It Out. Together, we can put an end to it.
Take action today at kickitout.org
30
STEVENAGE FC v EXETER CITY FC
WELCOME
www.exetercityfc.co.uk CLICK HERE FOR THE COMPLETE SQUAD LIST
Meet the boss
Gary Caldwell joined Exeter City as First Team Manager on October 24. Caldwell, 40, joined the club on a long term contract. The former Celtic and Scotland defender, was most recently assistant manager at Hibernian. Prior to his appointment at Hibs, he managed Partick Thistle and Chesterfield; these
Gary Caldwe
ll
appointments followed a stint as manager of Wigan who he led to a successful promotion to the Championship. In a joint statement, Nick Hawker, chair of Exeter City Supporters’ Trust, and Julian Tagg, club president, said the club was delighted that Gary had accepted the position.
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
31
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SEASONS
RESULTS
Last FIVE Port Vale
Shrewsbury
HOME
HOME
L0-1 22/23 League 1 14th
Bolton
Swindon
Fleetwood
AWAY
AWAY
D0-0
L7-0
W0-1
21/22 League 2 2nd (P)
20/21 League 2 9th
19/20 League 2 5th
AWAY
L3-0 18/19 League 2 9th
ONE TO watch
The popular Irish-born full-back started his footballing career with Bray Wanderers where he was spotted by former Exeter City manager and then head of the Reading academy Eamonn Dolan. Pierce never played a first-team match for the Royals but won the 2013/14 Under-21 Premier League Cup during his time at the Madjeski Stadium. Having been recommended to City by Eamonn, Pierce came on trial at the club during the summer of 2016 and, after impressing in preseason games, he signed as the club’s 1931 fanfunded player. The 1931 Fund – named after the year City made the quarter-finals of the FA Cup – is a group of supporters who, through a monthly payment, raise money to pay or help pay for an extra member of Exeter City’s squad. In his first season Pierce turned out for the club 37 times and built on that in his second season as he found the net on nine occasions as he played a further 49 times. His third season, this time under Matt Taylor, saw the full back play 46 times as he added a further four goals to his account. He was also a consistent performer last campaign making 48
Pierece S
weeney
appearances and netting three times. At the end of the 2020/21 season, Pierce left the club for Swindon, but quickly returned to St James Park where he was been handed the vice captaincy. Sweeney signed a two-year extension in July 2023, taking his time at City to 2026.
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Entertain your clients or raise your company’s profile by enjoying a Match Sponsorship package at The Lamex Stadium. • Car Parking by the Directors’ Entrance • Table for 10 in a Hospitality Box • Pre-Match Changing Room Meet & Greet with First Team Players • Pre-Match Photo on the Pitch • Choose & Present Man of the Match • Company logo on Digital Programme Front Cover • Company Advert inside Digital Programme • Signed 2023/24 Replica Home Shirt Price: £1,000 plus VAT
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WELCOME
LATEST NEWS
The Greasy ‘Uns are here! Now then, here’s a question for you. Why are Exeter nicknamed the Grecians? Prominent within the Exeter City Supporters’ Trust is Neil Le Milliere. Neil won the coveted national “Supporter of the Year” award back in 2013, and although our paths have yet to cross, I note Neil’s regular correspondence within the family of the Football Supporters’ Association. A warm welcome to all Exeter’s fans and supporters to The Lamex this afternoon.
11:00 and costs just £25 for members. On New Year’s Day, we’re away to Portsmouth. The bus to Fratton Park leaves Stevenage at 11:00 at a cost of just £30 for members. To book a seat, you can see John (Carroll) at today’s game, or phone him on 01438 814285 (after 6:00pm), or on-line here.
LONDON ROAD
Many people have asked me of late as to what the old London Road ground used to look like and where was it situated.
DID YOU KNOW . . . .
Olympic Decathlon Daley Thompson played for Stevenage once – in our reserves (!)
GEOFF GIBBS
At the SA’s AGM in October, after 18 years as chair, Lloyd Briscoe stood down. Long-serving committee member Geoff Gibbs was duly appointed as the new chair. A hearty welcome to Geoff as he leads the organisation through this new chapter in the SA’s history – and as a League 1 club.
FOOTBALL SUPPORTERS’ ASSOCIATION (FSA)
Reading have been in the news recently with their plight being mentioned in the House of Commons. MPs from across the political spectrum backed the Government’s commitment to an independent regulator at a Parliamentary debate held by Reading East MP Matt Rodda. At the time of writing, Reading lie 23rd in League One after being docked four points by the EFL for financial irregularities, as well as facing two winding-up petitions from the HMRC in relation to outstanding tax bills. Rodda has hit out at the “financial mismanagement” by the current owner, Chinese businessman Dai Yongge, which has seen the club deducted 16 points in the last two years.
INTER-CITY BORO
The Supporters Association bus to Barnsley on Saturday December 23rd departs The Lamex at
Despite my best efforts, I’m unable to source a decent image of the ground, but I am able to share with you an ariel photograph taken in the late 1950’s. The sharp eyed amongst you might recognise the original “Our Mutual Friend” pub toward the left of the pitch, or even the Geo.W King factory which is situated just top-side of the railway line. The ‘new build’ at the bottom left of the photograph was the new London Country Bus Garage Back in the late 1890’s, this was the site of the original Stevenage Cricket Club. Stevenage Town FC became the tenants when the cricket club relocated to its present site in Ditchmore Lane. The new Stevenage Interchange next the Leisure Centre now occupies the footprint where much of the playing surface would have been. LLOYD BRISCOE Stevenage FC Supporters’ Association
Using digital to speak directly to your customers Tel: +44 (0) 7539 782979 Email: hdmdigitalsales@gmail.com www.hashtagdigitalmedia.co.uk
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www.stevenagefc.com DATE
OPPONENT
ATT
RES BORO SCORERS 1-0
FIXTURES & RESULTS
2023/24
AUGUST 2023 Sat Aug 05
Northampton Town
FL1
7,049
Tue Aug 08
Watford
CC
4,495 1-1 (4-3) March
Piergianni
Sat Aug 12
Shrewsbury Town
FL1
3,962
2-0
Pressley, Reid
Tue Aug 15
Cambridge United
FL1
7,529
2-1
Roberts, Reid
Sat Aug 19
Reading
FL1
11,674
0-2
Sat Aug 26
Portsmouth
FL1
5,352
0-0
Tue Aug 29
Exeter
CC
4,006 1-1 (5-3) Roberts
APPEARANCES
Sat Nov 04
Tranmere Rovers
EFAC 2,404
4-3
Sat Nov 11
Wycombe Wanderers
FL1
4,936
1-0
Reid
Tue Nov 14
Crystal Palace U-21
EFLT
607
5-2
OG, Forster-Caskey, White, Pressley x2
Sat Nov 18
Lincoln City
FL1
5,075
1-0
Reid
Sat Nov 25
Fleetwood Town
FL1
2,771
3-0
Reid, Thompson, List
Tue Nov 28
Peterborough United
FL1
5,041
2-2
Wildin, Thompson
Carl Piergianni Dan Butler Jordan Roberts Taye Ashby-Hammond Jamie Reid Finley Burns Nathan Thompson Nick Freeman Luther James-Wildin Louis Thompson Jake Forster-Caskey Aaron Pressley Terence Vancooten Alex MacDonald Dan Sweeney Ben Thompson Elliott List Krisztián Hegyi Kane Hemmings Kane Smith Harrison Neal Reece Hannam Charlie McNeill Harvey White Josh March Theo Alexandrou Harry Anderson Makise Evans David Hicks Rylee Mitchell Max Woodford
LEAGUE TABLE
SEPTEMBER 2023 FL1
8,287
Tue Sept 05 AFC Wimbledon
EFLT
1,317 1-1 (6-5) Reid
Sat Sept 09
Carlisle United
FL1
4,228
2-2
Reid x2
Sat Sept 16
Charlton Athletic
FL1
5,118
1-1
Reid
Sat Sept 23
Cheltenham Town
FL1
3,947
3-0
Roberts, List x2
Sat Sept 30
Oxford United
FL1
5,512
1-3
Reid
Sat Sept 02
Leyton Orient
3-0
McNeill, Sweeney, Freeman
OCTOBER 2023 Tue Oct 03
Bolton Wanderers
FL1
17,997
2-3
Reid x2
Sat Oct 07
Wigan Athletic
FL1
4,402
1-0
Pressley
Tue Oct 10
Wycombe Wanderers
EFLT
902
0-1
Sat Oct 14
Blackpool
FL1
10,516
0-3
Sat Oct 21
Port Vale
FL1
4,047
0-0
Tue Oct 24
Bristol Rovers
FL1
7,143
1-1
Reid
Sat Oct 28
Derby County
FL1
5,866
3-1
Roberts, MacDonald, Hemmings Roberts, Reid x2, Hemmings
NOVEMBER 2023
DECEMBER 2023 Sat Dec 02
Port Vale
EFAC 2,491
1-1
Reid
Sat Dec 09
Burton Albion
FL1
2-1
Hemmings, Reid
Tue Dec 12
Port Vale
EFAC 2,073 3-3 (4-3) White, Hemmings, Thompson
Sat Dec 16
Exeter City
FL1
Sat Dec 23
Barnsley
FL1
Tue Dec 26
Northampton Town
Fri Dec 29
Cambridge United
PL
GLS
22 (1) 21 (0) 21 (2) 19 (0) 17 (6) 16 (5) 15 (6) 14 (7) 14 (1) 13 (6) 12 (6) 12 (3) 11 (2) 10 (8) 8 (0) 8 (10) 7 (12) 6 (0) 6 (7) 6 (3) 4 (4) 3 (4) 3 (0) 3 (1) 2 (3) 1 (1) 1 (2) 0 (1) 0 (1) 0 (0) 0 (1)
1 0 5 0 15 0 0 1 0 0 1 4 0 1 1 1 3 0 2 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
P
W
D
L
Pts
1 Portsmouth
20
13
6
1
45
2 Bolton Wanderers
19
12
3
4
39
3 Stevenage
21
11
6
4
39
FL1
4 Peterborough United
20
11
5
4
38
FL1
5 Oxford United
20
11
4
5
37
6 Derby County
19
11
3
5
36
JANUARY 2024 Mon Jan 01
Portsmouth
FL1
Sat Jan 06
Maidstone United
EFAC
Sat Jan 13
Shrewsbury Town
FL1
Sat Jan 20
Barnsley
FL1
Sun Jan 27
Wigan Athletic
FL1
2,406
7 Barnsley
19
10
4
5
34
8 Blackpool
21
9
6
6
33
9 Lincoln City
21
8
7
6
31
10 Charlton Athletic
19
7
6
6
27
11 Shrewsbury Town
21
8
3
10
27
FL1
12 Northampton Town
20
8
2
10
26
Port Vale
FL1
13 Bristol Rovers
19
6
7
6
25
Bristol Rovers
FL1
Sat Feb 17
Derby County
FL1
14 Wigan Athletic
20
9
4
7
23
Sat Feb 24
Wycombe Wanderers
FL1
15 Wycombe Wanderers
19
6
4
9
22
16 Leyton Orient
20
5
7
8
22
17 Port Vale
19
6
4
9
22
18 Cambridge United
20
5
6
9
21
19 Burton Albion
20
5
5
10
20
FEBRUARY 2024 Sat Feb 03
Blackpool
Sat Feb 10 Tue Feb 13
MARCH 2023 Sat Mar 02
Lincoln City
FL1
Sat Mar 09
Fleetwood Town
FL1
Tue Mar 12
Peterborough United
FL1
Sat Mar 16
Leyton Orient
FL1
20 Exeter City
19
5
3
11
18
Sat Mar 23
Carlisle United
FL1
21 Fleetwood Town
19
4
4
11
16
Fri Mar 29
Bolton Wanderers
FL1
22 Carlisle United
20
3
6
11
15
23 Reading
20
5
3
12
14
24 Cheltenham Town
19
3
4
12
13
APRIL 2024 Mon Apr 01
Charlton Athletic
FL1
Sat Apr 06
Exeter City
FL1
Sat Apr 13
Burton Albion
FL1
Sat Apr 20
Oxford United
FL1
Sat Apr 27
Cheltenham Town
FL1
CLICK HERE FOR FULL TABLE AND STATS
EVERYONE LOVES PANTO!
29 NOV 23 - 21 JAN 24 Gordon Craig Theatre, Lytton Way, Stevenage, SG1 1LZ
The Alban Arena, Civic Centre, St Albans, AL1 3LD
Box Office: 01438 363 200
Box Office: 01727 844488
Eric Morecambe Centre, Rothamsted Park, Harpenden, AL5 2FR
www.gordon-craig.co.uk
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Box Office: 01582 767525
www.the-emc.co.uk
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Stevenage to London by train from *
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thameslinkrailway.com *T&Cs apply. See website for details. Fare stated is based on our Weekend Super Off Peak Day Return ticket from Stevenage to London Terminals
Proudly supporting Stevenage Football Club
Make positive connections for your business, whilst supporting local hospice care.
We have membership packages to suit sole traders and businesses of all sizes. Business Member
Premier Member
Executive Member
£33 per month or £396 per year
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Includes an invitation to all quarterly events plus socials
Includes social media messaging for your business and free places for your staff at Hospice events
Includes opportunities to host a dedicated area and provide business branding at events
For more information on our membership packages, visit ghhospicecare.org.uk/connect or email connect@ghospicecare.org.uk Registered Charity No. 295257
Unlocking the power of pitches The Football Foundation is the Premier League, The FA and the Government’s charity. We award grants and work with partners to deliver outstanding grassroots football facilities across England.
Search Football Foundation to find out more
HERE’S HERE’S AA ST ST AT AT II BET BET YOU YOU DIDN’T DIDN’T KN KN W W
NEARLY ONE MILLION NEARLY ONE MILLION SKY BET CUSTOMERS USE DEPOSIT LIMITS SKY BET CUSTOMERS USE DEPOSIT LIMITS TOTO MANAGE THEIR BETTING BUDGET. MANAGE THEIR BETTING BUDGET. THAT’S ENOUGH TOTO FILL: THAT’S ENOUGH FILL: 11 11 WEMBLEYS. WEMBLEYS. ALL GOOD BOOKMAKERS ALL GOOD BOOKMAKERS HAVE DEPOSIT LIMITS. HAVE DEPOSIT LIMITS. SOSO WHOEVER YOU BET WITH, WHOEVER YOU BET WITH, SET ANAN APPROPRIATE ONE FOR YOU SET APPROPRIATE ONE FOR YOU AND THEN ENJOY THE SPORT. AND THEN ENJOY THE SPORT.
DEPOSIT LIMITS DEPOSIT LIMITS
THAT’S BETTING BETTER. THAT’S BETTING BETTER.
I T T C
I T I B
IT’S THE THOUGHT THAT COUNTS...
SCAN TO SHOP
IF THAT THOUGHT IS JAMESON BLACK BARREL ENJOY RESPONSIBLY.
STEVENAGE FC
MANAGER: STEVE EVANS TAYE ASHBY-HAMMOND (GK) LUTHER JAMES-WILDIN DAN BUTLER NATHAN THOMPSON CARL PIERGIANNI DAN SWEENEY ALEX MACDONALD JAKE FORSTER-CASKEY ELLIOTT LIST NICK FREEMAN JORDAN ROBERTS KRISZTIÁN HEGYI (GK) KANE SMITH TERENCE VANCOOTEN HARRY ANDERSON FINLEY BURNS HARVEY WHITE JAMIE REID AARON PRESSLEY HARRISON NEAL LOUIS THOMPSON BEN THOMPSON REECE HANNAM CHARLIE MCNEILL KANE HEMMINGS
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 22 23 24 25 26 29
OFFICIALS
REFEREE: Ross Joyce ASSISTANT: Paul Lister-Flynn ASSISTANT: Damith Bandara FOURTH OFFICIAL: David Harrison
MATCH SPONSOR
BALL SPONSOR
OLIVIA PARRY • RUBY SHAW MAX SHAW • ZACHARY SHAW ALYSSA SHAW • HARRY SHAW
FINLEY KETTEL
EXETER CITY FC
MANAGER: GARY CALDWELL 1 3 4 5 6 7 8 10 11 12 13 14 16 17 19 21 23 24 26 29 30 31 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 47 48
VILJAMI SINISALO ZAK JULES WILL AIMSON ALEX HARTRIDGE TOM CARROLL DEMETRI MITCHELL RYAN TREVITT ADMIRAL MUSKWE JAMES SCOTT REECE COLE YANIC WILDSCHUT ILMARI NISKANEN HARRY KITE CALEB WATTS SONNY COX DION RANKINE KYLE TAYLOR JACK FITZWATER PIERCE SWEENEY JACK AITCHISON SHAUN MACDONALD VINCENT HARPER GARY WOODS GABRIEL BILLINGTON JOE O’CONNOR MITCH BEARDMORE HARRISON KING MAX EDGECOMBE CHEICK DIABATE EDWARD JAMES PEDRO BORGES TOM DEAN JAKE RICHARDS SANTINO OHANAKA
UP NEXT AT HOME NORTHAMPTON TOWN 26/12/2023 | KO 3.00PM SKY BET LEAGUE ONE
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