Stevenage FC v Wigan Athletic

B RO

v WIGAN ATHLETIC

Saturday, October 07 2023

Kick-Off: 3.00pm

MATCH SPONSOR

MANAGER STEVE EVANS

All photos by Jim Steele

The message to the town is thank you, but also come & support us - we need you!

CEO MIKE PINK

Good afternoon and welcome to the players and officials of Wigan Athletic FC, along with both sets of supporters, for today’s match at the Lamex Stadium, which I’m sure will be an exciting game.

This will be the first time we have played the Latics in our history. Given that we have been in the Football League for 14 seasons now, it is quite a surprise that we haven’t met in any competitions. Wigan have spent a number of seasons in the Premier League in their more recent history, and their FA Cup triumph over Manchester City was something of FA Cup legend.

Recently, we have announced our partnership with ‘Garden House Hospice Care’, whom we are delighted to support as our local charity. For more information on their wonderful work and care, you can visit their website here: www. ghhospicecare.org.uk

One of the first initiatives was the launch of the 3rd Kit for this season, which carries the Garden House Hospice logo. This kit will be worn in one home game later in the season when we have a takeover day and in a match away from home. Thank you to everyone who bought a shirt; 25% of the net profit will go to the Charity. I’d like to thank GRILLA, our front-of-shirt partner, for giving up their space on the 3rd shirt and supporting Garden House.

This week has seen the launch of the ‘Boro Business Club’, held in our 76 Lounge for a breakfast meeting with over 40 businesses in attendance, including many of our Sponsors,

Partners and Advertisers. It’s incredibly important to the Football Club that we create a business community and network amongst the businesses of Stevenage and Hertfordshire while giving our partners a platform to meet like-minded companies. A big thank you to everyone who attended, and we look forward to growing these meetings.

Ticket sales have been strong, and our average attendance is up 23%. We have seen an increase in the away end, which was expected playing in League One, and a continual rise in our home support. Away from home, we continue to see numbers rise as well. Opening matches at Northampton and Cambridge saw us take over 1,000, so thank you for your fantastic support.

We still have match sponsorship opportunities and hospitality available for some of our matches this season, so if you are interested in watching a home game in one of our corporate boxes or suites or you would like more information on the Boro Business Club, please get in touch with David Hoskins, Head of Commercial davidh@stevenagefc.com. Finally, it’s great to see the progress the team has been making this season and to see us flourishing at the top end of the table. Huge credit to Steve, the coaching team and the players for this season’s great start and performances. I hope you enjoy today’s match, a historic moment with a first meeting between us, so get behind the team as they really appreciate your support.

AHEAD OF THE GAME

MATCHDAY TIMINGS

CLUB SHOP: Midday-3pm & 15 minutes after FT

TICKET OFFICE: Midday-3.15pm

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), Ful-Time-8pm (Home & Away Supporters). Bar Snacks Available.

TURNSTILES: 1:30pm

TICKET INFO

MATCH TICKETS STILL AVAILABLE FOR STEVENAGE VS WIGAN ATHLETIC All tickets must be purchased before reaching the turnstiles either online or from the North Stand Ticket Office.

East North West

Adult £20 £24 £25

Concession £18 £22 £23

Under 18 £14 £16 £18

Under 12 £5 £10 £12

TICKETS & TRAVEL BLACKPOOL (SAT 14 OCT 3PM)

Match tickets are available online at www. borotickets.co.uk, from the Stevenage FC Club Shop (open Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays 10am5pm) and from Bloomfield Road on the day of the game.

• Adult £25

• 65+ £21

• 18-21 £21

• U18 £11

• U12 £7

TOGETHER AGAINST RACISM –A MESSAGE TO SUPPORTERS

Football is a game for everyone and we are proud of the welcoming atmosphere that you create at The Lamex Stadium every matchday.

Anonymously message the Matchday Control Room direct on 07935 577897 to report any signs of racism and all forms of discrimination.

fan FOCUS

FIRST GAME? YEAR, SEASON?

Stevenage vs West Ham July 2014 with my dad and grandad.

WHICH SECTION OF THE GROUND DO YOU NORMALLY WATCH THE MATCHES FROM? North stand.

BEST MEMORY/MEMORIES OF SUPPORTING BORO?

Watching the matches with my dad and grandad are all good memories for me.

FAVOURITE ALL-TIME PLAYER (AND WHY)?

Jamie Reid cause he only scores bangers!

FAVOURITE CURRENT PLAYER (AND WHY)?

Jamie he’s just a baller.

WHY DO YOU LOVE BORO?

Nothing better than supporting your local team.

FAVOURITE BORO SHIRT?

Last seasons away shirt loved the colour!

Watching the matches with my dad and grandad are all good memories for me

Calling all Boro fans..

DO YOU REMEMBER YOUR FIRST GAME OR THE FIRST SHIRT YOU BOUGHT? DO YOU HAVE A FAVOURITE ALL TIME PLAYER?

We would love to feature your memories in our digital interactive programme… if you are interested please drop Alex (dslo@stevenagefc.com) or Carl (slo@stevenagefc.com) an email asap!

Offices in UK, USA, Ireland, Holland, Switzerland, Sweden, Spain, Poland, Germany, Canada, Russia, Thailand, Vietnam, Hong Kong, China. For

2023 2023/24 /24

ANSWER: Reading FC

SCARLETT CLARK MATCHDAY MASCOT

Awarm Boro welcome goes to our mascot today Scarlett Clark. Scarlett is eight and lives in Cambridgeshire, attending Alderman Jacobs School. Her hobbies are Lego, drawing, swimming and Brownies and her favourite Boro players are Carl Piergianni and TVC. We trust Scarlett has an amazing day with us at the Boro and helps the team on to three more valuable points.

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Boro recovered from a strike on two minutes to beat Colchester in a thrilling battle at The Lamex.

The visitors went ahead inside two minutes when Sammie Szmodics found the net from three yards at the far post from Ryan Jackson’s low cross.

Szmodics and former Boro legend Luke Norris had opportunities soon after, as Colchester looked to double their advantage.

Kurtis Guthrie went close with a deflected long-range effort before the former Colchester levelled just on the half-time interval when he tapped home at the far post, after Scott Cuthbert had headed on a corner.

Boro then came close after the break through

Saturday 06 October 2018

Sky Bet League Two

STEVENAGE

COLCHESTER

27 Seny Dieng

15 Terence Vancooten

5 Scott Cuthbert

31 Ben Nugent

12 Steve Seddon

4 Michael Timlin

7 James Ball (45)

8 Joel Byrom

10 Ben Kennedy (90)

9 Alex Revell (68)

28 Kurtis Guthrie

SUBSTITUTES

13 Will Appleyard

3 John Hunt

11 Emmanuel Sonupe (45)

14 James Ferry (90)

19 Danny Newton (68)

22 Alex Reid

half-time substitute Emmanuel Sonupe but the visitors also tested Stevenage goalkeeper Seny Dieng. Ben Kennedy sent the home crowd into raptures when he slotted home from the spot with eight minutes remaining to make it 2-1, and just two minutes later, Sonupe made sure when he lifted a shot past Barnes. DARREN

Stats courtesy of Boroguide

BORO HISTORY

ON THIS DAY: 07 OCTOBER

On balance, 7 October is a so-so date in the diary for Boro’ at best; nine previous outings on this day yielding four wins and four defeats –together with a draw against arch-rivals Woking in 2003 that saw an unlikely goalscorer in the form of Simon Travis… and a red card for Gary Holloway. Now, there are better stories to be told about our tussles with Woking over the years. So too are more interesting narratives to be found in our previous games on 7 October in years gone by. The first of which came in 1985; Clapton edging us by the odd goal in seven – and denying us a 10th win in what was our 10th league game of the season. We absolutely can’t ignore the fact that, on this day in 1991, goals from Duncan Hardy and Andy Walker secured three points for Boro’ against Hitchin Town in Diadora League Division One. Our 1996 encounter with Macclesfield Town came in what was called the Jim Thompson Championship Match; one of the lesser-known

1985 Stevenage Borough 3-4 Clapton, Vauxhall Opel League Division 2 North (Gittings 2, Driver)

1989 Stevenage Borough 3-1 Waltham Abbey, FA Vase Preliminary Round (Palma 2, O’Keefe)

1991 Stevenage Borough 2-0 Hitchin Town, Diadora League Division One (Hardy, Walker)

1995 Stevenage Borough 2-0 Staines Town, FA Cup R3Q (Crawshaw, Lynch)

1996 Stevenage Borough 1-2 Macclesfield Town, Jim Thompson Championship Match (Hayles)

2003 Woking 1-1 Stevenage Borough, Nationwide Conference (Travis; Holloway s/o)

2008 Stevenage Borough 3-2 Mansfield Town, Blue Square Premier (Bostwick, Morison, Cole)

2015 Stevenage 1-2 Dagenham & Redbridge, Johnstone’s Paint Trophy R2 (Kennedy)

2017 Crewe Alexandra 1-0 Stevenage, Sky Bet League Two

rewards for winning the 1995-6 GM Vauxhall Conference title. Well, it’s not like we won the big prize of the day. The Silkmen came out on top and it was perhaps an early omen for how the 1996-7 title race would go.

IT’S WIGAN ATHLETIC AGAIN…

… or maybe not? It’s not all that often these days - in spite of our rise up the charts - that we encounter new foes. But here we are, for the first time, up against the Latics. Not unlike us, Wigan Athletic made their way up from nonleague circles, if a little before us. So, they know what it takes to get to the very top. And what better way to learn than to go headto-head with them.

BORO’ AT THIS STAGE…

Gameweek 12

Two straight league defeats means the current campaign no longer stands up quite as proud against some of those to have gone before; this now our joint-17th best record at this stage of a season. In fact, we have the exact same record now as we did in the 2003-4 campaign. A haul of 18 points is also where we were at after 11 league results during the 2005-6 and 2018-9 campaigns. In the former, we just missed the playoffs. In the latter, we made the playoffs. As things stand, we’re five points down on where we were at after 11 games of the 20123 League One season under Gary Smith. But we’re five points up on the 2011-2 League One campaign. In that maiden season. Bizarrely, our goals for total of 17 is the same as both those previous outings in the third tier of English football.

Best and worsts? Well, no points for guessing the 2019-20 season to be our worst at this stage. Yep – four years ago, we were still waiting for our first win of the campaign. And we only had one win at this point the following year too! Conversely, both the 1985-6 and 1993-4 seasons saw us sitting with 28 points from a possible 33 on offer. And just a quick nod back to the 2012-3 season under Gary Smith – the only one where we were still unbeaten at this stage.

By Pete Hayman courtesy of boroguide.co.uk

ON BOTH SIDES…

The list of players who have turned out for both ourselves and the Latics is, to the best of our knowledge, modest. In fact, you couldn’t even put out a full XI – and the presence of Jamie Jones, Toby Savin, and Dave Beasant means we’d have three goalkeepers. Each of those stoppers span three very different eras too. On that theme, our shared defence wouldn’t be too shabby. Ryan Kirby and Michael Love were notable players for us during the mid-to-late 1990s, while Kelland Watts was impressive when here on loan – no mean feat given that came in the 2019-20 season. We also have Phil Edwards, an under-rated squad member from our first time in League One.

Alex Gilbey and Neil Mustoe – both midfielders – complete the set.

Jamie Jones

Toby Savin

Dave Beasant Kelland Watts

PLAYER SPONSORS FIRST TEAM 2023/24

1 Taye Ashby-Hammond SPONSORED BY BARBARA FOLLETT

2 Luther James-Wildin SPONSORED BY KEN FOLLETT

3 Dan Butler SPONSORED BY

4 Nathan Thompson SPONSORED BY LAST GOALSCORERS SOCIETY

5 Carl Piergianni SPONSORED BY DAVID GRAY

6 Dan Sweeney SPONSORED BY

9 Elliott List SPONSORED BY

12 Krisztian Hegyi SPONSORED BY JOHN MACKENZIE

14 Kane Smith SPONSORED BY

10 Nick Freeman SPONSORED BY

8 Jake Forster-Caskey SPONSORED BY

11 Jordan Roberts SPONSORED BY ALFIE MILES

7 Alex McDonald SPONSORED BY

15 Terence Vancooten SPONSORED BY

16 Harry Anderson SPONSORED BY MIKE HARNIMAN & LAURA TYLER

17 Finley Burns SPONSORED BY

Paul Raynor SPONSORED BY Alex Revell SPONSORED BY Keith Bell SPONSORED BY Ian Pledger SPONSORED BY Steve Evans SPONSORED BY

19 Jamie Reid SPONSORED BY

20 Aaron Pressley SPONSORED BY

23 Louis Thompson SPONSORED BY

24 Ben Thompson SPONSORED BY KEVIN BASHAM

22 Harrison Neal SPONSORED BY HAYDN & FINLEY KETTEL

26 Charlie McNeill SPONSORED BY

18 Harvey White SPONSORED BY

THOMAS WILLETT

25 Reece Hannam SPONSORED BY

29 Kane Hemmings SPONSORED BY JOHN MACKENZIE

STEVENAGE FC ACADEMY G

ood afternoon and welcome to the Lamex Stadium for today’s fixture vs Wigan.

I have now been at this great football club a little over a year and what a busy period it has been. I can honestly say that I have enjoyed every minute of working alongside so many great staff and talented young players in my role as Head of Academy Goalkeeping. I have also had the opportunity to work with our First Team goalkeepers and must say that getting to represent this club and our town on matchdays was a brilliant experience.

When I first came onboard, I felt that we lacked numbers in the Academy goalkeeping department which consisted of just nine goalkeepers across our eight age group teams. Twelve months on we now have fifteen registered goalkeepers in a group which we consider to be in an excellent place. This has not simply been a case of adding additional numbers but recruiting high-quality goalkeepers that push each other, make our teams better and have the potential to progress to senior football. My next task was to refresh the club’s goalkeeping curriculum, bringing it more closely in line with our outfield syllabus and adding a sprinkling of my own ideas from previous roles. The foundation of this process was profiling ‘The Stevenage Goalkeeper’ and deciding what we want our goalkeepers to look like. The ideal

for us is a modern goalkeeper, comfortable on the ball and able to make match winning saves consistently. Of course, the finished article is not easy to come by and so raw attributes are also key – such as outstanding physical attributes and a memorable personality. No two goalkeepers are exactly the which is something we celebrate within our ethos of becoming the leading Category Three Academy.

A key part of my role is developing our Education Development Programme goalkeepers, based at Hertfordshire FA in Letchworth. This is a thriving post-16 scheme for local players who wish to achieve a Sports BTEC qualification alongside playing football fulltime, with opportunities for players to move into coaching and other roles at the club.

Since February I have also responsible for overseeing our Emerging Talent programme which is one area of the club’s development Pathway. This tier sits a level below our Academy and provides both outfield and goalkeeper-specific sessions to local players showing promise one evening a week, enabling us to help them develop whilst monitoring their progression should any opportunities within our Academy become available. As I always stress though, the most important thing for any young footballer is to work hard, enjoy their football and focus on becoming the best they can be.

I hope that you have a great afternoon watching the mighty Boro, make sure to get behind the lads and let’s hope for a big three points!

LOUIS HREBENIAK Head of Academy Goalkeeping

STEVENAGE FC WOMEN

WOOTTON BLUE CROSS LIONESSES 2

Payne, Darvill, Opperman, Spavins, Houry, Brittain, Lancaster, Cummings, Vagliviello, Patterson, Klausner

Subs: Scott, Mitchell, Farraoui

Subs Not Used: Greaves, Paul, Harper

Goals: Farraoui, Vagliviello

STEVENAGE FCW 5

Ray, Nebbitt, Farmer, Gunn, White, Schofield, Bodily, Makewell (c), Dempsey, Gooderham, Hendy

Subs: Millen, Edge, Thomas-O’Keefe

Goals: Nebbitt, Makewell x 2, Edge, Hendy

Stevenage FCW progressed to the third qualifying round of the FA Cup after an action packed final twenty minutes saw them lose the lead before reclaiming it in dramatic fashion. The maiden meeting of two sides separated by fifteen league places offered fans of both sides reason to cheer as they fought for the auspicious prize of progression. It was a battle of attrition on a pudding of a pitch for the opening ten minutes. Neither side gave way and both defences ensured the danger stayed largely away from Celine Ray and Hannah Payne in their respective goals. Before long, Boro’ began to carve out some opportunities. Sophie Hendy saw her one-on-one effort smothered by Payne while Lilia Dempsey saw her cross flash across goal with nobody able to turn it in.

The best chance of the opening twenty minutes fell to the feet of Amy Makewell who unleashed a rocket at goal that cannoned off the crossbar and behind. Hannah Nebbitt shot over and with that half an hour had elapsed.

It looked like it could be another frustrating day in front of goal for Stevenage. However, the ice was broken from the most unlikely of places. It began with a powerful punch from Celine Ray.

Boro’ pushed forward from there earning a free kick through Amy Gooderham and then a corner. Nebbitt stood ready to take it and the ball swung inwards, bounced through a group of players and nestled into the net. One down, two to go for the left sided player who has vowed to net three this season.

Katie White, on her cup debut for Boro’ had a speculative effort easily collected before Wootton reminded Boro’ that they were still in the game. Firstly, with an amazing effort from Graziella Vaglieviello, blocked by Chloe Gunn before it could ripple the net, and next by a shot

from Elena Lancaster which was well collected by Ray.

There was still time for Gooderham to flash a shot wide of the post that couldn’t be diverted goalwards by a Boro’ player and for a penalty shout for Makewell following a challenge from Payne that the referee Jonny Lam waved away. Stevenage started the second half how they started the first, but with the addition of Kelsey Millen and Matilda Thomas-O’Keefe in place of Katie White and Lilia Dempsey. Millen was instantly in the mix with a shot on goal that was straight at Payne and another that went wide of the post.

Still Wootton hung on as the partnership of Nebbitt and Thomas-O’Keefe began to work its magic. Nebbitt was dangerous with her balls into the box and her general attacking play, while Thomas-O’Keefe was settling into her role

behind. Before the hour mark was reached, Makewell had seen her effort deflected to the feet of Payne and cleared, while Nebbitt had shot wide from 25 yards. The game was starting to reach dangerous territory as Boro’ failed to build on their one goal advantage. Nebbitt fired over while Hendy headed over from eight yards and the minutes ticked by. After eighty-two, Boro were delivered a blow. An initial shot from Wootton was spilled by Ray into the path of Bouthayna Farraoui who lofted the ball into the net over Rebecca Edge and Ray.

If the first goal was a setback, Boro’ were stunned two minutes later as Vagliviello won possession and sent a sublime ball over Ray who had been stranded in no-man’s land. Boro’ were on the ropes and were in danger of being ousted from the tournament at the same stage as last season. However, cometh the hour, cometh the woman.

Within a minute Millen had broken free down the right and pulled back an inviting ball for Makewell who made sure this time as she netted her first goal - and Millen’s fifth assist - of the season. After a couple of stoppages for injuries, it became clear there was to be ten minutes of added time and Boro’ unleashed all their frustration.

First came a Nebbitt free kick that was met by Edge, but turned behind for a corner. Millen stepped up to swing the ball into the path of Edge again, who channelled her inner Bruce

Lee, flying through the air to meet the ball and send it into the net.

Stevenage had regained the lead and were not about to let it slip again. Nebbitt crossed low and hard for Makewell to turn home at the far post to double the advantage and join the host of top scorers for the season with two. Hendy clearly took this personally and with virtually the last kick of the game she took possession of the ball from Makewell before sitting the defender down and slotting past Payne for the outright lead in the top scorer charts.

“I was worried when we went 2-1 down, but that’s when we started playing our football,” Dave Perry said after the game. “We dug ourselves out of a little hole, but progression is important for every club. We needed the win and we got it. That’s good.” There is no doubt that for the spectators, it was a rollercoaster of a cup tie. All eyes will now move to the draw to see who will be the next opponents while Boro’ will look towards a league game at Barking – a dress rehearsal for the League Cup match that will take place in a month’s time.

You can see Stevenage FCW in league action next week as they do battle with Barking on Sunday 8th October. Keep your eyes on the social media platforms – Instagram, TikTok and X for more details - @stevenagefcw

CLICK HERE to visit our YouTube channel for more Stevenage FCW interviews, challenges and content – don’t forget to like and subscribe!

STEVENAGE FC FOUNDATION

OCTOBER HALF-TERM IS FAST APPROACHING & SOCCER CAMPS ARE BACK!

Our Soccer camps which are available to book for just £20 a day are only a few weeks away! Soccer Camps combine fun games and activities with the sports principal skills to provide the perfect half-term activity! Our Soccer Camps offer children the perfect opportunity to make new friends and learn new skills in a fun and safe environment.

Taking place at Letchworth County Ground & Stevenage FC Academy, both sessions run from 9am-3pm and are running throughout the duration of the week.

Delivered by FA qualified coaches, at affordable prices our Soccer Camps are aimed at both Boys and Girls aged 5-12 years and provide a full day of fun filled activities with Multi-day discounts are also available!

On Wednesday 25th, we are also running a Girls Only Soccer Camp at The County Ground, for girls aged 8-14, starting at 10am till 3pm!

To Book:

Letchworth County Ground Soccer Camps: CLICK HERE

Letchworth Girls Only Soccer Camps: CLICK HERE

Stevenage FC Academy Soccer Camps: CLICK HERE

Next up we have our Fit, fed, and read camps. FFR camps run in partnership with Herts Sports Partnership and are Funded by the Big Lottery and the Department for Education’s Holiday Activities and Food programme. The camps are aimed at children between the ages of 8-11 who are eligible for free school meals or are referred via a professional service.

The Foundation delivers to 5 different venues across Hertfordshire, providing children with the perfect blend of activities to keep them active and entertained during the holidays, providing high quality sport, entertaining enrichment activities, as well as a nutritious hot meal.

To find out more information please visit: Fit, Fed & Read - Herts Sports Partnership (sportinherts.org.uk)

Make positive connections for your business, whilst supporting local hospice care.

We have membership packages to suit sole traders and businesses of all sizes.

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

Meet the boss

Wigan boss Shaun Maloney previously played for Celtic, Aston Villa, Wigan, Chicago Fire and Hull. He started his career at Celtic, playing 215 matches across all competitions and winning honours including five Premier League titles. He then had a spell at Aston Villa in the Premier League before returning to Celtic.

Shaun Maloney

Maloney joined Wigan in 2011 and helped to win the FA Cup final in 2013. He retired in 2017 while playing for Hull. After retiring as a player, Maloney worked for Celtic and was then appointed manager of Scottish club Hibernian in December 2021, but was sacked after four months. He was appointed manager of Wigan Athletic in January 2023.

MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

Last FIVE

RESULTS

22/23

SEASONS

Championship 24th (R)

21/22

League 1 1st (P)

ONE TO watch

Norway youth international Thelo Aasgaard is entering his third season as a professional at the DW Stadium.

A former Liverpool youngster, Aasgaard joined Latics as a 14-year-old and has been known for the spectacular when it comes to scoring goals, with a couple of his strikes shared widely on social media.

20/21

League 1 20th

19/20

Championship 23rd (R)

18/19

Championship 18th

An attacking midfield player, Aasgaard has developed physically over the last 18 months and now has the platform to kick on and establish himself as a senior player. Aasgaard’s first team debut came in October 2020 as a late substitute in Latics’ 1-0 defeat to Peterborough United. His first goal came within a month as he headed home late on against Oxford United. He was rewarded with his first professional contract in January 2021 after impressing with his technical ability and high work ethic.

Aasgaard went on to make 33 league appearances for Leam Richardson’s side in the 2020/21 campaign, scoring three times as Latics avoided relegation against all of the odds. He continued his exciting progression at the DW Stadium in the 2021/22 season, proudly winning his first cap for Norway U20s in an international

Thelo Aasgaard

friendly against Germany in September. The popular youngster memorably scored a late winner against Shrewsbury Town in December 2021, before signing a new long-term deal with the Club less than 24 hours later. He continued his trend of popping up with last-gasp goals by scoring a stunning stoppage-time winner against Blackburn Rovers in the Emirates FA Cup, which was later crowned as Goal of the Tournament in an online poll as voted by supporters. Making a total of 14 appearances as Latics won the Sky Bet League One title, Aasgaard will be hoping to continue to develop as a young and talented footballer.

STEVENAGE FC COMMERCIAL

MATCH SPONSOR

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2023/2024 STAT PACK

MATCH FACTS & TOTAL CARDS

This will be the first ever Football League meeting between Stevenage and Wigan, while the Latics will be Boro’s 70th different such opponent.

GOAL TIMES

When facing a new opponent for the first time in the Football League, Wigan have won eight of their last nine such matches.

They can take their place from:

1st September (Autumn Term)

1st January (Spring Term)

1st April (Summer Term)

LATEST NEWS

WELCOME

Today is another historic day for Stevenage. It’s the very first time we have met Wigan, either as a pre-season friendly or competition. I sincerely hope the Latics fans have a great day here in Stevenage, and that they return home safely with a good impression of our town, our club and our supporters. It’s great to have you here.

I’m personally looking forward to January 27th next year, when we travel up to Wigan in the return fixture. I hear they have a pier!

INTER-CITY BORO

This coming Saturday (October 14th ) the Boro faithful travel up to Blackpool. Who of you will come with us to the Irish seaside to take in the air, the Tower, the chips, the trams, the beer. Oh, there’s a game on too by the way!

Our buses leave The Lamex at 8.00am sharp for this one. The cost is just £30 if you’re a member, so get thee there with Boro the Bear – and join us for a day out to Blackpool.

JIM BRISCOE

If you have the time and the inclination, have a tipple on the memory of Jim Briscoe, one of the founding fathers of the club. He’d be 100 years old - today!

D J CAMPBELL

Remember him? It’s hard to believe that he played for us twenty (20) seasons ago. He went on to play for Blackpool. Scored 30 goals for The Seasiders. Scored 3 for us!

50/50 TICKETS

On sale today, just inside the turnstiles. £1 a ticket. Winner gets 50% of the takings less £25 for the 2nd prize winner.

Apologies for not having a draw at the recent game against Oxford. We were very short of volunteers to sell them, so our ability to comply was not possible. If anyone is willing and able to help the SA on match-days, then do please

contact me at Lloyd@SFCSA.co.uk I’d be pleased and happy to add you to our pool of sellers.

HOW OUR CLUB STARTED

In the last programme (v. Oxford), I depicted an article from a newspaper back in 1884, when the first club in Stevenage started. I’m happy to be able to do the same again, this time with reference to the very club we have today – Stevenage FC.

This was an article which appeared in the Stevenage Comet from July 1976. The foundation of Stevenage FC is actually built on the remnants of the previous club’s youth sideStevenage Athletic.

Jim Briscoe and Vic Folbigg organised a group of 25 like-minded volunteers to form a committee. Four months later, the club was rebranded “Stevenage Borough”. The rest (as they say), is history!

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

All paid-up members of the Supporters’ Association should soon be receiving formal notification of the AGM.

It is scheduled for Thursday October 26th, here at The Lamex for a 7.00pm start. More details in the match-day digital programme on Saturday October 21st when we play Port Vale.

LLOYD BRISCOE Chair - Stevenage FC Supporters’ Association

FIXTURES & RESULTS DATE OPPONENT ATT RES BORO SCORERS AUGUST 2023 Sat Aug 05 Northampton Town FL1 7,049 1-0 Piergianni Tue Aug 08 Watford CC 4,495 1-1 (4-3) March 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 SEPTEMBER 2023 Sat Sept 02 Leyton Orient FL1 8,287 3-0 McNeill, Sweeney, Freeman 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 OCTOBER 2023 Tue Oct 03 Bolton Wanderers FL1 17,997 2-3 Reid x2 Sat Oct 07 Wigan Athletic FL1 Tue Oct 10 Wycombe Wanderers EFLT Sat Oct 14 Blackpool FL1 Sat Oct 21 Port Vale FL1 Tue Oct 24 Bristol Rovers FL1 Sat Oct 28 Derby County FL1 NOVEMBER 2023 Sat Nov 11 Wycombe Wanderers FL1 Tue Nov 14 Crystal Palace U-21 EFLT Sat Nov 18 Lincoln City FL1 Sat Nov 25 Fleetwood Town FL1 Tue Nov 28 Peterborough United FL1 DECEMBER 2023 Sat Dec 09 Burton Albion FL1 Sat Dec 16 Exeter City FL1 Sat Dec 23 Barnsley FL1 Tue Dec 26 Northampton Town FL1 Fri Dec 29 Cambridge United FL1 JANUARY 2024 Mon Jan 01 Portsmouth FL1 Sat Jan 06 Reading FL1 Sat Jan 13 Shrewsbury Town FL1 Sat Jan 20 Barnsley FL1 Sun Jan 27 Wigan Athletic FL1 FEBRUARY 2024 Sat Feb 03 Blackpool FL1 Sat Feb 10 Port Vale FL1 Tue Feb 13 Bristol Rovers FL1 Sat Feb 17 Derby County FL1 Sat Feb 24 Wycombe Wanderers FL1 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 Sat Mar 23 Carlisle United FL1 Fri Mar 29 Bolton Wanderers FL1 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

2023/24 P W D L Pts 1 Portsmouth 11 7 4 0 25 2 Oxford United 10 8 0 2 24 3 Bolton Wanderers 10 6 2 2 20 4 Barnsley 11 6 1 4 19 5 Stevenage 11 5 3 3 18 6 Peterborough United 11 5 3 3 18 7 Derby County 10 5 2 3 17 8 Port Vale 11 5 2 4 17 9 Wycombe Wanderers 10 5 1 4 16 10 Exeter City 11 5 1 5 16 11 Lincoln City 9 4 3 2 15 12 Bristol Rovers 10 4 3 3 15 13 Blackpool 10 4 3 3 15 14 Charlton Athletic 10 4 2 4 14 15 Cambridge United 10 4 2 4 14 16 Northampton Town 10 4 1 5 13 17 Leyton Orient 10 3 2 5 11 18 Burton Albion 11 2 4 5 10 19 Shrewsbury Town 10 3 1 6 10 20 Carlisle United 11 1 5 5 8 21 Fleetwood Town 10 2 2 6 8 22 Reading 10 3 1 6 6 23 Wigan Athletic 10 4 1 5 5 24 Cheltenham Town 11 0 1 10 1

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