d UNSTABLE TOWN f. C .

Creasey Park Drive, Brewers Hill Road, Dunstable, Beds LU6 1BB

Dunstable Town FC is a Community Benefit Society. It is registered under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014 Registration Number 8667 as Dunstable Town Football Club Ltd

Directors

Andrew Madaras

Chair / Secretary / Director of Community Activities & Matchday Operations

Matt Carrington - Vice Chair / Treasurer

Neil Barker - Director of Partnerships

Peter Bottom

Supporters’ Groups Director / Fundraising Manager

Gary Levy - Director of Football

Kristy Lewington

Director of Equality, Diversity, and Inclusivity

Lee Nania

Director of CBS Growth & Marketing / Business Consultant

Julian Nutley

Commercial & Marketing Director / Business Consultant

Dan Roberts

Director of Specialist Community Projects community benefit society team

Adrian Witkowski - Membership Administrator

Yvonne Verla - Mental Health Ambassador

Ian Bateman - Walking Football

Patrick Mackay - Walking Group

Lee Nutley - Chums and Crumbs

Andrew Madaras - Sphere at the Glider

Lou Goodman - Volunteer coaching staff

Joe Deeney - Head Coach

Kyle Durcan - Assistant Head Coach

Anthony Christophi - Coach

Ayub Nabongo - U18s

Adam Ashton - Physio/Sports Therapist

Steve Lewington - Kitman club officers & officials

Brad Cawthorne - Digital Manager

Jeffrey Roy - International Supporters’ Ambassador

Abby Slough - Marketing & Advertising Manager

Liam Smith - Events Manager

Wayne Upton - Community Activities media team

Brad Cawthorne - Website/DTFC TV

Chris White & Liam Smith - Club Photographers

Matt Carrington - Social Media

Abby Slough - Instagram

Richard Scott - Programme Editor

Fly Design & Print - Programme Printing m atchday t eam

Wayne Upton - Matchday Manager

Brad Cawthorne - Matchday Cameraman

Andrew Madaras - Match Reporter

Amanda Madaras - Turnstile Manager

Dan Roberts - Matchday Merchandise

George Lewington - Matchday DJ

Chris Gray - Matchday Steward

Bradley Field & Mark Williams - Stewards youth section

Andrew Madaras - Chair

Wayne Upton - Vice Chair

Kristy Lewington - Secretary/Club Welfare Officer

Christian Baxter - Treasurer

Steve Chiswell - Assistant Welfare Officer

Wayne Upton & Joe Le Vien - Football Development

Jeff Abraham - Parents Representative

Karl Clarke & Steve Lewington - Social Media

Welcome to the management, players, and supporters of Cockfosters ahead of this evening’s game. It is our 1st meeting with Cockfosters this season and like every game at this level we expect a tough contest. Cockfosters have lost only once in the last 6 games, so we know that just like the last week we need to ensure we get our performance levels right in every way to ensure we continue our recent upsurge in form.

What a difference a week makes in football and it’s fair to say we have had a pretty great week. 3 wins, 3 clean sheets, 4 goals, 4 different goal scorers and most importantly 9 points! I have mentioned it many times on my previous podcasts that I’m liking a lot of things I am seeing with my group of players at the moment. I see the game in a very clear way and I am seeing all my nonnegotiable’s being met by my group. Before you even get to the tactical and technical elements of football there are several basic pre-requisites I always believe should be hit consistently.

The key pre-requisite for me is always maximum effort is always the minimum requirement. There is never a player we have in the group that is allowed to deviate from that key principle and that is showing.

Do we have better technical and tactical footballers than we did when we arrived in October 2021? Of course we do, but it’s much more detailed than that. The reason we have better footballers is because we have much more driven and dedicated footballers. Our players are giving everything. The grit, desire, and effort my players are giving every single day is incredible. Am I a demanding Head Coach? You have all seen me, so you better believe I am. Those standards won’t change, and I have never bought into this nonsense “step 5 mentality” I hear so many others talk about. I have said before there is no such thing as a small detail, every detail that affects the outcome is a massive detail.

We have on average of 33 players training every single week and that is further credit to the dedication they have. They knew that when they signed for me that training isn’t an option, we train as we play! 6 or 7 players training like at so many other clubs, leaves me bewildered. Full credit to the club for providing us with a full sized pitch every single week.

Training is an intense environment to say the least. There aren’t the rondos and people trying to nutmeg each other every 2 seconds! How many nutmegs do you see on a Saturday with a load of lads running around screaming and shouting, celebrating nutmegs? The environment has been too intense for some and that has led to them being moved on, but the intensity won’t change. It is the simplest equation in life, you buy in, or you move on! That is why I love this group of people they go above and beyond to be here. We have multiple players that have over a 3 hour round trip commute for training and games and that is testament to them as people.

I’ve said what feels like thousand times, we recruit players that are as effective in an August heatwave as they are in a freezing February. We are now in that freezing February, and we prepared for this months ago. Recruiting technical footballers that need time and space and carpets are of little use to us now. Whilst systems and shapes are important and the tactical nuances around strengths and weaknesses of each it is doing the basics that ultimately matter most. It is about winning 1st contacts, picking up 2nd balls, out working opponents and defending our box with our lives.

I’ll be delighted if we can make sure that at 10pm tonight we are 3 points better off and that is all I care about. Whilst I have been very praising of my groups attitude, I must make it clear to everyone that there is not a tiny part of me that will allow me or others to get carried away. We face a Cockfosters side tonight that One of the really challenging things as a manager now is getting the balance right between rotation and momentum. Pitches are heavy, games are intense and throw in a 40-50 working week for the lads it is imperative myself and the coaches recognise when to rest and when to play players. Obviously having enough good players is always the thing you need to have to be able to rotate and what we don’t want to do is use 18 players a week.

Obviously 18 players comes at a massive cost to the club but just as importantly it can cause disruption with certain combinations. I have learned with this group of players that there is no point asking them how they are feeling as they are desperate to play and will often tell me they are fine. It is important we continue to monitor performance levels and make slight adjustments here and there. Sometimes unfortunately these decisions are out of my control with suspensions, injuries, and unavailability so we do need a degree of luck. The only way I can ever judge whether I got my decisions correct is if we win.

I am hopeful of another excellent atmosphere here at Creasey Park this evening and that at 10pm we are all able to smile and reflect on another win. I never take wins for granted as they are always hard to come by and never certain. What I do know for certain is I will never ever get bored of winning games and there is no better feeling in football than the final whistle and a win.

Joe Deeney

“My role focuses on raising awareness of our club throughout the world. This includes awareness of the club in general and more specifically about our existence as a Community Benefit Society.

Mindful of the welcome I have been blessed with from Andrew, Peter, Management, Players, Staff and Supporters, I extend a warm welcome to our visitors Cockfosters Football Club.

We hope they are enjoying their time in our league since transferring from the Essex Senior League, and we wish them safe travel home after today’s match.

I felt connected to their club when I learned of two significant events in their history involving the year of my birth, 1962. They were the Premier Division Champions of the Northern Suburban Intermediate League.

They also won the Barnet Cup, which occurred during the 1962-63 season. They finished a respectable 9th last season in the Essex Senior League. They tied for 8th (out of 21 clubs) in Goals For and were 11th in Goals Allowed.

I want to tell you about my role as our International Ambassador. This honour was preceded by my becoming the club’s first Canadian Owner. I felt privileged to attend the AGM earlier this year. I felt part of the live audience and found it very well organized, informative, and enjoyable.

My role focuses on raising awareness of our club throughout the world. This includes awareness of the club in general and more specifically about our existence as a Community Benefit Society.

I hope to develop some ‘twinning’ relationships with other clubs. We have already received a favourable response from the Thunder Bay Chill club in Ontario, Canada. I want us to always be an example of positivity and friendship in this time of intense distress throughout the world.

This is my opportunity to tell you a bit about the state of football in my province of Nova Scotia. 1991 was the only season of existence for the Nova Scotia Clippers, which competed in the former Canadian Soccer League. They were coached by Gordon Hill, who played three seasons for Manchester United. The Clippers finished 6th out of 8 clubs. The lack of interest in that club was transformed 27 years later with the formation in 2018 of the Halifax Wanderers. The Wanderers compete in the Canadian Premier League. The average home attendance is about 6000. Their current squad features two players from England, Cory Bent and Lifumpa Yande Mwandwe. They dismissed their Manager after the 2022 campaign which saw them finish 7th out of 8 clubs with the lowest number of Goals For in the league. The club website is hfxwanderersfc.canpl.ca.

For several years I coached football, mainly Boys but also some Senior Women’s clubs. It was with a Women’s club that I had my three most memorable achievements, all with the same club during the same season.

Even though we lost a match by several goals, we held our opponents’ top scorer without a goal. In our final match of the season, we held the club at the top of the Table to a draw. I was most proud of our defensive accomplishment, as we allowed half of what the previous year’s version of the club allowed, just over 50 as compared to over 100.

I have a second title of ‘Ambassador’ which I want to share with you. It grew out of the journey I am taking with my mother as she lives with Parkinson’s Disease. She was diagnosed in 2013 and her symptoms became more noticeable beginning early in 2019. My role helping to care for her became more demanding for a time before and since my father’s passing in November 2021. I discovered the Davis Phinney Foundation, based in Louisville, Colorado, USA. Davis Phinney is a former Olympic and Professional Cyclist who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease at age 40. The Mission of the Foundation is “We help people with Parkinson’s live well today.” My role is to connect and support individuals and families who are dealing with Parkinson’s Disease. While I am aware of the excellent work of such organizations as Parkinson’s UK, I invite you to contact me if you would like to learn more about the Davis Phinney Foundation, or you can visit the website which is davisphinneyfoundation.org.