ROYSTON TOWN vs RUSHALL OLYMPIC - MATCHDAY PROGRAMME - SAT 28th AUG 2021

THE PITCHING IN SOUTHERN LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION CENTRAL

ROYSTON TOWN FC vs RUSHALL OLYMPIC FC Saturday 28th August 2021 Kick Off: 3.00pm

Royston Town FC would like to welcome this afternoon’s opponents Rushall Olympic FC for their visit to Garden Walk for this Pitching In Southern Football League Premier Division Central fixture.

We wish their Players, Officials and Supporters an enjoyable afternoon and hope the match will be a keenly contested and entertaining game.

We also welcome this afternoon’s Match Officials and hope they too have an enjoyable game.

TODAY'S MATCH SPONSOR

www.drainagefm.co.uk/

Royston Town Football Club President Chairman Secretary

Founded 1875 Alan Barlow Steve Jackson Terry McKinnell 9 Valley Rise, Royston, Herts SG8 9EY

07772 086709

Treasurer Welfare Officer Fixture Secretary Executive Board

Webmaster Programme Editor Official Photographer

email: secretary@roystontownfc.co.uk Jeff Gill Angela Baulk Steve Endacott (07971 512402) Trevor Burrows, Andy Toovey, Eric Joyce, David Baulk, Angela Baulk, Chris Coote, Duncan Easley, Giles Parnwell, Neil MacLeod, Matt Clowery Steve Endacott Angela Baulk Kevin Richards

Football Management Team First Team Manager First Team Asst Manager Reserve Team Manager U18 Team Managers Women's Team Manager Vets Team Manager

Steve Castle Chris Watters Lewis Endacott Dan Evans/Matt Campany Lewis Endacott Lee Wilkinson

Ground

Garden Walk, Royston, Herts SG8 7HP Telephone (01763) 241204

Colours

First XI Reserves U18 Women's Vets

White/Black/White White/Black/White White/Black/Black White/Black/White White/Black/Black

Members of: The Hertfordshire Football Association Southern League Premier Division The Herts Senior County League Thurlow Nunn Youth League Eastern Region Women’s Football League The Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire Ladies League Royston Town Football Club is an unincorporated association controlled by its members under the Constitution of RTFC

CLUB HONOURS WINNERS Herts County League (Div I) 1969-70, 1972-73 Herts County League (Premier Div) 1976-1977 South Midlands League (Div I) 1977-1978 South Midlands Reserve League (Div II) 1978-1979 South Midlands Reserve League (Div I) 1979-1980 North Herts (Div IV) League Cup, 1978-79, 1979-1980 Herts Charity Shield, 1981-82, 1989-90, 1996-1997 Herts Intermediate Cup, 1988-1989 Chiltern Youth League (Div I) 1989-1990 South Combinations Reserve Floodlight Cup, 1992-1993 Chiltern Youth League Cup, 1992-1993 South Midlands Challenge Trophy, 1995-1996 Eastern Region Women’s League (Div II) 1998-1999 Eastern Counties Youth League Cup, 2001-2002 South Midlands Reserve Challenge Cup 2004-2005 KB Tyres Division III Champions 2006-2007 South Midlands League (Div I) 2008-2009 South Midlands League Cup (Div I) 2008-2009 South Midlands Floodlit Cup 1994-1995 2008-2009, 2009-2010, 2010-2011, 2011-2012 South Midlands Reserve League (Div II East) 2008-2009 South Midlands Reserve Challenge Cup 2008-2009 KB Tyres Division I League Cup 2009-2010 South Midlands Reserve Floodlit Cup 2009-2010 BIS Cambs League Division 2A 2010/2011 BIS Cambs League Divisional Champions 2010/2011 Veterans Cambridgeshire Invitation Cup 2010/2011 South Midlands Premier League 2011/2012 South Midlands Premier League Cup 2011/2012 Suburban League North Division 2012/2013, 2013/2014 Joint Winners of the Hinchingbrooke Cup 2013 Eastern Region Women’s League Plate 2013/2014, 2014/15 Suburban Premier League 2015-16 Eastern Region Women’s League Division 1 West 2015/16 Southern League Div 1 Central 2016/17 RUNNERS UP South Midlands Challenge Cup, 1978-1979 Herts Charity Shield, 1978-79, 1998-99, 2004-05, 2008-2009 South Midlands League (Premier Div) 1979-1980 North Herts (Div IV) 1979-1980 North Herts (Div III) 1981-1982 North Herts (Div II) 1982-1983 South Midlands Res Section Trophy, 1982-1983 Chiltern Youth League Cup, 1986-87, 1988-1989 Herts Intermediate Cup, 1989-1990 Herts County Youth Cup, 1992-1993 North Herts (Div I), 1993-1994 South Midlands Floodlit Cup, 1995-1996 Herts F.A. Women’s Cup, 1998-99, 2001-2002 2013/14 Eastern Region Women’s League (Div I) 1999-2000, 2013/2014 2014/15 Eastern Junior Plate, 2001-2002 KB Tyres Division I 2008-2009, 2009-2010 South Midlands Reserve Challenge Trophy 2009-2010 South Midlands Reserves Floodlit Cup 2010/2011 Hertfordshire Women’s County Cup 2013/2014 Eastern Region Women’s League, League Cup 2014/15 Southern League Division 1 Central 2014/15 2015/16

SO WHEN DID IT ALL BEGIN? The history of Royston Town FC After some intensive research, the evidence is that the club came into existence in 1875 making Royston the third oldest Club in Hertfordshire after Hitchin and Bishop Stortford.

The Club’s very first honour came in 1911/12 when they won the Creake Charity Shield beating Wisbech 1-0 in extra time.

The Club’s first major honour in more recent times came in the guise of promotion to the Herts County Premier League in 1969/70 and they went on to be champions in 1972/73 and 1976/77.

In 1978 we rejoined the South Midlands League and won the Division One title at the first time of asking. Success continued with a final appearance in the Herts Charity Shield for the first time in 1979 and runners up spot in the South Midlands League Premier Division in 1980. The Herts Charity Shield was won in 1981/82 and two years later the Club joined the Isthmian League Division Two North where we remained for 10 seasons before returning to the South Midlands League in 1994.

After a period in the doldrums that culminated in relegation from the South Midlands League Premier Division at the end of 2006/07, Paul Attfield was appointed manager with ex-Spurs favourite Tony Galvin returning to Garden Walk 1st Team Coach in November 2007.

Paul immediately set about building a new 1st Team squad and a run of 17 games undefeated saw the Club move from the bottom of the table to finish in 5th place in the League.

The foundations had been laid for the 2008/09 season and the first team took the South Midlands Division One League title with one of the best sets of stats for any Step 6 Club in the country W33, D4, L3, GF138, GA30, GD+108, PTS 103.

The 2011/2012 season will be seen as a watershed in our history with winning the South Midlands Premier Division title and promotion to Step 4 in the shape of the Evo-Stik Southern League Division One Central.

In our first season back at Step 4 after an absence of 19 years, it was hard to know what to expect and how we would perform. Most of our supporters felt a mid-table position would be an acceptable target for the season, but we quickly found ourselves exceeding all expectations as our performances propelled us towards the top of the table. Four straight wins in the first four games set the tone and a run of nine wins with just one defeat between October and December saw us maintain a play-off position. In the very last game of the season a playoff was still a possibility and having gone 2-1 up away at AFC Hayes with just a few minutes of the game left it looked a near certainty. But it was not to be as Hayes scored an 87-minute equaliser and our play-off place was lost.

In our second season at this level, our steady progress to claim a place in the playoff zone was given a severe jolt when Paul Attfield announced his resignation as first team manager due to ill health at the beginning of November. The search for his replacement began almost immediately and we were inundated with applications from some very well know and successful managers. After an exhaustive selection process, the Board appointed Steve Castle at the end of November and on Boxing Day Steve officially took over securing a 0 – 0 draw against the League’s form team and eventual champions Dunstable Town.

Our 2014/15 season opener was at home against one of the promotion favourites Rugby Town but an impressive team display ensured their threat was stifled and we ran out winners 2 -1. That victory really did set things buzzing but we were quickly brought back down to earth when on the following Tuesday night Bedworth United were the visitors winning the game 3 – 1.

As we all know consistency in performances provides the key to long term success and although the early stages of the season produced good results against the likes of Daventry Town and Beaconsfield these were punctuated by dismal performances against the likes of Aylesbury and Egham Town. From mid-November to mid-December We really lost our way with six defeats in seven games but our rollercoaster ride saw an incredible run of form over the Christmas period and into the New Year with five straight wins which helped us maintain a position in the playoff places.

On a miserable Tuesday evening in February we travelled to lowly AFC Hayes and after an abject performance we lost the game 2 – 0. This prompted our Chairman to tell Steve Castle that he had given up on this team making the play – offs and said that we should start preparing instead for next season. That message was conveyed to players and we witnessed a most remarkable transformation in our results with a 14 game unbeaten run during which we scored 29 goals and conceded just seven resulting in us achieving the runners up spot to league champions Kettering Town and securing our place in the play- off semi final where we met local rivals Barton Rovers.

After an incident packed 90 minutes and extra time the game ended in a goalless draw but it was not to be our night and we lost the shoot out 4-5 and had to suffer the agony of all the emotions which go with being defeated in this way.

We started the 2015/16 season strongly and between the end of December and the end of March we produced a rich vein of form with only one defeat in 14 games and this ensured we were sitting on top of the league with just 7 games to go and with the expectation that we could win promotion outright ran high throughout the whole club.However three games in succession proved our down fall when we could only draw 0 – 0 with Bedford and lost to Egham away 3- 1 and Godalming at home 1- 0 and once again we ended up in the play offs against AFC Rushden but we failed to turn up and went out tamely to our opponents 2 - 1.

Having finished runners up for two years in succession Steve Castle was determined to make it third time lucky and began to recruit some experienced new blood in the shape of John Frendo and Adam Murray whilst at the same time giving youngsters Gus Scott Morris and Josh Castiglione extended runs in the first team.

However the season didn’t start well and after four games we’d only mustered five points whilst promotion rivals Farnborough just couldn’t stop winning. Although results did improve, defeat in the FA Cup to Heybridge Swifts 4 – 1 and a thrashing by Barton Rovers at home 6 – 3 at the end of September didn’t do a great of good for our confidence.

Things took a dramatic turn thereafter with 12 successive league wins which ended with defeat 2-1 at Kidlington in early January 2017, interspersed by a magnificent run in the FA Trophy including victory against Step 2 outfit Hampton and Richmond Borough before in the replay against Dulwich Hamlet we eventually went down 1 -0.

With cup football out of the way the team put together an incredible run of 16 league games undefeated including a 5 – 0 thrashing of closest rivals Farnborough which saw us maintain the top spot until the end of the season by a margin of 12 points and the highest number of goals scored, 120, across all three Evostik Leagues.

Promotion to the Southern Premier League means that the Club will be playing at its highest level in its 142 year history!

Season 2017/18 saw The Crows exceeded all expectations in our first season at Step 3.

Throughout the season we managed to maintain our hopes of a play-off place until they were finally put to bed with two successive defeats against the eventually play-off winners Slough Town and we had to be satisfied with a seventh place finish. The signing of Adam Marriott, a proven goal scorer who had played for Lincoln City, Stevenage and Cambridge United was without a doubt a real coup and he was to play a key role in the progress made by the Club by becoming our leading marksman with 31 goals.A good run in the FA Trophy with wins against Enfield Town and Leatherhead came to an end against Eastbourne Borough when having managed to draw at their place we lost the replay on penalties. We managed to get to the final of the Herts Senior Cup were we played Boreham Wood from Step 2 and in spite of a brave performance we never really had the power to compete and lost 2 – 1.

Given where we had started from we definitely exceeded our own and many other peoples’ expectations and this has provided us with the building blocks to face this season in the newly constituted Southern Premier Central League.

Season 2018/19 saw us finishing in a respectable 9th position in what proved to be a very strong Premier Division Central. During February/March we recorded six wins out of seven league games to give us a faint hope of a playoff spot, but three straight defeats in April put paid to our chances.

We suffered another early at AFC Sudbury in the FA Cup and in the FA Trophy we progressed through two rounds before being beaten in a replay at Needham Market.

Season 2019/20 will go down in the Club’s history as one of the most successful and exciting but ultimately one which ended in bitter disappointment.

Steve Castle was quick to ensure we had players who were proven goal scorers and the arrival of Matt Bateman, Brandon Adams and Claudio Ofosu did not disappoint. Perhaps the only sadness that our young and highly talented left wing-back Joe Newton had created so much interest from EFL Clubs that in the end, it was inevitable he would have to leave us and Joe was signed by Coventry City.

No Crows fans will ever forget the team's brilliant performances in both the FA Cup and FA Trophy and although our FA Cup run ended with defeat to the very talented Maldon and Tiptree in front of a record crowd for Garden Walk of 1152. The interest generated in the Crows both locally and beyond was immense and set the scene for what was to come in the FA Trophy. It all started with very comfortable wins against Brightlingsea Regent and Haywards Heath and then were drawn away at Step 2 table-topping Wealdstone which for many was one of the games of the season as Royston shot into a 2- 0 lead before Wealdstone hit back to pull the tie level 2-2. In spite of being under constant pressure, the Crows mounted a great counterattack down the left and the cross was despatched by Brandon Adams to give the Crow’s victory 3-2. What followed was truly historic with home wins against Step 2 teams Boreham Wood 2-0, Chester 3-0 and away at National League Ebbsfleet 2-0, to set up a quarter-final tie away at Concord Rangers. In the run-up to the game, the rain had been falling heavily but our opponents declared the pitch playable and the invasion of six coach loads of Royston supporters and a convoy of cars and mini-buses descended on Canvey Island. As we started arriving for the kick-off the match referee declared the pitch unplayable and with a sense of extreme disappointment and also a lot of anger we all returned home. The following Tuesday the game went ahead but it was not to be and we were defeated 2-1. There is no doubt the Clubs achievements in the FA Trophy marked a watershed in our history which will be remembered for a very long time.

Running alongside the cup success it was easy to forget that we had got ourselves in contention to win the League with a run of only two defeats in 20 league fixtures. With 3 games in hand and only 2 points behind Peterborough Sports and Tamworth and playing some of our best football, we looked nailed on to win the League. Then out of the blue, the Covid crisis hit all levels of football and with what many felt was indecent haste the League decided to null and void the whole season.

All our achievements were suddenly for nothing and the taste of bitter disappointment amongst all supporters of the Crows was very hard to swallow.

Season 2020/21: As the pandemic took hold it seemed like the chances of seeing a new season start were remote but by summer 2020 there had been a massive improvement and by July the lockdown ended albeit with a host of restrictions in place.

By the time we had assembled a squad, we were without key players such as Matt Bateman who moved to Hemel Hempstead and Claudio Ofosu who joined Hartlepool and with a lot of the momentum and energy generated by the now-defunct season now dissipated we were finding it hard to get going again. In the League, we seemed to slip into the habit of conceding goals when in a winning position and a string of draws meant we languished in the lower half of the division.

The FA cup again promised to provide excitement with wins against Newmarket, Wroxham and AFC Stamford before losing to our old rivals Bishops Stortford. We won our first two ties in the FA Trophy against Hythe Town and Tamworth before going out 3-2 away at Brackley by which time the League season was yet again declared null and void as the second wave of Covid took its stranglehold.

A comprehensive history of the Club can be found in The History of Royston Town FC 1875 - 2012 first published in 2013. The book was written by the Club’s President, Alan Barlow following more than five years of painstaking research and can be purchased via the Club.

WHO'S WHO OF THE CROWS Joe Welch (Goalkeeper) Joined us from Chelmsford City in 2016/17, Joe started his career at Southend United before joining Histon where he played over 50 games and earned a loan deal at Stevenage. Joe’s other clubs include Ebbsfleet, Bromley and St Albans City.

Ed Asafu-Adjaye (Defender) Versatile defender who re-joined the Crows in 2019 after spending a season at Hayes & Yeading. Started his playing career at Luton Town and broke into the 1st team during the 2008/9 season. In total he made 64 appearances for The Hatters before moving to Forest Green Rovers and then to Hemel Hempstead Town.

Adam Murray (Defender) Adam joined us at the beginning of 2017/18, having spent the previous two seasons at Cambridge City where he made 60 appearances. He quickly settled into the squad and has proved to be a formidable addition for the Crows.

Ronnie Henry (Defender) Signed for the Crows at the beginning of this season after spending a season at Billericay Town. Ronnie was a product of the Spurs youth system, before going on to play 502 games for Stevenage (the club’s all-time record appearances) in two spells either side of two seasons at Luton Town.

Daniel Brathwaite (Defender) Club skipper, Dan joined the Crows from Chesham United for the start of 2015/16.

He is an experienced defender whose former clubs include Boreham Wood and Dover Athletic.

Dan Newton (Defender) Joined the Crows early into season 2020/21, Centre-Back Dan's previous clubs were Biggleswade FC and Northwood. He is a calm and confident defender and cousin of former Crow Joe Newton.

James Brighton (Defender) Experienced full-back who joined us in November 2019 from Kettering Town, where he had spent a successful four seasons. James has previously played for Hemel Hempstead Town, Cambridge City & Cambridge United.

Scott Bridges (Midfield) Scott re-joined the Crows in season 2020/21 after spending the previous season at Hayes & Yeading, having been a Crow for four years previously, scoring 71 goals in 194 appearances. Originally with Aston Villa until 2007, Scott then played most of his football at Banbury United.

Spyros Mentis (Midfield) Versatile, hard-working and tough-tackling midfielder or defender, Spyros re-joined The Crows in 2018/19 after a season away at Hayes & Yeading, he previously played just under 100 games for us from 2013 during his first spell at Garden Walk.

Tom Newman (Midfield) Joined the Crows at the start of 2018/19, Tom has impressed when called upon and has chipped in with some useful goals from midfield.

Isa Rotimi (Midfield) Young midfielder who signed for the Crows at the beginning of season 2019/20, Isa previously spent two seasons at Colney Heath.

Dan Green (Midfield) Joined us in December 2018 from Chesham United, Dan is an experienced midfielder whose other previous clubs include St Albans City and Dunstable Town.

Brandon Adams (Forward) Signed for the Crows in 2019, Brandon previously spent four years at Queens Park Rangers which included loan deals at Malaysian club Perlis and Linfield in Northern Ireland. After leaving the R’s in 2018 Brandon dropped into non-league hoping to catch the eye of pro clubs and has certainty impressed. After a short stint at Enfield Town he moved to Ware in 2018/19 and bagged an impressive 23 league goals in 25 games.

Josh Williams (Forward) Signed for the Crows at the start of last season after spending the previous season at Ware, where he scored 17 goals in 30 appearances, Josh previously played for FC Romania.

Isaac Galliford (Forward) Previously with Hitchin Town, St Neots Town & Hemel Hempstead after starting out with Luton Town. Isaac signed for us for the beginning of last season. Whilst with The Canaries Isaac’s performances earned him an England ‘C’ call-up.

Matt Bateman (Forward) Re-joined us for the start this season from Hemel Hempstead, where he spent last season after moving from the Crows. Matt signed for the Crows at the start of season 2019/20 and scored an impressive 24 goals in 41 games during that season to earn his move to Hemel. Previous to that Matt played a big part in Berkhamsted’s push for promotion in 2018/19 where he netted 43 times in 54 appearances for The Comrades.

Harry Draper (Forward) Signed for the Crows on loan from Stevenage at the start of this season. Harry has been with Stevenage from the age of eight, he signed his first professional deal at Boro’ in summer 2019 and then spent that season on loan at Hitchin Town.

Finlay Titchmarsh (Defender) Young defender who signed for the Crows at the beginning of this season, Finlay was originally with Barnet before having spells with Staines Town and Ware.

COME ON

YOU

CROWS!

CROWS OFF TO A FLYER! Tamworth match report

by Duncan Easley ROYSTON TOWN 3 TAMWORTH 0 Saturday 14th August 2021

A dominant second-half performance saw Royston collect the 3 points as they overpowered one of the title favourites. The first half was largely forgettable as both sides cancelled each other out. Jasbir Singh comfortably dealt with a couple of home team headers, whilst Tamworth’s best chance saw Joe Welch race out from his goal to deny Shaquille McDonald.

Royston started the second half on the front foot and were duly rewarded in the 55th minute. A Scott Bridges corner played to the edge of the box, was rifled goalward and a deft flick from Spyros Mentis took the ball away from Singh’s despairing dive.

The lead was soon doubled as a Bridges free-kick rebounded off the post and was prodded home by Brandon Adams, the free-kick having been awarded against Tom Ward, who in the process received a second yellow card, meaning his afternoon was over.

The game was well and truly put to bed in the 79th minute as Freddie Brown scored a debut goal having come on as a substitute just 2 minutes earlier. A James Brighton corner was headed clear and Brown, from the edge of the box, rifled a shot into the bottom corner.

Tamworth had a golden opportunity to score a consolation effort in the 84th minute, but Ryan Beswick’s penalty, awarded after he had been tripped by Adam Murray, was well saved by Welch, completing a perfect afternoon for the Crows.

Royston: 1-Welch, 2-Asafu-Adjaye, 14-Brighton, 4-Bridges (20-Newton 71), 5-Murray ©, 19-Mentis, 16Rotimi, 8-Draper (12-Newman 71), 9-Adams, 10-Bateman, 11-Galliford (15-Brown 77) Unused: 17-Towner, 3-Brathwaite MOTM – Brandon Adams

BARD DAY AT THE OFFICE FOR THE CROWS Stratford Town match report

by Duncan Easley STRATFORD TOWN 3 ROYSTON TOWN 0 Saturday 14th August 2021 Royston returned from Stratford empty-handed as the Crows suffered their first defeat of the season. Having started so promisingly in the victory against Tamworth, Royston never achieved the same levels of performance, and even having the numerical advantage for the last 20 minutes, were unable to make much of an impression against a well-drilled Stratford outfit.

Stratford took the lead as early as the 3rd minute. There was a hint of a handball as a Crows clearance was charged down, Jack Self picked up the loose ball and curled a pinpoint cross onto the head of Janaai Gordon who guided his header beyond Joe Welch.

It took a long time for Royston to get into the game as Stratford moved the ball intelligently and worked hard to stop the Crows from playing out. Indeed, it took until the 24th minute for them to have a noteworthy spell of possession, this ended up with a Spyros Mentis header hitting the top of the bar before a scramble ensued that eventually, the home defence were grateful to hack clear.

The best chance of the half for Royston fell to Matt Bateman, who rose well to connect with a James Brighton cross but saw his header clip the outside of the post. While at the other end Welch had to be on his toes to tip over a William Dawes strike as the half ended on more even terms.

The second half started along the same vein, although Adam Murray looked fortunate not to concede a penalty in the 57th minute as a home attacker seemed to get caught, however, the decisive second goal wasn’t long in coming. Dan Brathwaite and Mentis got themselves into trouble as they tried to play out, with the resulting gift being an easy opportunity for Gordon to double his and Stratford’s goal tally in the 65th minute.

What appeared to be a potential lifeline was offered to the visitors in the 69th minute as Kynan Isaac was correctly sent off in the 69th minute for aiming an elbow into the face of Murray. There were strong protests from the home side, but there was no doubting the elbow, and Murray was off the field of play for 5 minutes whilst the physios attempted to stop the bleeding and get him patched up to continue.

In truth, it was hard to tell who had 10 men, as Stratford maintained control, and bar 2 smart saves from Liam O’Brien in the home goal, remained largely unthreatened. For their part, the home side always looked dangerous when they attacked, and it was no great surprise when a third goal was scored from the penalty spot in the 90th minute. This time the referee was not so lenient on Murray’s challenge in the penalty area and having been felled, it was Dawes who stepped up and confidently dispatched the penalty to ensure the three points for the hosts.

Royston: 1-Welch, 7-Titchmarsh, 14-Brighton, 3-Brathwiate (20-Newton 67) 4-Bridges, 5-Murray ©, 19Mentis, 16-Rotimi (11-Galliford 54), 8-Draper, 9-Adams (15-Brown 59), 10-Bateman Unused: 17-Towner, 12-Newman MOM: Adam Murray

TODAY'S OPPONENTS Rushall Olympic Club History Research has discovered that the original Rushall Olympic Football Club was founded at least three years earlier than previously thought - with local newspapers found to contain match reports about the Olympic dating to the 1893-94 season. At this time the club were a very useful junior team who played only friendly matches, but they did join the Cannock & District Football League for the start of the 1895-96 season, finishing as runners-up – before later becoming members of the Junior (winning the Championship in 1903-04), Amateur, Parks and Senior sections of the Walsall & District League.

However, earlier records have indicated that football in the village of Rushall was already being played on a regular basis at least 20 years prior to that time and in fact, the opening game for the newly formed Walsall Town team was against a Rushall side at the Chuckery Ground, Walsall on the 3rd October 1874. Indeed, so many players turned up that it was decided to field a 15-a-side format, with the surplus Walsall men being "loaned" out to make up the Rushall team. Rushall, with that extra slice of experience, won the game 3-1, although some argued that the game should have finished 2-2 as one of the Rushall goals was scored by a Walsall player!

As research continues, the early years of Rushall Olympic will slowly be uncovered, but it is known that a thriving club certainly existed just after the First World War, up until the mid-1930s. During this period the team (many of whom worked at the local Aldridge pit) played on the field behind the Miners Arms Public House in Rushall - changing in the pub and enjoying a pint after the game. The team, then playing in old gold and black stripes, was a "good 'un", and won various honours along the way, including the 1919-20 Lichfield & District League Championship; the Walsall Charity Cup in 1920-21, 1921-22 and jointly in 1922-23; the Walsall & District Parks League Championship and Senior Cup double of 1924-25; and the Walsall Junior Cup of 1935-36 - all prior to the club disbanding prior to the outbreak of the Second World War. In 1951, a few local lads - John Edwards, Des Hyde and Graham Wiggin, decided it was time that football made a return to the village. They approached George Hunt, the proprietor of a local fish and chip shop, for permission to use his premises as their headquarters - which was agreed to and Rowley Place was decided upon as the Pic's home ground. Other local players soon joined, including Don Griffiths, Eric Handley, Sid Yates, Wilf Trow and Ernie Lamb. Sid Whitehouse became their trainer and Jim Trow and Mr Evans joined as committee members. With the help of George Hunt, a playing strip of red and white striped shirts was purchased and entry was gained into the Second Division of the Walsall & District Amateur League, where the team soon began winning trophies. In 1952, Ernie Lamb became the Club Secretary and Arthur Steed (later to become Chairman) joined as trainer; local bookmaker Jim Edge became President, and the headquarters were moved to Rushall Labour Club. Following suggestions from local people with memories of the pre-war club, it was decided to revert back to an old gold and black strip - the club's original colours. The Olympic were back in business.

After winning the Walsall & District Amateur League Second Division Championship in 1952-53, and the First Division Championship in 1955-56, the club eventually gained promotion into the strong Staffordshire County League (South) for the 1956-57 season - and made an immediate impact by winning the Second Division title at the first attempt. Following promotion to the First Division, the club won three back to back Championships between 1960 and 1963 - but Rushall Olympic's real glory season came in 1964-65 when the club clinched the Staffordshire County League (South) First Division Championship for the fourth time in five years and also won the Lichfield Charity Cup, the Sporting Star Cup and the Walsall Senior Cup. The club continued to succeed in the Staffordshire County League (South) but failed to emulate its success of the 1950s and 60's. However in 1975, in order to take a step forward and gain a higher league status, the club moved three miles away to the Aston University Sports Ground, just off the main A34 Walsall to Birmingham road. Unfortunately, football, after many decades, had left the village - but it was soon to return thanks to Olympic's magnificent seven, namely: Brian Greenwood, Mick Clayton, Graham Wiggin, Ray Wiggin, Johnny Edwards, Brian Humphries and Trevor Westwood; who enlisted the help of Councillor Dick Arkell to obtain the lease of some land in Daw

SUPPLIERS OF PRIZES FOR THE FAMOUS ROYSTON TOWN FC MEAT RAFFLE

End, Rushall, where trees had to be moved, holes dug, and some filled in until the new Dales Lane ground was officially opened on Sunday 14th August 1977. The club were then accepted into the West Midlands (Regional) League in 1978, and in their first season, finished in fourth place in the First Division. The 1979-80 campaign saw the club go on to win the First Division championship by a 16-point margin and promotion to the Premier Division.

During the 1980s and 90's the club enjoyed fourteen seasons of moderate success in the West Midlands (Regional) League Premier Division, with the highest finish of fifth place achieved in season 1988-89 and a League Cup Final appearance in 1982. For the start of the 1994-95 season, the club began a new era when it was named as one of the twenty founding members of the Midland Football Alliance. Unfortunately, the first four seasons of Alliance football proved to be somewhat traumatic for the club with placings of 18th, 12th, 16th and 16th achieved under five different managerial regimes.

Despite these setbacks, in September 1997 the Olympic were delighted to be able to persuade John Allen, Hednesford Town's then Assistant Manager, to join the club as their new First Team Manager who immediately went on to completely revamp the team and gave the club, as a whole, a muchneeded impetus.

The turning point in the club's fortunes came during season 1998-99 when they finished in 7th place, while the following season saw the Pic's take 7th place again, but with a much-improved points tally.

The club also won their first piece of silverware for exactly twenty years when they defeated Southern League club Rocester at Bescot Stadium in a penalty shoot-out to lift the Walsall Senior Cup for the first time since 1965.

Season 2000-01 saw the Pic's surpass all expectations as they just missed out on promotion to the Southern League Western Division by ending the campaign as Midland Football Alliance Runners-Up to promoted Stourport Swifts by the margin of one single goal. However, during season 2001-02 Manager John Allen moved upstairs to take on the role of club Chairman, while his assistant Kevin Hadley took over and Olympic once more ended the campaign with silverware as the club won the Midland Football Alliance Cup defeating Barwell after extra time, in addition to completing the Alliance season in 5th position.

The club made further progress during season 2002-03 as they went on to record their best ever Alliance campaign, registering their highest ever number of victories and most points achieved by the club, as they finished as runners-up to Stourbridge. Disappointingly, their efforts both on and off the pitch were still not enough to attain their long term goal of Southern League football when the Pic’s were denied a promotion place at the eleventh hour after a vote went narrowly in favour of former Southern League club Yate Town.

August 2003 saw the return of John Allen as manager after the club decided it needed a change of direction and parted company with Kevin Hadley and his coaching staff. The club were then able to enter a period of financial consolidation in order to concentrate on ground improvement work during summer 2004 that saw the construction of a Conference standard dressing room complex at Dales Lane. However, even working under such constraints he was still able to guide his charges to the 2003-04 Midland Football Alliance Cup Final, which eventually took place in August 2004, although his side were defeated 3-1 after extra time by Stratford Town.

To focus firmly on the task in hand John Allen stepped down from the joint role of Chairman at the end of season 2003-04 and was now more determined than ever to make a sustained championship challenge in his bid to finally take the club into the higher reaches of non-league football. Indeed, after 7 seasons of trying “Mr Rushall” delivered the club’s ultimate goal as he led his side to the 2004-05 Midland Football Alliance Championship with 3-weeks to spare and by a 7-point margin.

Following a 4-week wait the FA eventually decreed that Olympic’s dream had come true as they secured automatic promotion into the Southern Football League Division One West for the first time in their history.

The 2005-06 campaign saw the Pic’s claim an excellent 10th place finish during their Southern Football League debut, while they also lifted the Staffordshire Senior Challenge Cup for the first time in the clubs history by defeating Stoke City by a single goal at the Britannia Stadium. Meanwhile, the Reserve Team also retained the Midland Football Combination Reserve Division to complete a season that was a marvellous epitaph to John Allen who then stepped down from his managerial role due to

business commitments and was replaced by the former Bloxwich United, Blakenall and Bromsgrove Rovers boss Bob Green. However, the new managerial reign lasted only 6 pre-season games during summer 2006, before John Allen was forced to return back to the hot seat in August 2006, quickly followed by former Semi-Professional England International Joe O’Connor in October 2006.

Following a sequence of defeats leading into the New Year period the Pic’s decided upon a fourth managerial change in five months when former Halesowen Town manager Paul Holleran was handed the task of maintaining the club’s Southern League status in January 2007. The new manager led Rushall to a 15th place finish and the Pic’s also reached the Staffordshire Senior Challenge Cup Final for the second season running, but a weakened side due to player ineligibility were comprehensively defeated by Kidsgrove Athletic at Port Vale’s Vale Park.

The 2007-08 campaign was an excellent one for the Pic’s in Southern Football League Division One Midlands as Paul Holleran guided the Pics to a play-off position. Unfortunately, the dream of Premier Division football was not to be realised as Rushall narrowly lost out to runners-up Leamington in the Play-Off Semi-Final. Away from league action, the Pics competed in a titanic 18 cup games, with a best ever FA Cup run to the Fourth Round Qualifying stage (with the agony of a 6-0 defeat at former Football League York City) and a best-ever Third Qualifying Round appearance in the F.A. Trophy.

May 2008 saw the Pics presented with a new challenge when in an incredible turn of events, the FA Leagues Committee met to decide on the allocation of clubs for Steps 1 to 4 of the National League System campaign – which resulted in the club being moved across the non-League pyramid into the Northern Premier Football League First Division South for the 2008-09 campaign.

The Pics debut campaign in the northern section of the non-League pyramid proved to be an extremely successful transition as they repeated the feat of twelve months earlier and reached the promotion play-off’s with another 5th place finish. Unfortunately, they suffered once more disappointment after this time losing by a single goal to Belper Town in the Play-Off Semi Final.

However, Rushall did finish their campaign on a high note by claiming the Walsall Senior Cup for the first time in nine years as they grabbed a nail-biting 2-1 victory against Tipton Town.

Dramatic developments towards the end of May 2009 saw manager Paul Holleran step down from his role due to a combination of work commitments and financial restructuring within the club as a result of the credit crunch and only days later was replaced by former Pics player Neil Kitching who returned to Dales Lane from a managerial role at Coleshill Town. During the 2009-10 campaign the Pics led the First Division South table in both October and January, but they eventually faded out to a 12th place finish, while a second consecutive Walsall Senior Cup Final appearance ended in disappointment with a single goal defeat to lower league Bloxwich United AFC. Summer 2010 saw a further cut in the playing budget as senior player Nick Amos took on the role of player-assistant manager, while Ian Cooper returned to the fold to take up the position of playercoach. However, the backroom reshuffle paid immense dividends as Olympic finished in a best-ever 3rd place in the Evo-Stik League First Division South table with a game to spare and claim a place in the Promotion Play-Off’s for the third time in four seasons.

After accounting for Brigg Town 3-0 at Dales Lane in the Semi-Final they gained home advantage in the Final, where a superb battling display from Rushall saw them claim a fully deserved promotion to Step 3 of the non-league pyramid for the very first time in their history following a 2-0 victory over Grantham Town in front of 751 spectators.

Rushall’s 2011-12 debut campaign in the Evo-Stik League Premier Division was nothing short of an outstanding success as they battled to an 8th place finish. The Pics were also heavily involved in cup action, reaching the finals of The Doodson Sport (League) Cup, Staffordshire Senior Cup and Walsall Senior Cup. During the 2012-13 campaign Olympic occupied the play-off positions during the early part and latter stages of the campaign but fell short of a top-five play-off zone finish after claiming just a single victory in their final five games to finish in 6th.

The 2013-14 campaign saw the Pics once more fall short of the play-off places by finishing in 7th place. There was also mixed fortunes in cup competitions as they claimed the Staffordshire Senior

Cup against Port Vale at Vale Park but suffered a heavy defeat in the final of the Walsall Senior Cup at the hands of lower-league neighbours Chasetown. Prior to the Banks’s Stadium defeat in May 2014, the Pics had already announced that Neil Kitching had opted to end his managerial reign after five years at the club. He was replaced by Richard Sneekes, the former Ajax, Bolton Wanderers and WBA midfielder and his assistant Steve Hinks.

The first season under the new managerial regime saw wholesale changes on the pitch and an excellent finish of 9th place was achieved. The 2015-16 campaign ended with Rushall finishing in 10th position, but they did win the Staffordshire Senior Cup and the Walsall Senior Cup. Summer 2016 saw a surprise managerial change as Richard Sneekes stepped down and was replaced by Pics Chairman John Allen, returning to the role he last occupied in October 2006. His move back into the Dales Lane hot-seat lasted just one term when during summer 2017 the club unveiled a new managerial team headed by former Stoke City, Southampton and Burnley defender Wayne Thomas, assisted by Will Ryder and Trevor Burroughs – allowing John Allen to step aside to focus all of his attention on his role as Chairman once more.

Following a poor start to the 2017-18 campaign the managerial team were relieved of their duties in October 2017 after 17 games and were replaced by former Redditch United, Hednesford Town and Solihull Moors manager Liam McDonald. The new regime worked wonders and quickly revamped the squad to lift the Pics from joint bottom to a final finish of 8th place – before suffering a 12 point deduction at the end of the campaign for fielding a player in 17 league games whose contract registration was ruled not to have been approved in accordance with the league and FA rules.

Despite dropping down to 18th in the standings there was a positive end to the campaign by clinching the Walsall Senior Cup. Following ten seasons as members of the Northern Premier Football League, May 2018 saw Rushall return to the Southern Football League after the FA undertook a major reallocation of clubs to increase the previous three Step 3 divisions of 24 clubs to four divisions of 22. Following a slow start the Pics debut campaign gathered momentum during the run-in and they finished just outside the Evo-Stik Southern League Premier Division Central play-off places in 8th position.

The summer of 2019 saw the end of an era and the beginning of an exciting new future as the Dales Lane turf was finally torn up after 42 years and replaced with a state-of-the-art 3G surface, which will not only help to secure the Pics future, but also allow closer links to be established between the clubs First Team, U21’s, U-18’s, Education & Football Academy, Development Section and local community groups and organisations.

Unfortunately, the 2019-20 campaign was curtailed on Saturday 7 March 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic and all playing records were expunged, which was a major disappointment with the Pics with then sitting nicely in 5th place in the Southern League Premier Division Central standings with 33 games out of 42 played and with Birmingham and Staffordshire Senior Cup Semi-Finals still to be played, plus a Walsall Senior Cup Quarter-Final.

Sadly, season 2020-21 ultimately failed to last past the second month of competition after Southern League Premier Division Central commenced in September 2020 and no more league games were played after a second national lockdown was imposed in early November 2020 with the Pics handily placed in 4th position. Steps 3 to 6 of the National League System were then curtailed with immediate effect in February 2021.

WHO ARE YA? Rushall Olympic Player Pen Pics

Liam McDONALD – Manager.

Appointed by the Pics in October 2017 as their new manager just two weeks after parting company with Solihull Moors. He began his playing career with Worcester before moving on to Bromsgrove Rovers during the 2005-06 campaign. Spells followed with the likes of Boldmere St. Michaels, Halesowen Town, Sutton Coldfield Town, Halesowen Town, Cradley Town, Barwell, Stafford Rangers, Kettering Town, Tamworth and Redditch United. In May 2013 he began his managerial career by being named as the boss of the Reds at just 28. In May 2016 he moved to Hednesford Town. In November 2016 he left Keys Park to join Solihull Moors. After 11 months in charge of The Moors, he left the club by mutual agreement joining Rushall Olympic. At the end of his first campaign, he guided the club from 23rd position in the Northern Premier League Premier Division to an 8th place finish on the final day of the campaign – only to have that cruelly snatched away by a FA ruling that ended with Olympic being deducted 12 points after fielding an ineligible player in 17 league fixtures. At the end of his first full campaign at Dales Lane, he had guided the club to an excellent 8th place finish just seven points outside play-off places. At the end of the Covid-19 pandemic curtailed and expunged 2019-20 campaign that effectively ended on Saturday 7 March 2020, he had guided the Pics to 5th place in the Southern League Premier Division Central. 202021 ultimately failed to get past the second month of competition with the Pics handily placed in 4th position.

Nick GREEN – Assistant Manager.

Teamed up with Manager Liam McDonald for the fourth time when he was appointed by the Pics in October 2017 as their Assistant Manager. As a versatile and influential defender or midfielder, he began his career at Aston Villa, featuring in youth football for the Villains between 2001 and 2004.

Upon being released he linked up with Redditch United, before moving to Stourport Swifts, Racing Club Warwick, Quorn, Barwell, Kettering Town, Solihull Moors before linking up with former playing colleague Liam McDonald at Redditch United as Assistant Manager. In May 2016 he followed Liam McDonald to Hednesford Town before the pair moved on yet again to join Solihull Moors in November 2016.

Trevor BURROUGHS – Coach.

Highly experienced and respected coach who arrived at Dales Lane in May 2016 from Sutton Coldfield Town as Assistant Manager. As a goalscoring forward during his playing career he featured for Moor Green, Coleshill Town, and Paget Rangers, before moving into various coaching and managerial roles with a number of clubs. Having been assistant manager at neighbours Boldmere St Michaels, he left Church Road during summer 2008 to take up the same position with Cradley Town. During March 2009 he linked up with Evo-Stik League First Division South neighbours Romulus as a coach, before moving on to Halesowen Town in October 2012 as assistant manager. In April 2015 he parted company with Halesowen and joined Sutton Coldfield Town. During summer 2017 his services were retained by Pics manager Wayne Thomas and then assisted John Allen for three games after the former managerial regime’s departure during October 2017, before continuing as part of the new set-up under Liam McDonald.

James ARCHER – Defender.

Talented young central defender who was initially promoted to the Pics senior squad during the 2020-21 campaign. First came to prominence with the Pics U18’s side in season 2018-19 and was a member of the side that won the double of the Staffordshire F.A Floodlit Youth Cup and the Joel Richards Memorial Cup. He ended the 2018-19 campaign by being named as the U-18’s Player of the Season.

Richard BATCHELOR – Midfielder.

A combative midfielder and skipper who predominantly plays centrally but who can also play wide and even upfront. He arrived at Dales Lane in November 2019 from Mickleover Sports. He began his career as a trainee with Birmingham City, but left without making a first-team appearance and joined Alvechurch in 2006. Has also played for Romulus, Chasetown, Leamington, Hednesford Town, Brackley Town, Worcester City, Stourbridge, Highgate United, Redditch United, before moving on to Mickleover Sports during the close season of 2019.

Mitchell CLARKE – Midfielder/Defender.

A versatile player who transferred to Dales Lane during summer 2019 from Sutton Coldfield Town.

Comfortable in both defensive or midfield positions, he first came to prominence with Wolverhampton Sporting CFC before joining Sutton Coldfield Town where he was captain.

Simeon COBOURNE – Forward.

Prolific front runner and long-term target of Pics manager Liam McDonald who arrived at Dales Lane during summer 2021 following a successful spell with Halesowen Harriers. A natural finisher who works hard for the team and has pace to burn, he first came to prominence with Continental Star and has also played for Coleshill Town, Solihull Moors, Barwell (loan), Redditch United, where he remained until January 2017 when he returned to former club Coleshill Town for a second spell. During summer 2017 he linked up with Step 6 side Heather St John's and finished the season with 61 goals. In 2019 he joined Romulus before moving on to Halesowen Town. As the 2019-20 campaign was curtailed in March 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, he had claimed 12 goals in 22 games for the Yeltz and was a member of the team that reached the FA Trophy semi-final.

Anthony DWYER – Midfielder/Forward.

Pacey forward/ wide player who arrived at Dales Lane during summer 2021 from Alvechurch. He began his career with Mansfield Town where he progressed through their youth ranks. Whilst with the Stags he went on loan to Mickleover Sports and Carlton Town. After being released by Mansfield in 2016 he signed for Ilkeston but left to join Stafford Rangers in November 2016 before moving on to Matlock Town just over a month later. He rejoined Ilkeston in January 2017. Spells at AFC Telford United, Hednesford Town, Altrincham, Leamington, Barwell, Tamworth, Bromley, Glebe FC and Stourbridge followed before he transferred back to Hednesford Town.

Sam FITZGERALD – Midfielder.

Highly talented and versatile left-sided player who joined Rushall from Walsall Wood in the summer of 2021. Capable of playing in a number of positions, with plenty of flair and excels at set-pieces, he began his career with Sutton Coldfield Town before moving to Paget Rangers Elite.

September 2019 saw him transfer to Atherstone Town and was part of the team that reached FA Vase Quarter-Final. During summer 2020 he moved to Walsall Wood and was an integral part of the Wood side who reached the Semi-Final stage of the FA Vase.

Danny GLOVER - Forward.

The Pics pulled off a major coup in tempting this highly prolific goalscorer to Dales Lane after Hednesford Town during late October 2020. He began his career with Port Vale, signing professional terms in 2007 and made his senior debut in October 2007, coming on as a sub in a League Trophy tie at Morecambe. He made his League One bow as a substitute against Leeds United at Elland Road in December 2007. In 2009 he joined Salisbury City on loan and also League Two rivals Rochdale on loan, He was released by Port Vale in 2010 and Stafford Rangers in the Conference North. During summer 2010 he linked up with Worcester City before moving on to Nuneaton Town (Borough). Despite winning promotion with "Boro" he opted to leave Nuneaton and return to former club Worcester City during summer 2012. In March 2013 he then moved FC Halifax Town on loan before subsequent moves to Bradford Park Avenue, Hednesford Town, Stockport County, AFC Telford United, a return to Hednesford Town, a loan spell at Alsager Town, before opting to leave Keys Park once again, this time to Nantwich Town. In May 2019, he returned to Hednesford for a third spell, combining his goal-scoring duties with a coaching role.

November 2019 saw him step into the manager's role alongside some fellow senior players to form an interim management. In the summer of 2020, he was named as player/assistant manager to new manager Andy Morrell. However, following a poor start, Morrell was sacked, and after initially continuing to assist the interim manager, he announced his departure from Keys Park.

Alex GRAHAM – Goalkeeper.

Young and talented goalkeeper with a great future in the game who has progressed through the ranks at Dales Lane over the last three seasons, culminating in him being promoted to the First Team squad in February 2020. He first came to prominence with the Pics U18’s side during the 2018-19 campaign in the side that won the double of the Staffordshire F.A Floodlit Youth Cup and the Joel Richards Memorial Cup. Kristian GREEN – Defender.

Vastly experienced right-sided defender who transferred to Rushall from Stourbridge in summer 2021. Previous clubs include Gornal Athletic, Halesowen Town, Stourbridge, Sporting Khalsa and Solihull Moors. Summer 2018 saw him leave Solihull and join Tamworth – winning their Player’s Player of the Year award for 2018-19. However, during summer 2019 he agreed to return to Stourbridge.

Tyler LYTTLE – Defender.

The son of former WBA and Nottingham Forest favourite Des Lyttle, he began his career with Wolves. After being unable to make the breakthrough at Molineux he linked up with Bristol Rovers in 2014. He signed his first professional deal in June 2015 and two months later made his professional debut against Leyton Orient. In December 2015 he was loaned out to Nuneaton Town. In October 2016 he joined Truro City on loan and in March 2017 he signed for Stafford Rangers. For the 2017-18 campaign he initially transferred to Hednesford Town, prior to moving on to Sutton Coldfield Town during October 2017. He then put pen-to-paper on a deal at Dales Lane during July 2018. An excellent debut campaign with the Pics saw him named as Players' Player of the Season and Manager's Player of the Season.

Bradley MANSELL – Forward.

Prolific young front runner who first stepped up to the Pics First Team squad in November 2019, having progressed through the U-18’s and U-21’s ranks. His goals led the Pics U-18’s to the FA Youth Cup First Round Proper for the first time in their history during the 2019-20 campaign. As part of the Pics U18’s side during the 2018-19 campaign he was in the squad that won the cup double of the Staffordshire F.A Floodlit Youth Cup and the Joel Richards Memorial Cup. Shaquille MASTER – Midfielder. Technically very talented midfield playmaker who arrived at Dales Lane during summer 2021 from Leicester Nirvana. He began his career at Northampton Town and spent two seasons as a scholar at the Sixfields Stadium. Following his release, he linked up with Nirvana and during September 2020 he moved to Sutton Coldfield Town.

Reece MITCHELL – Defender.

Highly rated left-sided defender who signed for the Pics from Boldmere St Michaels. An outstanding young talent with plenty of pace and who likes to get forward. He first came to prominence in nonLeague circles with Cadbury Athletic but moved on to Boldmere in February 2018. During the 2018-19 campaign he shone for the Mikes and was a key member of the side who won the Walsall Senior Cup against their neighbours Sutton Coldfield Town in May 2019.

Alex MOORE – Midfielder.

A creative, ball-playing midfielder who is adept at dead-ball situations, he transferred to Dales Lane during summer 2019 from Sutton Coldfield. He first came to prominence in the non-league scene with Shifnal Town, before ending the 14-15 campaign with Wolverhampton Casuals, before eventually moving on to Wolverhampton Sporting CFC. Following a spell of coaching in the USA, he returned to Hazel Lane for the 17-18 campaign. However, following the break up of the side during summer 2018 he was snapped up by Sutton Coldfield Town and was a key part of the side that led the Royals to a fourth-place finish.

Michael NELSON – Forward.

Technically gifted front runner with pace and plenty of intelligence, able to play anywhere across the forward line and with the versatility to fit into a number of different roles, he arrived at Dales Lane during summer 2021 from Walsall Wood. He began his career on the books of Aston Villa before, following his release, moving into non-league football with Bilston Town. During summer 2015 he linked up with Sporting Khalsa and was part of the team that reached the 4th Round Qualifying stage of the FA Cup. After beginning the 2016-17 campaign with Sporting Khalsa, he left to join Darlaston Town, before transferring to Willenhall Town in January 2017. During summer 2018 he featured for AFC Wulfrunians before signing for Hednesford Town. However, in September 2018 he opted to move to Redditch United, although his registration was retained by the Pitmen. He began the 2019-20 campaign with Redditch United and in November 2019 he moved to Gresley Rovers. Summer 2020 saw him move to Walsall Wood and he was an integral part of the Wood side who reached the Semi-Final stage of The Buildbase FA Vase.

Tom PALMER – Goalkeeper.

Highly rated custodian who arrived at Dales Lane in July 2021 on loan from Kidderminster Harriers in a deal that runs until Jan 2022. He signed his first pro contract with the Harriers in September 2016 and has been involved with the first team since, while also developing as a goalkeeping coach with Harriers’ U19s Junior Academy. During August 2017 he went out on loan to Worcester City and after the first two months of the campaign, he joined Stourport Swifts on a similar deal. In summer 2019 he penned a new deal for the 2019-20 campaign. Prior to linking up with the Pics, he had featured in 12 first team games for Kidderminster.

Owen PARRY – Midfielder.

An intelligent and technically gifted footballer who brings something different to the squad, he arrived at Rushall during summer 2021 having played for the last six seasons at Boldmere St Michaels. Having turned down the advances of other clubs to sign for the Pics, he was initially on the books of Sutton Coldfield Town and during summer 2016 was also part of the Birmingham Metropolitan College team that won the AoC National Championships. Having progressed through Boldmere’s youth team, he made an instant impact for the first team with a goalscoring debut at Long Eaton United in April 2016.

Rackeem REID – Forward. The Pics first signing of summer 2020 when they beat off a lot of interest from elsewhere to secure the services of the exciting front runner who impressed admirers greatly during the Covid-19 pandemic curtailed 2019-20 campaign, where his goals and performances helped Quron AFC to top spot in the United Counties League Premier Division standings, until the premature ending. He began his career as a Scholar with neighbours Chasetown, before moving to Nottingham Trent University and featuring for their team in the Nottinghamshire Senior League

Premier Division during the 2015-16 campaign and also for Gedling Town in the East Midlands Counties League Premier Division. He later went on to link up with Long Eaton United prior to joing Quorn AFC for season 2019-20.

Tom THORLEY – Midfielder.

The Pics pulled off a real coup in tempting the sylish midfielder to move to Dales Lane during late October 2020 from Stafford Rangers. He began his career at Stoke City, before signing his first professional contract in 2008. In October 2008 he joined Burscough on a month’s loan deal and two separate loan spells at Stafford Rangers. At the end of the season he opted to move to Marston Road on a permanent basis, having been released by the Potters. Despite being named as Rangers Player of the Year 2009-10 he he opted to move to Worcester City while undertaking a Sports Science degree at the local University. After being named as City’s Player of the Season for 201213 campaign, he was appointed as Worcester City captain for the new season. However, during November 2013 he made the decision to transfer to rivals Hednesford Town. At the end of season 2013-14 he was named by the Pitmen Supporters' as Player of the Season. During summer 2015 he initially signed for AFC Telford United, but had second thoughts and pulled out of the deal and returned to Hednesford Town without playing a game for the Bucks. During summer 2018 he completed a move to hometown club, Stafford Rangers for an undisclosed fee, having played over 200 games for the Pitmen after first signing for the club in November 2013. During summer 2020 he once again moved back to Stafford Rangers Sam WHITTALL – Defender/Midfielder.

Highly rated utility player equally at home in central defence or central midfield, he arrived at Dales Lane during summer 2016 after ending the 2015-16 campaign with Stourbridge. Tall, powerful and with an eye for a goal, he began his career with Wolves where from the age of 8 he progressed through the Academy system to secure a professional contract in March 2012. In 2014 he was released by Wolves and joined Cambridge United. However, after only making a couple of league appearances he joined Brackley Town on loan in September 2014, and made the move permanent in December 2014. In January 2016 he signed for Stourbridge on a short term deal until the end of the season. After linking up with the Pics as a midfielder his versatility allowed him to also successfully revert to a central defensive role and he went on to sweep the board in the Pics 2016-17 end of season awards by being named as both the Supporter’ and Player’s Player of the Year. For the second season running 2017-18 saw him crowned as Player’s Player of the Year once more. At the end of the 2018-19 campaign, he had surpassed the 150 game mark for the Pics.

WHO'S GOT WHO? Today's other fixtures SATURDAY 28th AUGUST 2021 Banbury United v Hitchin Town Bromsgrove Sporting v AFC Rushden & Diamonds Coalville Town v Needham Market Hednesford Town v Biggleswade Town Lowestoft Town v Alvechurch Nuneaton Borough v Leiston Peterborough Sports v Stourbridge Redditch United v Tamworth St Ives Town v Stratford Town

SCORES ON THE DOORS! LEAGUE TABLE PITCHING IN SOUTHERN LEAGUE PREMIER CENTRAL DIVISION

CROWS WEEKLY DRAW ROLLOVER CURRENTLY STANDS AT

£2795!

The Crows Weekly Draw (previously known as the Royston Town FC Development Fund) was set up many years ago as a way of providing a regular source of income to help the Club improve facilities both on and off the pitch.

Recently the funds generated have helped pay for new clubhouse furniture, admissions hut/turnstiles, pitch weed killing and fertiliser and renovation of the boardroom including a new boiler.

It only costs £1 per week to join.

As the name suggests, the draw takes place on a weekly basis. The holder of the winning number will receive £25 with £10 being added to the “Rollover Fund” each week. The “Rollover Fund” will be won when the Blue Ball is drawn,with the next number taking the accumulated prize.

You can become a member & have a chance of winning a weekly prize or the Rollover – you must pay for at least 26 weeks (i.e. £26) upfront to be eligible for the Rollover Prize.

Why not join today – simply download the standing order form by downloading from the Royston Town FC Website – listed under Crows Weekly Draw and return it to our fund organiser Trevor Burrows or leave it at the club – or contact Trevor and he will register you as a member.

Trevor’s Contact Details: Telephone: 07813 327786 Email:burrowsbuildingservice@hotmail.co.uk

Latest Prize Winners – each winning £25 D Cooper K Vickers W Hannigan G Pinner A Barlow R Davey A Martin

TRAVELLERS TALES

By Brian Buck

3rd game of the season. (Match 13,384) Tuesday 6th July 2021.

Hitchin Town 4 Stotfold 0 (Friendly Match) att 171 There have been some significant changes at Top Field since the end of last season, with the most obvious being the removal of the wooden stand and terracing at the Fishponds Road end of the ground and it also looks as though the wooden uncovered terracing on the opposite side of the main stand is on borrowed time as well. As I write, a new impressive looking metal structure behind the goal is nearly ready. Also, some of the perimeter fencing has been replaced and there are other changes as well, all of which suggests that a lot of time and perhaps money, has been spent on improving the ground and I suspect that some of it has been done ‘in house’. It was also good to bump into the Stotfold contingent here tonight and the big news from them is that their long-serving stalwart, Phil Pateman, is no longer chairman of the club. Having been with them for some 31 years, his will be a hard act to follow. Tonight, it was difficult to work out which side was which, but it turned out that Hitchin were in their new away purple looking shirts and Stotfold were in what I perceived to be light green shirts. But when I managed to pick up a teamsheet at the break the team's colours were deemed to be magenta and peppermint respectively! As for the match, it seemed early on that we might have a high scoring game on our hands. It took Hitchin just six minutes to open the scoring and the same player might have claimed a further goal a few minutes later, but with an almost completely open goal at his mercy, he rather embarrassingly side-footed the ball wide. Then, commencing in the 24th minute Hitchin scored three times in four minutes. So, it was rather surprising that they then failed to score again on the night. Indeed, on 42 minutes Stotfold pulled a goal back from the spot following an obvious push. At the break, both sides made lots of changes and so this affected the flow of the game in the second half. Both sides then looked fairly even as the quality wasn’t quite so good now.

That only applied to the football though as during this half the Hitchin Town chairman came round offering to the crowd the unwanted biscuits from the boardroom! Overall a pleasant enough night for football, but it was impossible to draw any long term conclusions as to how well both sides might do this season.

4. (13,385) Thursday 8th July 2021.

Eynesbury United 6 Gamlingay United 1 (Friendly Match) (Played at Eynesbury Rovers, Training Pitch) att 30 approx.

On my arrival at Hall Road, about 15 minutes before kick-off, there was only one other car in the club car park. Two thoughts entered my mind. Firstly, was the game off and secondly, if it was then bearing in mind that I had been told a few hours earlier that it was on, then where was it being played? The answer was quite simple. The game was on but most of the cars were parked in the adjacent school car park. Since my last visit here they’ve turned the pitch around 90 degrees. It took the hosts, new to the Spartan South Midlands League this season, just 53 seconds to open the scoring when the ball was slotted past the keeper following a short square pass. The same player then doubled their lead when he ran on to score unchallenged. He then completed his hat-trick four minutes later. But on 26 minutes he was unsuccessful from the spot following a ‘modern’ penalty, given because the defender in the box miscued a clearance and the ball spun up and hit him on the arm. Despite this, Eynesbury then went on to score twice more before the break to make the score 5-0. Gamlingay had contributed very little upfront in the first period, but a change of personnel for both sides after the break saw the game almost swing the way of the visitors at times. So it was that after Eynesbury scored their final goal of the game on 51 minutes, Gamlingay managed a consolation goal on 85 minutes. They could have had another two minutes later from the spot, following a push, but the taker blasted his resultant kick high over the bar. Soon after the ref brought this generally non-physical encounter to a slightly early close on this warm night.

5. (13,386) Friday 9th July 2021.

Harlow Town Reserves 3 Redbridge 4 (Friendly Match) att 20 approx.

What a bizarre evening this was! When I left home it was perfectly dry and in fact, it was dry enough for the final of cricket’s Heritage Cup to be played to a conclusion at nearby Potton. But as I headed off towards Stevenage there were some dark clouds looming. This later turned into rain and the closer I got to Harlow, the worse it got. By the time I made it to the road from the railway station to the ground it was coming down in stair rods and in places, the road became flooded, so much so that I took a risk in driving through it. Despite this, I had arrived about half an hour before kick-off and the ref arrived just as I did. Unsurprisingly, or surprisingly, bearing in mind they play on a 3G pitch here,

parts of it were flooded and had it been a grass pitch then it would have been game off. I once saw a game in Cornwall on a grass pitch where something similar happened, the drainage there was so good that by the end of the match even the mud had dried out! Tonight, I asked the groundsman how long it would take for the water to subside once it stopped raining and he told me about 15 mins. To start with the ball wouldn’t roll on the pitch and to make matters worse some of the water had got underneath the carpet in two places making it seem like a waterbed. The kick-off time was put back and we started at 8.03 pm. There was still water on the pitch, but the ball now moved on it and after half an hour’s play it had all gone. The game was almost as strange. This was Harlow Reserves versus Redbridge first team and by rights, they should have walked all over Harlow. In fact, it was shaping up to go like this. Redbridge were 2-0 up at the break and got their third goal on 57 mins. They then made wholesale changes, but despite this, bagged a fourth goal on 64 minutes. Despite this, both sides were of similar playing ability, even to the point of their defending. Harlow pulled a goal back on 73 ms, followed by another one six minutes later. Then six minutes after that they got the third and sensing that they could get an equaliser they went for it, only to be thwarted by the ref’s final whistle.

6. (13,387) Saturday 10th July 2021.

Letchworth Garden City Eagles 1 Potton United 6 (Friendly Match) att 50 approx.

I arrived here reasonably early, hoping to have a pre-match pint, but sadly the bar wasn’t open today.

Eagles are getting geared up for their first season in the Spartan South Midlands League and I was told that a new seated stand was on its way to complement their existing structure. I spent the match with some of the Potton United committee, who I obviously know well. Despite the threat of losing some of their southern-based players following their being placed back into the United Counties League (from the Spartan South Midlands League), it seems that most of the players and management have agreed to stay on. Furthermore, their reserves will play in the Bedfordshire County League Division 1 this season. As for the game, it was difficult to draw any conclusions from it. Potton played well throughout and Eagles had their moments as well, especially in the first half, when they limited Potton to just two goals. At around half time we were graced by the presence of one of Potton United’s best-ever players, namely Roy Boon. Trouble was, he was also a number of other club’s best player as well! He deserves much credit for kick-starting the Letchworth Garden City Eagles revolution from moving from just youth football to include adult football as well and Eagles have much to be grateful to him for. The second half saw Potton give the Eagles a bit of a runaround and they rattled in four more goals during this period. In the end, Eagles did manage a consolation goal and I was pleasantly surprised when the scorer told me that his name was Noah Costin, as I used to watch him bang in the goals for the Royston Town youth team in his younger days. It was too early into the new season to make and judgements about how either side might perform when the action starts for real.

7th game of the season (Match 13,388) Tuesday 13th July 2021.

AFC Oakley Reserves 4 Denham Raptors 3 (Friendly Match) att 30 approx.

Thanks to Twitter, I picked up on this game earlier in the day. We arrived here about five minutes before kick-off and parked near the scout hut. Here I think, the Scout Leader seemed keen to tie me up in knots, but I managed to ‘woggle’ my way away from her. We always seem to come here at around this time of the year and so everything stays the same. It’s always sunny, there are plenty of people around, young and old and even though some of them aren’t here for the football there is always a good atmosphere. This ground would always feature in my top ten Beds County League grounds.

Tonight’s match against Beds Sunday League Division Four side, Denham Raptors, is apparently an annual encounter because there are ‘connections’ between the two sides. So, on an excellent playing surface, we encountered a keenly contested game. Oakley took the lead on 15 minutes when the scorer beat both the offside trap (if there was one) and the keeper to slot the ball past the keeper. The lead was doubled on 29 minutes when the ball was sided footed home from a bouncing cross from the left by the unmarked player at the back post. Four minutes later a spot-kick, not quite sure what it was given for, made it 3-0. I found all of this rather strange, as in my humble opinion (others may disagree!) that Denham were having just as much possession, or more even than Oakley. The second half saw this scenario continue. Then to partially prove my point, Denham pulled a goal back on 61 minutes. On 73 minutes Oakley had an appeal turned down, for what seemed to us to be, an obvious spot-kick. Then on 77 minutes, Denham reduced the arrears further by way of a header from a corner.

Now the game became quite competitive and even more so when three minutes later the comeback was complete when a 25-yard direct free-kick was dinked over the wall for the equaliser. But all the visitor's good work was undone when Oakley regained the lead two minutes later. On 90 minutes Denham thought that they had equalised once more, but the goal was quite rightly disallowed for offside, thus ending a very enjoyable game.

8. (13,389) Wednesday 14th July 2021.

Steeple Morden 0 Orwell 7 (Friendly Match) (Played at Litlington Athletic) att 16.

With cricket going on at Morden’s ground the game was switched to Litlington, the next village. With temperatures rising this was just a tad too warm for me this evening. On this well-maintained pitch, Orwell looked sharp from the outset and on this showing, they are going to be a force to be reckoned with this season. The same couldn’t be said for the hosts, who had to wait until the 76th minute for their only effort on goal to come. After some persistent early pressure, Orwell finally took the lead on 17 min with a close-range header. The lead was doubled on 32 mins after the scorer side-footed home a long square cross from the right first time. Two minutes later the same scorer lifted the ball over the keeper, ran around him and, after collecting his own lob, forced the ball home for goal number three. Then the score became 4-0 by the break. The second half found Steeple Morden seeing more of the ball for a while, but still, they didn’t trouble the Orwell defence too much. Interest in the game was declining and on 55 minutes someone asked the ref how long there was to go! Then, with my back starting to play up, I went and sat in the unoccupied sturdy brick home dugout. Suddenly out of nowhere, some kid appeared and started to smash the ball against the back of it, annoying me slightly but not enough to threaten to cut his goolies off if he didn’t stop! But his shooting was poor and four or five times the ball came onto the pitch. Eventually, one of the Morden players picked it up and booted it over to the far side of the pitch and out of his reach. Some mooted as to if this was the best thing he did all game! Then in the closing minutes, the game picked up again and Orwell rattled home three more goals before close of play, to bring to a close a not particularly exciting match, but one which saw my goal average for my first 8 games of the season remain at precisely 7 a game!

9. (13,390) Thursday 15th July 2021.

Langford 2 Eynesbury United 1 (Friendly Match) att 30 approx.

I decided to watch this match with some trepidation as during the summer there'd been a lot of departures from the committee here. So, I wondered if this'd affect the quality of the team as well. The answer, as I was to find out during the game, was that it hadn’t. On my arrival, it was good to see the couple with the two dogs again, but as they are now 13 and 14 years old (the dogs) they are no longer allowed to go out at night. Then another familiar face turned up with his son. It was none other than exPotton United manager Laurence Revell, brother of Stevenage manager Alex, looking quite dandy with his Gareth Bale hairstyle. Those that were here were scattered around the ground, which was good for me as I could see most of the pitch without having to look through the hangers-on who usually gather around the dugout here. I was expecting the visitors to win this one, as they looked impressive when I watched them beat Gamlingay Utd 6-3 seven days earlier and it seemed that they might do well here as well when they took the lead on 14 minutes. The goal came from a short square pass into the path of the scorer from about 30 yards out and his shot flew by the keeper almost before he blinked. But Langford were not phased by this setback and on 32 minutes Moore (S) equalised with a header which went in off the woodwork following a corner. On 39 minutes an Eynesbury player went down injured, causing the enthusiastic ref to ask for the postcode of the ground, presumably so an ambulance could be called. By after about five minutes, the said player simply got up and walked off the pitch! The crowd called out for ‘moore’ (Whiter shade of pale – 1967!) and on 59 minutes Moore (B) obliged when he scored directly from a corner. Thereafter Langford dominated proceedings and they played with enthusiasm and looked a decent side. In the closing minutes, Eynesbury pushed for an equaliser, but without success.

10. (13,391) Friday 16th July 2021.

Cambridge University Press 0 Histon 0 (Friendly Match) att 55 approx.

I don’t get to this lovely ground, factory on one side, railed off with trees and bushes on the other side, as much as I'd like to. Tonight though, on this sunny and warm evening, it was more like being present at a cricket match. On the ‘factory’ side many people were watching the game sitting on garden chairs, whilst others were sitting on benches in the shade behind one goal. I decided to stand under the trees on the shaded side. As for the game, not even the immaculately prepared pitch could persuade the players to provide us with a goal. On paper, Histon should've won handsomely, especially as Press had no subs until one turned up late in the game. They even declined Histon’s offer to lend them a player or two.

Histon themselves weren’t at full strength and my friend told me that they were fielding several trialists. In the first half of this entertaining and sporting game, both sides created a few chances, Press more so, but in truth, both sides were poor in the final third. So, with there being no goals at half time I had a chat with my ‘knowledgeable friend’, a nice chap and it turned out that we went to the same two primary schools in Cambridge in our younger days, although our paths never crossed because he was 7 years younger than me. But with more of the same happening on the pitch it was good to swap memories of our respective school days with each other and find that we shared a lot in common in those times over 60 years ago. As for the match, it had nil-nil written over it from the start, but nonetheless, it was good to be back in a city I remember so much about from the early years of my life.

SQUADS Saturday 28th August 2021 Kick Off: 3PM

MATCH SPONSOR:

TODAYS OFFICIALS REFEREE: Abigail Byrne ASSISTANTS: Jack Birch / Adrian Copsey

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Joe Welch Ed Asafu-Adjaye Daniel Brathwaite Scott Bridges Adam Murray Ronnie Henry Finley Titchmarsh Harry Draper Brandon Adams Matt Bateman Isaac Galliford Tom Newman James Brighton Fred Brown Isa Rotimi Josh Williams Dan Green Spyros Mentis Dan Newton Ryan Towner Elliot Kettle Louis Matthews

Steve Castle / Chris Watters Scott Taylor / Amber Murray

Alex Graham James Archer Reece Mitchell Tyler Little Kristian Green Richard Batchelor Anthony Dwyer Shaquille Master Daniel Glover Michael Nelson Rakeem Reid Sam Fitzgerald Thomas Palmer Simeon Cobourne Brad Mansell Mitchell Clarke Alex Moore Owen Parry Thomas Thorley Sam Whittall MANAGERS SPORTS THERAPISTS

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Liam McDonald/Nick Green