ROYSTON TOWN vs ST IVES TOWN - MATCHDAY PROGRAMME - SATURDAY 29th JANUARY 2022

PITCHING IN SOUTHERN LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION CENTRAL

ROYSTON TOWN FC vs ST IVES TOWN FC Saturday 29th January 2022 Kick Off: 3pm

Royston Town FC would like to welcome today's opponents St Ives Town 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 that the match will be a keenly contested and entertaining game.

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

TODAY'S MATCH SPONSOR:

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 Editors 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, Neil MacLeod 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

Verity Grainger is a teacher at Tannery Drift First School and she was recently diagnosed with an ultra-rare life-shortening genetic condition called MNGIE (mitochondrial neurogastrointestinal encephalomyopathy).

MNGIE affects around just 200 people worldwide! This genetic condition blocks the production a particular enzyme, causing a build-up of metabolites in the blood that damages mitochondria. MNGIE is an unmerciful condition that impacts many areas of the body and causes it to slowly degenerate.

Unfortunately, there is no proven treatment for this condition. The only unsubstantiated option we have been given is to attempt a bone marrow transplantation, which comes with considerable risk. A previous trial of this was overwhelmingly unsuccessful and the results make for grim reading.

There is, however, a safer treatment known as enzyme replacement therapy, which has previously been used in trials to treat this condition with promising results. Regular infusions of enzymes would be needed around every 4-6 weeks to allow the body to perform the function it cannot do on its own, i.e., being able to remove the mitochondria-damaging metabolites from the bloodstream.

This treatment has been approved for compassionate use, but comes at a huge cost, estimated to be around £500,000! We understand that this is an enormous sum of money if 50,000 people were to give £10 or 100,000 people gave £5, then we would achieve our goal. We ask if you can spare any donation the we would be eternally grateful!

Verity Grainger is truly an incredible and inspirational lady. Despite her condition, she continues to teach at Tannery Drift First School, where she is an adored teacher, usually of Year 1 pupils, but more recently Year 3. Throughout the pandemic she has put her life at risk to ensure her children are looked after and supported. She is a beloved friend to many and is also the most fantastic mother to her son!

If you have taken the time to read to this point, thank you so much! Please consider helping Verity and her family! Please give Verity the chance to see her son grow up! Please buy us some time for a permanent cure to become available!

DONATE HERE https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/compassionate-treatment-for-mngie

WHO'S GOT WHO? Today's other fixtures SATURDAY 29th JANUARY 2022 AFC Rushden & Diamonds v Stourbridge Barwell v Biggleswade Town Bromsgrove Sporting v Lowestoft Town Hitchin Town v Hednesford Town Leiston v Alvechurch Nuneaton Borough v Banbury United Peterborough Sports v Stratford Town Redditch United v Needham Market Tamworth v Rushall Olympic

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

https://www.footballwebpages.co.uk/southern-football-league-premier-central-division

By Matt Badcock When I was a junior reporter starting out at The NLP, there was a Friday afternoon task I dreaded.

Through the long summer months, and with blank pages to fill, we used to have a weekly short on every club at Steps 1 and 2. The idea was to fill it with the latest transfer, maybe a nice little quote from the manager about how his squad was shaping up or similar. Without naming names, there were a few clubs you didn’t want on your list. Nothing against them, but there were a handful of teams where finding a fresh nib of news was not easy. Club websites wouldn’t be updated since the last time you checked. The manager’s phone would have the dialling tone you hear when someone is on holiday…it was a thankless task and all part of the learning. Of course, this was all before the days of Twitter and a constant stream of updates.

Back then, people would nominate people for our Goal of the Season with a written description of the goal. If you were lucky, you’d get a hazy piece of footage to go from. It’s amazing quite how much the media landscape has changed for Non-League clubs. Now games are filmed by automated cameras and wonder goals – the National League teams aside with their weekend embargo – are there to see within 30 minutes of the final whistle. Ollie Babington scored a screamer for Clevedon Town at the weekend that is being mentioned as a Puskas contender and has been seen worldwide.

It’s now commonplace to see Step 5 and 6 clubs using animated graphics when they score a goal, uploading interviews with managers and players, putting excellent highlights packages together, all on top of their other social media posts. While the odd account will use their platform to hammer a referee over a perceived injustice, the majority are becoming more and more ‘professional’. No doubt it has an impact on getting more people through the gate. Being proactive can make a big difference.

Dorking Wanderers have an insider documentary that is on YouTube and has millions of views on TikTok. The club say it is noticeable people have attended their games, or purchased items from the club shop, on the back of it. There is so much high-quality content to consume and is a credit to all those who do their bit for their local club. It certainly keeps us at The NLP on our toes and helps keep our team informed on what is happening across the country.

We could even bring back those news nibs this summer…

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 playoff 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 downfall 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 a 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 was playing at the highest level in its 142-year history!

Season 2017/18 saw The Crows exceed 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 eventual 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 where we played Borehamwood 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.

SUPPLIERS OF PRIZES FOR THE FAMOUS ROYSTON TOWN FC MEAT RAFFLE

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.

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.

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.

Marcus Goldbourne (Forward) The 20-year-old pacey winger or striker came through the Stevenage U18 ranks and spent time on loan at Dunstable Town whilst on Boro`s books. Also had a brief spell in Swedish football with Ytterhagdaka IK before returning to the UK signing for Hitchin Town. In the summer he signed for Braintree Town and had a loan spell with Brightlingsea Regent.

Rhamar Garrett-Douglas (Defender) Young defender who started his career at Barnet and was a regular in their U18s. He was previously at Bishop's Stortford and has also had spells with Maldon & Tiptree and Hullbridge Sports.

Carl Mensah (Defender) 25 year-old towering central defender who joined the Crows from Welwyn Garden City at the end of November. His previous clubs include Bedford Town, Harpenden Town, Kempston Rovers, Tring Athletic, Cockfosters and Colney Heath.

Dimitrios Kyriatzis (Goalkeeper) A recent addition to the Crows squad having joined us from Bedfont Sports. Dimi's previous clubs include Brentford and Inter Leipzig.

TODAY'S OPPONENTS St Ives Town FC Club History St Ives Town FC was formed on 15th September 1887. About 40 people met at the Unicorn Hotel to “consider the desirability of forming a football club”. It was unanimously decided to form a club, to be called St Ives Town FC. The membership subscription decided upon was 3 Shillings & Sixpence including an entrance fee of 1 Shilling to be paid in advance. The kit was chosen to be black with a white star.

The club rose to success by the turn of the century, collecting both Huntingdonshire Senior and Junior Cups in 1901. The Senior Cup was won again in 1912 but the club’s most successful era was the twenties. The Cambridgeshire League was won on three successive occasions from 1923 to 1925, there were Hunts Senior Cup successes in 1923 and 1926 with the Scott-Gatty Cup won in 1923 and 1924.

Honours continued to be won in the thirties with the Senior Cup (1930), Scott-Gatty Cup (1932) and Peterborough League championship (1938) all won.

In 1949 the Saints joined the far-flung Central Amateur League, However, 12 months later the club decided to move into the much more local UCL 2nd Division. The team struggled and two years later they rejoined the Peterborough League.

The Scott-Gatty Cup was won in 1961 but league fortunes plummeted as the Saints slid down to the Peterborough League 3rd Division. They won that division in 1978 and then won speedy promotions in the following years. This culminated with a Division One title earning a Premier Division place in 1982.

Three years later St Ives moved back into the UCL. Huntingdonshire Senior Cup successes were recorded in 1982, 1987 and 1988 while the revival of the Premier Cup saw the Saints reach the first final in 1989, losing to Cambridge United. They also reached the Premier Cup final in 1997 and 1998, losing to Potton and Biggleswade Town respectively.

After finishing next to bottom in Division One in 2002, St Ives enjoyed improved fortunes under the management of Warren Everdell and Jez Hall. A memorable 2004-05 campaign saw the Saints finish third in Division One to win promotion to the top flight for the first time in their history.

Modern History 2007-08 Produced another record-breaking season with the clubs highest pyramid finish, pushing for promotion but fell just short with a 5th place finish. The highlight of the season was the run in the FA Vase which saw a 5th round tie at home to Needham Market produce a thrilling 3-3 draw which was witnessed by a then-record 767 crowd. This was only beaten eight years later when it was almost doubled by the play-off final. Sadly the run ended in the replay a week later.

2008/09 was again a very successful season for the club, reaching the FA Vase 5th round for the second year running, coming 6th in the UCL Premier, and reaching the league cup semi-final. The club reached all three county cup finals, but unlike 2006/07, the team picked up two winners trophies, in the Senior and Premier Cup, losing the final of the Hinchingbrooke Cup thus stopping another remarkable treble.

2009/10 saw the Saints once again getting to the fifth round of the FA Vase, before falling at the same hurdle for the third year running. The Saints won the UCL League Cup for the first time in the club's history beating Newport Pagnell Town 2-1 in the final. During the season longstanding Co-Managers Warren Everdell and Jez Hall reached their 400 game milestones in charge at Westwood Road.

2010/11 the Saints once again progressed through to the Hunts Senior Cup final but were beaten by League champions; St Neots Town. Also for the second year running they appeared in the final of the League KO Cup but were beaten by the ‘up and coming’ Peterborough Northern Star. A final league position of 11th and one of the highlights in the FA Vase was beating last year’s finalists Wroxham FC away from home with a late goal from Dan Moyes 2011/12 saw the Saints record their most successful season to date with a third-place finish in the UCL Premier Division. After reaching the UCL KO Cup Final for the third successive year, the Saints lifted the trophy for the second time defeating Kings Lynn Town. Once again the Hunts Senior Challenge Cup was lifted to round off an excellent season with arguably one of the best squads to ever grace Westwood Road. Conor Washington finished the UCL and Club top goal scorer with 52 goals from 50 games.

Once again the Saints saw their FA Vase dream shattered - this time after reaching the Quarter Final.

2012/13 saw the Saints First Team once again make history and after a long season the club was promoted to Step 4 of the non-league pyramid for the first time club’s 125-year history. The Saints finished in second place behind Holbeach United but secured promotion as the highest placed Club with the necessary ground grading. The Saints also reached the League Cup final for the fourth consecutive season, but lost out to third place Spalding United in the final match of the season. This season also saw the sale of Conor Washington in October, he also managed to secure promotion - to the Football League with Newport County. Our Reserves were also crowned Cambridgeshire Division 2B champions finishing12 points clear of second place. During this season Warren Everdell & Jez Hall achieved their 500th game in charge together as Co-Managers and Will Fordham and Dan Newman also reached the magnificent milestone of 500 appearances in a Saints shirt.

2013/14 saw the Saints perform well in the Southern League Division One Central against some strong opposition and ended up 13th in the league. The fans deserve recognition during this season as the stats showed St Ives were the fourth highest attended team in the league. Away from the league, the club reached the second qualifying round of the FA Cup, losing out in a replay to Concord Rangers of the Conference South. In the Trophy, the club also reached the second qualifying round. Finally, the season finished with a trip to St Neots where we ran out runners-up in the Hunts Senior Cup final. At the end of the season, Warren Everdell and Jez Hall announced they were stepping down from their managerial positions after 12 years at the helm. Most of the club’s successes to date were during their tenure.

2014/15 saw the new management team of Ricky Marheineke, formerly of Huntingdon and Histon and Jack Cassidy, also from Histon take over the First Team squad. The duo re-shuffled the squad bringing in new faces. During this adjustment results slipped, however, the second half of the season saw the Saints climb the table and finished a very respectable 9th position. It was decided during this season that the current U18’s team would be replaced by a Scholarship programme, led by assistant manager Jack Cassidy. A Ladies team would also be set up in the close season run by Darren Marjoram.

2015/16 saw the team exceed all expectations by achieving promotion to step 3 of the football pyramid for the first time in their history. The feat was achieved in the most exciting fashion possible via the play offs after finishing a creditable fourth place. Having won their play-off semi-final on penalties at Egham they followed up with a final victory against the mighty Rushden & Diamonds in front of a bumper crowd of over 1500 at the Pro-Edge Stadium. A late Danny Watson equalizer topped off by a winner from local lad Ben Seymour-Shove in extra time finished off a fantastic season in the best possible way.

2016/17 saw the team consolidate at step 3 with a creditable fifteenth place finish. This was topped off by a successful run in the League Challenge Cup where, an injury ravaged side, were unlucky to lose in the final to Hayes & Yeading United. The Ives were dumped out of the FA Cup at the first hurdle by the now famous Westfields. But they enjoyed their best ever run in the FA Trophy getting to the third qualifying round before falling to a single goal at Kings Lynn Town.

2017/18 turned out to be a tough season for the Ives with the team eventually finishing twenty-second and only being saved from the drop by the reorganization of the Leagues. Early exits from the FA Cup and Trophy only added to the team’s difficulties as on too many occasions they failed to turn promising displays into points. On a happier note the Ladies side of the Club continued their fantastic run of success with the first team winning the Cambridgeshire Women’s Premier League to win themselves promotion into the Eastern Women’s Regional League 2018/19 saw the Ives surprise a few as they enjoyed their most successful season ever finishing thirteenth in a very competitive Southern League Premier Division Central. League success was topped off with a best ever run in the FA Cup which culminated in a trip to York City in the third qualifying round. The Ladies success continued as they marched on to the Premier Division of Eastern Region Women’s League one step from the National Leagues.

2019/20 & 2020/21 turned into seasons that did not exist after the Coronavirus pandemic lead to early curtailments of both. Ricky and his new assistant, brother Gary, have recruited well in the summer and Coronavirus allowing the coming season promises much.

WHO ARE YA? St Ives Town FC Player Pen Pics Ricky Marheineke - Joint-Manager.

Ricky is entering his eighth season as manager of St Ives Town. During his first season he took the club to a ninth-place finish in Southern League Division One Central, and in his second season secured a memorable promotion, guiding The Ives to a play-off extra time win over AFC Rushden & Diamonds. In his first season at Step 3 he continued to take the Club forward finishing a creditable 15th in the Premier Division also enjoying a run to the League Challenge Cup Final which unfortunately ended in defeat. A tough season in 2017/18 was followed in 2018/19 by the Clubs most successful season ever finishing 13th. He is now looking to continue taking the Club forward with a top-half finish the minimum aim.

Mike Ford - Joint-Manager.

Hugely experienced ex-pro Mike joined the Ives in November 2021 as joint manager. Having enjoyed sixteen years as a player with Cardiff City and Oxford United, Mike began his managerial career in a caretaker role at Oxford United in 2000 before going on to successfully manage Oxford City for five years including winning promotion to Conference South with the Hoops in 2011/12 season. After leaving Marsh Lane at the end of 2013/14 season he then took a break before returning to the hot seat at Banbury United where he took the Puritans to promotion in his first season. Leaving the club at the end of 2019/20 season he has again taken a break from the game before returning to it again hopefully raring to go with the Ives.

Lewis Patching - Goalkeeper.

Former Northampton Town academy keeper Lewis joined the Ives on dual registration from National League South Hemel Hempstead Town who he joined in the summer following his release from the Cobblers.

James Goff - Goalkeeper.

Ex Northampton Town goalkeeper James is a familiar face to Ives supporters having spent a large part of 2017/18 season as first choice keeper at Westwood Road during a successful loan period from the Cobblers. He had initially signed at Sixfields as a thirteen year old and risen through the academy before signing his first professional contract in the summer of 2017. He followed his spell with the Ives with a similar loan deal at Banbury United in 2018/19 and since his release from the Cobblers has spent spells at Wisbech Town, Spalding United and most recently Lincoln United.

Callum Milne - Defender.

25 year old Callum spent six years on the books of Premier League Aston Villa as a youngster having started his career with Northampton Town. He joins the Ives from Harborough Town having also had spells with Kettering Town, Eynesbury Rovers, Wisbech Town and Bedford Town. This athletic centre back will make a formidable addition to the centre of Ives defence alongside the wise old head of Brett Solkhon.

Kyle Davison-Gordon - Defender.

Former Luton Town youngster Kyle also spent three years on a soccer scholarship in America at University of Houston-Victoria. During his time in Texas he helped the Jaguars to their first ever Conference title in 2017.

On his return to England he initially signed for Hitchin Town before moving on to Leighton Town, Newport Pagnall Town, Wisbech Town and most recently Southern League Premier South high flyers Chesham United from where he has joined the Ives in November 2021.

Ben Toseland - Defender/Midfield Young defender/defensive midfielder Ben is no stranger to Westwood Road having enjoyed a successful loan spell with the Ives from Southern League Central rivals Kettering Town in 2018-19 season. Prior to joining the Poppies in July 2017 he had learnt his trade in the youth and academy teams at Northampton Town having joined the Cobblers at the tender age of nine. His debut for Kettering was at Westwood Road in a 4-3 win for the Poppies in September 2017. On leaving Kettering he joined local rivals Peterborough Sports at the start of 2019/20 season and had made ten appearances for the Turbines prior to joining Ives in November 2019. He has excellent attacking qualities to back up his defensive abilities.

Brett Solkhon - Defender Kettering Town legend Brett joined the Ives in summer 2020 after completing well over 500 games for the Poppies over three separate spells with them scoring over 120 goals. Born on Canvey Island Brett spent his youth career with Ipswich Town and Arsenal. On his release from the Gunners he joined Rushden & Diamonds who he helped secure promotion to the Conference. He also enjoyed successful spells at Brackley Town who he helped secure the Southern League Premier Division title in 2014 and Corby Town Ben Watt - Defender 18-year-old England schoolboy international, currently on a scholarship at Oxford United, and has joined the Ives on a one-month work experience loan. The highly promising full-back spent ten years in the academy at Tottenham Hotspur before departing White Hart Lane to join the scholarship programme with the U’s as a sixteen-year-old. Earlier this season he spent a spell on loan at Stratford Town.

Callum Westwood - Defender Full-back Callum joined the Ives from Stratford Town. He is another of the growing band of ex Northampton Town academy lads to arrive at Westwood Road and has a good degree of experience with clubs at step three. Starting his non-league career with Kettering Town in 2016, followed by a two-season spell at AFC Rushden & Diamonds where he made 50 appearances before leaving to join Corby Town at the start of 2019 season. He started this season at another of Ives Southern League rivals Nuneaton Borough before moving down the road to join the Bards in September.

Josh Flanagan - Defender 18-year-old first year professional Josh is on loan from Northampton Town. He is a product of the Cobblers academy and was quite a late joiner at the age of 15 but has made very quick progress and has already been named on the bench for the first team. This is his second loan spell at Westwood Road this season having enjoyed a successful spell with the Ives at the start of the season.

Dylan Williams - Midfield Cambridgeshire lad Dylan spent his formative years in the Cambridge United academy before winning himself a professional contract with the U’s. He only made one appearance for the first team whilst at the Abbey Stadium. During his time with Cambridge he also had loan spells at National League side Wealdstone and Soham Town Rangers. Released by the U’s in summer 2017 he joined St Neots Town where he spent almost two full seasons scoring 18 goals in 61 appearances. Since then he has had spells at Lowestoft Town and Biggleswade Town.

Nathan Hicks - Midfield Exciting midfielder Nathan learnt his trade at Leicester City and has more recently been an integral part of the rise of AFC Rushden & Diamonds where he made 83 appearances. He also has a wealth of National League experiences listing Histon, AFC Leamington and Alfreton Town amongst his former clubs. Closer to home he has also enjoyed successful spells at Kettering Town and Biggleswade Town.

Edmund Hottor - Midfield 27-year-old Ghanaian midfielder who made three senior appearances for Italian side Triestina before joining AC Milan in January 2010. Whilst never making a senior appearance for the Italian giants in his 6 years at the club he had loan spells with Lanciano, Nocerina and Venezia. In January 2016 he signed for Inter Milan and whilst, as at AC Milan, not making a senior appearance for his parent club he had loan spells with Portuguese sides Athletico CP and AD Fafe before playing 2017/18 season for Maltese club Sliema Wanderers. Had a brief spell with Kettering Town in 2018/19 before joining Banbury United in November 2018. He has quickly made himself a fans favourite for his never say die attitude.

Michael Richens - Midfield 26 year old who started his career in the youth system at Peterborough United. During his time at Posh he spent time on loan at Histon, Nuneaton, Whitehawk and Bishop’s Stortford before making two appearances in the Football League for Stevenage both during a loan spell in September 2014. He returned to the Boro as a permanent signing early the following year but soon moved on and spent time at Farnborough, Hemel Hempstead Town and Biggleswade Town before arriving at Kettering Town in 2017 where he became club captain and lead the Poppies to promotion into National League North making 84 appearances. He also spent a brief spell in 2019/20 season on loan at Nuneaton Borough. A natural leader who adds strength and stability in the middle of the park for the Ives.

Jordan Patrick - Defender/Midfield Former Cambridge United professional Jordan can operate as a wide player or full-back. He has a wealth of knowledge at our level and brings valuable experience both on and off the pitch. He has struggled with injury over the last couple of seasons but has shown flashes of what he is capable of during his brief periods in the side. He is another player that arrived at the club from Biggleswade Town. His other former clubs include Bury Town, Bedford Town, Needham Market and St Neots Town Luke Fairlamb - Midfielder/Striker Experienced 27-year-old Luke joined the Ives this summer. Originally a youth team player with Corby Town prior to moving to the United States to play college football for Saint Peter’s College in New Jersey for four seasons. Since his return to the UK, he has had spells with Northampton Sileby Rangers and Bedford Town before joining AFC Rushden & Diamonds for season 2017/18, playing a key part in their Southern Division One Central promotion that season, making 43 appearances. He moved on to Vanarama National League North side Brackley Town in the summer 2018 and he went on to play over 80 times at St James`s Park in the following two seasons. After a brief pre-season spell at Stratford Town in June 2020 he had a change of mind and re-joined AFC Rushden & Diamonds for what proved to be another Covid truncated season. He will add vital experience and quality to the Ives midfield.

Jason Dwumfuo - Winger Flying winger Jason is another youngster who has recently joined the Ives having spent the majority of his playing career with Step 4 side Westfield FC in the Isthmian League South Central. A county-level sprinter for Surrey in his youth days, he used his pace and ability to score goals regularly for Westfield under 18’s in 2017/18 season and has since found that style has also got him goals in the first team although often used as an impact substitute he will be hoping to fight his way to a regular starting slot in Cambridgeshire.

Tyrone Baker - Winger Wide midfield player Tyrone joined the Ives in November 2021 from Isthmian North Division strugglers Basildon United where he was virtually an ever-present over the past two seasons. Enfield born Tyrone has spent most of his playing career with Isthmian League sides having previously appeared for Bowers & Pitsea and Heybridge Swifts before joining Basildon Victor Aiyelabola - Midfield Victor is another recent recruit to Westwood Road having joined the Ives in January 2022 from Isthmian League South East side Whitstable Town. He is an exciting young attacking midfielder whose previous clubs include Herne Bay, Erith & Belvedere, Holmesdale and K Sports.

Ty Ward - Midfield Combative midfielder Ty will be a familiar face to fans at Westwood Road having played 35 games for the Ives over the 2018/19 and 2019/20 seasons before leaving for Barton Rovers where he has been since apart from a brief spell at the start of 2021/22 season at Hungerford Town. His previous clubs include Hemel Hempstead Town, AFC Rushden & Diamonds, Coney Heath, Dunstable Town and Chesham United Faris Rahman - Midfield 17-year-old attacking central midfielder Faris is studying on the clubs scholarship programme. An exciting prospect who never knows when he is beaten and is currently captain of Ives under 18’s. Already named on the bench for the first team he is another player who will be keen to grasp his chance when it comes along Urijah Gordon-Douglas - Striker 19-year-old former Northampton Town Academy striker Urijah joined the Ives recently from Hitchin Town.

The powerful and mobile forward spent two years in the Cobblers Academy forming a successful strike partnership with Michael Harding which Ives fans will be hoping that the pair can recreate. Urijah joined Daventry Town in July 2020 and has since then moved on to Histon before arriving with the Canaries Nabil Shariff - Striker Prolific striker Nabil began his career as a scholar at Rushden & Diamonds during their conference days.

Since his departure when the club disbanded in summer 2011 he has moved around a number of clubs at National League and Southern League level scoring goals wherever he has gone. Most recently at AFC Rushden & Diamonds, prior to that he had spells at St Neots Town, Alfreton Town, Kettering Town, Oxford City, Banbury United, Tamworth and Stratford Town.

Ethan Johnston - Striker Recent recruit from Banbury United Ethan successfully worked his way through the Northampton Town academy to earn himself a professional contract at Sixfields. A prolific goal scorer at youth level he went on to make one first-team appearance during his time with the Cobblers in a Carabao cup tie at Bristol City in September 2020. He also spent spells on loan at Redditch United and Kettering Town. Released at the end of 2020/21 season he went on to join the Puritans where he made sixteen appearances and scored five goals this season.

Chris Manangu - Striker Much travelled striker Chris joined the Ives recently from Southern League Division One Central Kempston Rovers. Now 29 he was in the famous West Ham United academy as a youngster and then joined Liverpool following a successful trial in 2008. Unable to gain a pro contract with the Reds he returned to East London and played for Brentwood Town, Grays Athletic, Ilford and Thamesmead Town before enjoying a brief spell with Ives local rivals St Neots Town in 2012. He then seized the opportunity to play in Cyprus for Apoel Nicosia and after a year returned home to sign for Tooting & Mitcham United. His next overseas expedition was a successful one as he spent two seasons playing for Ytterhogdals IK in Sweden. Chris started this season with St Margaretsbury in Essex Senior League before making the step up to join the Walnut Boys.

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SQUADS Saturday 29th January 2022 Kick Off: 3PM TODAY'S MATCH SPONSOR:

TODAYS OFFICIALS REFEREE: Graham Swanton ASSISTANTS: Mark Shapland, Wyndham Trusler

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Joe Welch (GK) Ed Asafu-Adjaye Daniel Brathwaite Carl Mensah Adam Murray (c) Ronnie Henry Finley Titchmarsh Harry Draper Brandon Adams Matt Bateman Isaac Galliford Tom Newman Dimitrios Kyriatzis (GK) James Brighton Fred Brown Isa Rotimi Makai Murray Dan Green Spyros Mentis Dan Newton Marcus Goldbourne Rhamar Garrett-Douglas

Steve Castle / Chris Watters Scott Taylor / Amber Murray

James Goff (GK) Callum Westwood Kyle Davison-Gordon Michael Richens Brett Solkhon Callum Milne Tyrone Baker Ed Hottor Nabil Shariff Dylan Williams Ben Toseland Josh Flanagan Lewis Patching (GK) Nathan Hicks Victor Aiyelabola Ethan Johnson Chris Manangu Faris Rhaman Ty Ward Urijah Gordon-Douglas Luke Fairlamb Jordan Patrick Jason Dwumfuo MANAGERS SPORTS THERAPISTS

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Ricky Marheineke / Mike Ford Jardaine Patel-Joseph