2022/23 - Issue One - Chasetown FC

THE

SAINTS

Official Digital Matchday Magazine Season 2022/23

ISSUE 1 PITCHING-IN NPL MIDLAND DIVISION

CHASETOWN FC Saturday 6th August 3.00pm Kick Off

Saints President - John Walker

First Team

Board of Directors

Manager - Peter Gill Assistant - Sean Greygoose GK Coach - Gary Dean Physio - Craig Lambert & Sam Roblett Kit Man - Mick Hunt Analyst - Jordan Beale

Chairman - Barry Cavilla Director of Football - Iain Parr Events Director - Louise Sales Commercial Director - Daniel Dodson Secretary - Gary Wilson Director - Mike Green Director - Jez Green

Saints Match Day Team Fixture Secretary - Marion Izzard Hospitality - Andy Clay, Paula Robertson and Julie Clark Stadium Announcer - Mike Green Music - Charlie Green Catering - Diane Sales Media Press Officer - Mike Green Match Reports - John Walker Photographer - David Richardson Social Media - Mike Green

Academy Manager - Iain Parr U18’s Manager - Ben Webster and Iain Parr Club Welfare Officer - Mick Hunt Club Information Address: Rowley Park, Kester Way, St Neots, Cambs., PE19 6SL Website - www.stneotstownfc.co.uk Enquires - enquires@stneotstownfc.co.uk Commercial Enquiries - danieldodson25@hotmail.com Events - misslouises@yahoo.co.uk Academy - iain@stneotstown.co.uk

Ground Staff Pitch maintenance - Barry Oakley

Front cover - Image copyright protected by David Richardson, used under license.

Ownership: In accordance with the football association league rule 2.13 publication of ownership in relation to step 1-4 within the football pyramid, we hereby confirm the legal status of St Neots Town Football Club Identification Number 02921210, and is a Private Limited Company.

For the purposes of publication of ownership we can confirm that the following are listed as Directors of the Company: Lee Kearns (Significant interest 70%) , Iain Parr, Louise Sales, Gary Wilson, Mehmet Mimoglu and as Non Executive Directors Mike Green, Jeremy Green, and Barry Cavilla.

Company Secretary Keith Gotch, Company Accountant Keith Gotch

Greenie’s Greetings With Director Mike Green Good afternoon everybody and welcome back to the Premier Plus Stadium. Today sees us embark on a new adventure as we begin our life in the Pitching-In Northern Premier League Midland Division after the summer juggling and balancing of the leagues was carried out by the Football Association.

Today we welcome the players, officials and supporters of Chasetown Football Club and we hope you enjoy your first ever visit to St Neots before embarking on a safe journey home later this evening.

Well here we go again, nine months of ups and downs, good times and hopefully not so many bad times but one thing is for sure, supporting a non-league club is an enjoyable pass time, a hobby where you can, should you wish, get to know the players, the management, the Club officials and other supporters on a personal level, something that’s not generally available when you support a pro club. A feeling of being part of whats going on is a great feeling.

Once again, I’d like to thank all our supporters who have committed to supporting us by buying a season ticket and also to thank Cambridge United for continuing with our partnership, which is growing stronger month on month.

Our Season begun well with a thumping 6-1 win at Walsham Le Willows in the FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round on Friday 5th August, this after conceding the first goal after 39 minutes.

John Walker's match report can be found further inside todays issue.

Please keep an eye out for Supporters' Coach details for our forthcoming trip to Halesowen Town on the 27th of August.

Today wil be a real test for our lads so please get behind them from the very first whistle. Your support off the pitch really does make a difference.

PUMP UP THE VOLUME

Greenie

From the Dugout With First Team Manager Peter Gill Good afternoon and welcome to the Premier Plus Stadium for today’s opening league game versus Chasetown FC. We offer a warm welcome to our visitors and wish them well for the season ahead.

The opening day of the season always brings a fresh start and an air of optimism around every club.

Before looking ahead to the season I’ll take this opportunity to reflect on what has been a challenging and difficult summer.

We finished last season with a strong run of form, slowly changing our identity and style with a plan of attacking the season in the Southern League. After a fine finish to the season, we were confident of the plans put in place and the team we were building…Then the news broke of the FA’s decision to shift us into the Northern League. During a period of time that sees a cost-of-living crisis, an unprecedented rise of inflation and sky rocketing fuel costs, The FA to decide to move us to a new league. A new league that will see our travel costs inflate, and potentially crowd numbers be damaged by the travel visiting clubs have to make to St Neots. But less said about that the better!

Two weeks after the news broke, I was informed by the majority of last seasons squad they wished to play their football locally and not embrace the challenge that a new league brings. We wish those players well, however, this did give us an opportunity to re design the squad and embrace a new identity with a new team.

Myself, Sean and Marc have been working tirelessly throughout the summer to build a new team. I want to take this opportunity to thank them for their hard work. They have had to deal with me messaging them at all sorts of hours, zoom calls during their personal and often work time and endless phone calls between us and players.

So, where are we now? We are delighted to retain the services of Robbie, Aaron and Callum. We welcome plenty of new faces with 8 making their debuts and 1 second debut (Jamie) during the FA Cup game. We welcome all the new players to this family club and I hope they all enjoy their time here. We are a new group. I hope you see a slightly different style of football this season. I can’t imagine there will be too many 0-0 draws this campaign!!! Please get behind the lads today and in the coming weeks.

Today’s game will be a real test and learning curve for the level. You only need to look at how close Chasetown were to promotion last year to see the calibre of opposition we face today!

Over the next few weeks we face some huge challenges and we know it may take a few weeks to adjust to the league and the new surroundings. Your support will be needed as we try to learn quicky what it will take to be competitive in this new league.

We hope to have delivered a team the supporters and town can be proud of.

As always, please get behind the lads!!!

Up the Saints!

Pete

Saints Partners - Visit www.stneotstownfc.co.uk to find out how to become a partner.

We pride ourselves on being open minded with a particular emphasis on working closely with our business partners to ensure mutually beneficial achievements. Our aim is to continue developing football for all, to offer duel career pathways and to continue to engage and support the Community and local businesses.

Saints Partners - Visit www.stneotstownfc.co.uk to find out how to become a partner.

We pride ourselves on being open minded with a particular emphasis on working closely with our business partners to ensure mutually beneficial achievements. Our aim is to continue developing football for all, to offer duel career pathways and to continue to engage and support the Community and local businesses.

Saints

First Team Shirt Sponsor

Boardroom Boardroom Gossip Gossip With With Chairman Chairman Barry Barry Cavilla Cavilla Welcome Back Everyone for the start of the new season following the FA decision to restructure the leagues and move us into the Northern premier league (NPL) for the 22/23 league season.

I would like to welcome for the first time the players & officials of Chasetown to The Premier Plus stadium for our first league home game in the Northern Premier League Midland Division. The close season has proved a real challenge to all at the club in particular Pete and his coaching staff in building a new team for this tough and challenging new league campaign.

We started with a convincing win in the FA Cup last Friday night at Walsham Le Willows which I am sure will have given Pete and the team a real boost ahead of the new league season start.

I would like to wish everyone following the Saints this season a great experience and safe travelling to our New league opponents. I am certain Pete and the Team will really appreciated the fantastic support that I know you give them over the season and be that 12th man that gives us the Extra Boost to start well.

Finally ,I will endeavour to keep you up to date with new projects and events the club will be working on this season and hope you all will enjoy and help support.

Best Wishes to you all and the Saints for a very interesting and enjoyable season in the NPL.

Your Town, Your Team.

Come on you Saints.

Barry

SAINTS KIDS CORNER SPOT THE DIFFERENCE

G

There are 7 differences above and 12 differences below

Saints Partners - Visit www.stneotstownfc.co.uk to find out how to become a partner.

SAINTS FOOD TERRACE

We pride ourselves on being open minded with a particular emphasis on working closely with our business partners to ensure mutually beneficial achievements. Our aim is to continue developing football for all, to offer duel career pathways and to continue to engage and support the Community and local businesses.

Saints Partners - Visit www.stneotstownfc.co.uk to find out how to become a partner.

www.cpcfinance.co.uk / contact@cpcfinance.co.uk / 01923 655 441

St Neots Town FC is not just about football we are a community focused business. We have so much more going on which ultimately and significantly increases our footfall and our website site and social media reach.This in turn means that when you advertise with the Saints you get so much more for your money.

Saints Partners - Visit www.stneotstownfc.co.uk to find out how to become a partner.

www.stneotsloftconversionsltd.co.uk

Little Paxton, Saint Neots PE19, UK 07932 453477 St Neots Town FC is not just about football we are a community focused business. We have so much more going on which ultimately and significantly increases our footfall and our website site and social media reach.This in turn means that when you advertise with the Saints you get so much more for your money.

JW Match looking ahead Chasetown fc CHASETOWN FOOTBALL CLUB Year founded: 1954 Chairman: www.pitchero.com/clubs/chasetown

Steve

Jones

Club

Website:

WELCOME TO A NEW SEASON AND A NEW LEAGUE – SO MUCH TO LOOK FORWARD TO AND WE ARE DELIGHTED TO BID WELCOME TO CHASETOWN AS OUR FIRST VISITORS Transferred to the Northern Premier League Midland Division this season, we have 19 new clubs to play and we have only faced seven of those in league competition since our elevation to Step Four of the National Leagues System twelve seasons ago. One of the twelve sides we have not yet faced in a league is our visitors today, Chasetown.

However, we did play our visitors on their ground in the FA Trophy almost ten years ago on 29 September 2012. We lost 3-2 and our scorers on that occasion were Dan Jacob and Ollie Thorne.

Chasetown are based in the Staffordshire town of Burntwood and last season they finished a very creditable fourth in the table just five points behind champions Ilkeston Town. In the play-offs they beat fancied Halesowen Town before losing to Belper Town who went on to earn promotion. Along with Halesowen, Chasetown are this season’s bookies favourites to make up for their disappointment and earn promotion this time around so our debut in the new league looks to be a severe test.

Of course, our involuntary transfer across the league set up means an increase of almost 40% in our travelling this season but with the motorway system to our advantage we still hope to be able to muster a good away following as we did in our years in the Southern League.

These notes were penned before last Saturday’s opening fixtures in this season’s FA Cup competition but if we were able to return from Suffolk with a victory over Walsham-LeWillows we shall be at home next Saturday to either Godmanchester Rovers or Rothwell Corinthians in the Preliminary Round. However, before then on Tuesday evening we make the short trip up the A1 to face old adversaries Yaxley in our second league match.

Looking through the records we have faced Yaxley no fewer than 33 times in league and cup since our reformation in 1994 – our most regular opposition by far.

Enjoy the match John Walker

St Neots Take away – Shop Local, Support Local

orders@takeaway-stneots.com Pizza/fried chicken, Turkish, British, British Cafe Order through our app Order online Order on the pay store

To Advertise with the Saints contact our Commercial Director Daniel Dodson on 07928494493 or email danieldodson25@hotmail.com

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Contact AFGolfStore Peterborough Feel free to contact a member of our team with any enquiries you may have using the form below. Alternatively you can call the team direct on 01733 215989 We can be found at Unit 10, Slater Court, Harrier Way, Eagle Business Park, Yaxley PE7 3SE Peterborough Store Opening Times Monday 9am-6pm Tuesday 9am-8pm Wednesday 9am8pm Thursday 9am-6pm Friday 9am-6pm Saturday 9am-5pm Sunday CLOSED Contact AFGolfStore Cambridge Feel free to contact a member of our team with any enquiries you may have using the form below. Alternatively you can call the team direct on 01763 262943. We can be found at Kingsway Golf Centre, Cambridge Road, Melbourn, Cambridge, SG8 6EY Cambridge Store Opening Times Monday 9am-8pm Tuesday 9am-8pm Wednesday 9am8pm Thursday 9am-8pm Friday 9am-8pm Saturday 9am-5pm Sunday 9am-5pm

www.afgolfstore.co.uk

Saints Partners - Visit www.stneotstownfc.co.uk to find out how to become a partner.

St Neots Town FC is not just about football we are a community focused business. We have so much more going on which ultimately and significantly increases our footfall and our website site and social media reach.This in turn means that when you advertise with the Saints you get so much more for your money.

Saints Partners - Visit www.stneotstownfc.co.uk to find out how to become a partner.

Som’s Salon is a Mens Barbershop and Ladies Hairdressers, we are located on Longsands Parade, Saint Neots with FREE parking directly outside the shop!

01480 589037

St Neots Town FC is not just about football we are a community focused business. We have so much more going on which ultimately and significantly increases our footfall and our website site and social media reach.This in turn means that when you advertise with the Saints you get so much more for your money.

Saints - Goldstraw Goldmiths St Neots Town FC Academy & Main Stand Sponsor The Goldstraw Goldsmith’s St Neots Town FC Academy Sponsor Goldstraw Goldsmiths is an established, trusted, successful jewellery shop in the Cambridgeshire town of St Neots. At Goldstraws Goldsmiths we’ve been designing and caring for jewellery for over 30 years. We sell all styles of jewellery; new and antique. If you have a particular item in mind, we will always endeavour to source it. Two experienced goldsmiths work on the premises, offering quality craftsmanship with every newly created piece and repair. We take pride in our work and our customers tell us time and time again that wouldn’t go anywhere else.

Why not come in and say hello we” be happy to help.

www.goldstraw.co.uk 01480 407704

Saints Partners - Visit www.stneotstownfc.co.uk to find out how to become a partner.

St Neots Town FC is not just about football we are a community focused business. We have so much more going on which ultimately and significantly increases our footfall and our website site and social media reach.This in turn means that when you advertise with the Saints you get so much more for your money.

Saints Partners - Visit www.stneotstownfc.co.uk to find out how to become a partner.

Call 01480 470931 / Mobile 07950 496568

St Neots Town FC is not just about football we are a community focused business. We have so much more going on which ultimately and significantly increases our footfall and our website site and social media reach.This in turn means that when you advertise with the Saints you get so much more for your money.

Saints Partners - Visit www.stneotstownfc.co.uk to find out how to become a partner.

St Neots Town FC is not just about football we are a community focused business. We have so much more going on which ultimately and significantly increases our footfall and our website site and social media reach.This in turn means that when you advertise with the Saints you get so much more for your money.

Saints Partners - Visit www.stneotstownfc.co.uk to find out how to become a partner.

www.abclifesupport.co.uk / 0800 0467 410

St Neots Town FC is not just about football we are a community focused business. We have so much more going on which ultimately and significantly increases our footfall and our website site and social media reach.This in turn means that when you advertise with the Saints you get so much more for your money.

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JW Match Report Walsham -Le- Willows (A) 05-08-2022 Emirates FA Cup - Extra Preliminary Round Walsham Le Willows

1

St Neots Town

6

St Neots recorded their biggest FA Cup victory for fourteen years as their new-look side cruised to victory in their Friday evening fixture at Walsham-Le-Willows. It was the first time their freshly assembled squad had performed together competitively and the result will give optimism for the upcoming league season in their new surroundings in the Northern Premier League. Their FA Cup hosts from the Thurlow Nunn Eastern Counties League already had two league fixtures under their belts and the first half suggested that it was going to take time for the recently assembled St Neots side to gel as a unit.

Falling behind after 37 minutes to a goal from lively home striker Jamie Smith, St Neots responded with two goals in three minutes to lead at half time and from then they never looked back. There were impressive contributions all over the field with goalkeeper Jamie Greygoose, the lively Dan Barton and skipper Callum Anderson all performing well and the cash reward for victory also brings a Preliminary Round home tie in two weeks’ time with either Godmanchester Rovers or Rothwell Corinthians.

There was a cautious start to proceedings in terms of goalmouth action and neither side managed a threatening strike on goal in the first twenty minutes although Walsham should have done better with a free kick in a dangerous position that was sent harmlessly wide. St Neots main threat seemed to come from Aaron Smith’s trademark lengthy throws that tested the home defence and after 23 minutes a Brandon Njoku shot on the turn was only just too high. As St Neots began to settle two shots from Callum Anderson and Njoku were blocked by defenders and then there was a long delay as Saints recent signing full back Theo Sankey-Mensah received lengthy treatment for a hamstring pull but was unable to continue and this saw Toib Adeyemi substituting with the visitors back line reorganised. Henry Harvey saw a lengthy Walsham effort sail harmlessly wide before the last ten minutes of the half saw the bulk of the action. After 37 minutes the home side took the lead with their first real opening as striker Jamie Smith took full advantage of defensive hesitancy to open the scoring. This seemed to spur St Neots into action and three minutes later the scores were levelled when Declan Nche took advantage of a mazy run by Dan Barton to level the scores.After 43 minutes St Neots set up an important half time lead when Brandon Njoku passed two defenders to set up Declan Nche for his second goal.

JW Match Report Walsham -Le- Willows (A) 05-08-2022 After the late first half action the restart was relatively calm, and it was not until after both sides had made a substitution around the hour mark that the game came back to life. Walsham created two good openings bringing to important saves from Jamie Greygoose to deny Smith and Oliver McKensie and the important breakthrough came after 66 minutes when a fine three man move split the home defence as Njoku and Barton combined to set up Trey Charles for the important third St Neots goal.Charles then blocked a goalkeeper’s clearance to go clear on goal, but he shot wide and at the other end another important save by Greygoose to keep out a Karl Saffrey header preserving St Neots two goals advantage. Following a St Neots corner eleven minutes from time Charles produced the goal of the match with a fierce shot into the far corner of the net and a 4-1 St Neots were cruising as the home side tired. Substitute Saleem Akanbi added a fifth goal a minute into added time after missing a much easier chance seconds earlier, and Trey Charles rounded things off with a penalty deep into injury time to complete his hat trick.

St Neots: Greygoose, Sackey-Mensah, Tarpey, Anderson, Lewis, Smith, Barton, Nche, Njoku, Charles, Osei Subs: Adeyemi (for Sackey-Mensah 26 mins), Akanbi (for Osei 62 mins), Mason (for Njoku 77 mins), Stallard, Hassanally and Bent.

Cards: none Goals: Charles (3) (66,79 & 90+4 mins – pen), Nche (2) (40 & 43 mins), Akanbi (90+1 min) Walsham: Stobbart, Cooper, Harvey, Glover, Saffrey, Hubbard, Clayton-Lack, Leek, Smith, McKensie, Ablett Subs: Pinguin (for Clayton-Lack 62 mins), Cook (for Cooper 85 mins), Stone (for Smith 85 mins), Twynn, Hogg and Fenner.

Cards: none Goals: Smith (37 mins) Referee: Chris Severino (Cambridge) Attendance: 142 John Walker

Opponent Spotlight CHASETOWN FC CHASETOWN FOOTBALL CLUB – HISTORY Chasetown Football Club was started in 1954 as Chase Terrace Old Scholars Youth Club, when Brian Baker and schoolmaster Ray Derry formed a soccer section from the Chase Terrace Secondary Modern School.

The side played their first competitive games in the Cannock Youth League, remaining there until 1958-59 when they were accepted into the Lichfield and District League. An impressive debut season saw them finish third. During their three-year stay in the League, the Old Scholars were runners-up in the League and Challenge Cup competition.

1961-62 saw them enter the Staffs County League, while a reserve team stayed on in the former League. First-team success followed with the Lichfield and Rugeley Charity Cups, before the club were admitted to the West Midlands (Regional) League Division One and changed to their current title of Chasetown FC in 1972-73.

Larry Percival was the first manager of the renamed Chasetown FC and wrote his name permanently in the history of the club as the first manager ever to win a League title.

Under Percival and later Bill Murray, Chasetown established themselves as one of the leading clubs in the division. In 11 seasons they won the title in 1977-78, finished second five times, third twice and fourth twice to earn a much-respected record.

However, despite the club’s on the field success, Chasetown were prevented from promotion because they were playing on a park pitch at Burntwood Recreation Centre.

A breakthrough came in 1983 when they re-homed with a move to the current ground, The Scholars Ground, which coincided with a move up into the West Midlands (Regional) League Premier Division.

Bryne Scorey was now the manager as Chasetown made Church Street their permanent home.

The club took their time to adapt to life at the top, finishing in the lower reaches of the table in their first three seasons.

Things changed though from 1986. Paul Darby arrived with assistant Mervyn Rowe, who took the helm when Darby joined Wolverhampton Wanderers as a physiotherapist. Rowe brought about an improvement in the playing squad, with mid-table finishes in the late 1980s followed by a trophy in 1989-90 when Chasetown lifted the League Cup with a 5-2 win over Halesowen Harriers in the Final.

This catapulted Chasetown into a successful period during the early 1990s. The Scholars scooped a West Midlands League Cup and Walsall Senior Cup ‘double’ in 1990-91, with a second Walsall Senior Cup win in 1992-93 at Walsall’s Bescot Stadium.

Mervyn Rowe stepped down as manager at the start of the 1993-94 season part way through an astonishing run of 36 league games unbeaten – a complete calendar year without defeat.

However, success progressively slid away and a succession of managers (Graham Smith, Benny Brown and Cliff Painter) could not recapture any of Rowe’s successes, resulting in three seasons in the bottom three or four of the newly formed Midland Football Alliance, of which Chasetown was a founder member.

Opponent Spotlight CHASETOWN FC CHASETOWN FOOTBALL CLUB – HISTORY continued Rowe returned to the helm in 1997-98 and remained as manager for four years, as Chasetown regained mid-table status with the likes of former Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Shaun Bradbury leading the way in the goal scoring stakes winning two MFA Golden Boot awards in three seasons.

Rowe stepped aside again, but unsuccessful tenures with Kevin Foster and Paul Darby as manager (his second spell) saw the Scholars struggling again, until November 2002 when Michael Rowe, Mervyn’s son, took over as boss, with Charlie Blakemore as his assistant. An excellent end to the 2002-03 season saw the club finish 9th, after languishing near to the relegation zone for most of the campaign.

Rowe Junior left The Scholars Ground in February 2004 due to work commitments but, now under Blakemore’s leadership, the Scholars improved again, finishing 6th, and in Blakemore’s first full season in charge of the first team, 2004-05, Chasetown lifted the Walsall Senior Cup for the third time beating Tividale 2-1 at Walsall FC and finished second to Rushall Olympic in the Midland Football Alliance.

That disappointment of missing out on promotion spurred Chasetown into an incredible season in 2005-06. The club was thrust into the national spotlight in November 2005 upsetting all the odds by reaching the First Round of the FA Cup for the first time in their history, overcoming famous nonleague side Blyth Spartans in front of a then-record Chasetown attendance of 2,134.

The BBC were quick to bring this feat to a Sunday lunch-time audience of 3.2 million on “Match of the Day Live” as they broadcast the First Round Proper tie against Oldham Athletic. In front of 1,997 supporters, Chasetown took the lead through Nicky Harrison, only for the Latics to level the scores a few minutes later and send the game into a replay. Over 2,300 supporters followed Blakemore’s men up to Boundary Park – the highest away following at Oldham Athletic all season – but the romance was over as the home side won 4-0.

During that record-breaking season, the Scholars notched a record eight consecutive victories in the League, went 22 games unbeaten in League and Cup, and regularly smashed their record League attendance, ending the season with 839 for the visit of Romulus in the game which clinched Chasetown the League title.

At the time of the FA Cup run, Chasetown lay in 14th place and 20 points adrift of league leaders Malvern Town, before beginning an astonishing run of victories. By April 2006 Chasetown topped the League table for the first time in the season. The final day saw Chasetown in pole position Chasetown lifted the Midland Alliance trophy and gain promotion to the Southern League Division 1 Midlands. The BBC cameras were at the Scholars Ground again, featuring both goals in their FA Cup Final programme.

Opponent Spotlight CHASETOWN FC CHASETOWN FOOTBALL CLUB – HISTORY continued Season 2006-07 saw the club finish third in the Southern Midland Division One but suffered the heartbreak of losing 1-0 to local rivals Willenhall Town in the Play-off Semi-Finals.

2007-08 saw Chasetown become even more firmly embedded in FA Cup folklore when they defeated Football League Division One side Port Vale in a Second Round Replay to become the lowest ranked side to ever make the Third Round of the World’s most famous domestic cup competition.

Their reward was a home tie against Championship side Cardiff City who boasted multi-millionaire players like Robbie Fowler, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Trevor Sinclair amongst their highly rated squad.

In front of a record breaking home attendance of 2,420 the Scholars dared to take the dream one step further as they took the lead against Dave Jones’ Bluebirds side via a Kevin McNaughton own goal in the 17th minute.

The class of a team six leagues and some 136 places higher than Chasetown did tell and a first half injury time equaliser from former Aston Villa man Peter Whittingham enabled Cardiff to regroup at the interval and further goals from 17 year old debutant Aaron Ramsey (his stepping stone to a great career at Arsenal) and Paul Parry finally ended Chasetown’s marathon ten game cup run.

Season 2008-09 saw Chasetown amongst the front runners and a fourth place finish ensured that they would contest the Play-offs. In the Semi-Final the Scholars demolished third placed Atherstone Town at Sheepy Road 5-0 to take their place in the Play-off Final. A record crowd of 3,111 at Nuneaton Town’s Liberty Way stadium witnessed a tight, tense game, but a solitary strike from Ben Foster ended the Scholars dream of promotion for another season at least.

The club again made history on Friday July 10th 2009 when they became the first team to play a match in front of a paying crowd at the Bluebirds’ new multi million pound home – the Cardiff City Stadium – in front of 5,270 spectators.

Relocated to the Northern Premier League Division One South for 2009-10, Chasetown’s season finished on a high note as the club went on to become runners-up and, after a 3-2 play off semi-final win over Sheffield FC, a 1-0 win versus Glapwell at the Scholars Ground in front of 1,265 spectators ensured Chasetown would be playing in Step Seven of the Football League Pyramid for the first time in their history.

For much of the 2010-11 season, Chasetown were in or around the play-off positions, eventually finishing 10th in their inaugural season. Chasetown’s League campaign was distracted though by another incredible cup run. Despite being from the third tier of non-league football, Chasetown upset the odds time and time again in the FA Trophy.

Opponent Spotlight CHASETOWN FC CHASETOWN FOOTBALL CLUB – HISTORY Continued After victories over Sheffield FC and Mickleover Sports, the Scholars disposed of Workington from the Conference North, Kettering Town and Grimsby Town from the Conference National and Eastleigh from the Conference South to set up a Quarter Final with Conference National side Mansfield Town. An 89th minute own goal earned Blakemore’s side a replay at Field Mill, where skipper Richard Teesdale scored a second half equaliser, before the hosts went on to win 3-1, on their way to being losing FA Trophy Finalists (just as Cardiff City had in the FA Cup in 2008).

2011-12 was the 40th season the club has been known as Chasetown FC, but unfortunately, was a historic season for all the wrong reasons, as they were relegated for the first time in their existence.

Charlie Blakemore left the managerial role in October 2011 due to work commitments, and the appointment of Chris Brindley started well with 19 points from his first 8 games in charge. However, a run of 13 league games without a win saw The Scholars needing victory on the last day of the season at Burscough. A 4-4 draw was not enough.

Craig Harris replaced Brindley as manager and renewed Chasetown’s love affair with the Walsall Senior Cup with an emphatic 4-1 win over Rushall Olympic in the Bescot Final in 2013-14.

Harris’ tenure was short lived with the club hovering just above the relegation zone, Former Tamworth FC manager Marcus Law was appointed, giving him the sole aim of keeping Chasetown from getting relegated. An impressive run took Chasetown to 13th in the league and another Walsall Senior Cup Final, narrowly beaten 4-3 by Walsall after extra time.

Law left in the summer, replaced by former Rugby Town boss Dave Stringer. He took Chasetown to the verge of the Play-offs in his first season, finishing 7th, but the following year Chasetown struggled to 17th in the League. Chasetown did reach the Staffordshire Senior Cup Final for only the second time in their history though, losing out to Stoke City on penalties. Stringer resigned in the summer of 2017.

Former Norton United boss Scott Dundas was appointed, on the back of them having a successful FA Cup run of their own. With an almost completely new squad of players. Dundas' men stayed in and around the top half throughout the 2017-18 season and pushed into the play offs during the final two months before narrowly losing to Bedworth in the play-offs.

Expectations were high again but a season and a half of mid-table in the league saw Dundas leave the club by mutual consent.

Former Chasetown Reserves manager Mark Swann would take the reins of the first team in February 2020, only for play to be stopped halfway through March 2020 due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, with Swann having managed just eight fixtures. A second Coronavirus hit season in 202021 saw Swan eventually take charge for his first full campaign in 2021-22.

An impressive season saw Chasetown reach the play off positions and a semi-final win over Halesowen Town saw a record official attendance in the Scholars Ground of 2,500 for a narrow play off final defeat to Belper Town.

Opponent Spotlight CHASETOWN FC CHASETOWN FOOTBALL CLUB – HISTORY Continued

Off the field, Chasetown were also in new hands – long-serving Mick Joiner with over 60 years’ service, stood aside as Chasetown were now led by a Board of Directors, headed by long-term sponsor Steve Jones. The club will enter 2022-23 with a new 400-seater stand in place, with future plans for an extension to the clubhouse and a 4G artificial surface to cater for the 40-plus children’s teams that the club now boast.

As the club’s 70th birthday approaches in 2024, the club are also embarking on publishing a comprehensive book of the club’s history.

By Paul Mullins.

Walsham Le Willows 1 St Neots Town 6

Opponent Spotlight - PLAYER PROFILES CHASETOWN FC Curtis Pond- Goal keeper The shot-stopper came through the youth set up before breaking through into the first team and making the position his own. He became the favoured number one in the October of the 2016/2017 season. Pond has held this position as number one keeper throughout different managerial changes and playing an incredible 190 games for the Scholars.

Alex Melbourne - Defender Alex signed for Chasetown in July 2019. He is a good defender and has experience of playing in high divisions for teams such as Stafford Rangers and Hednesford Town. He is a pacey defender and is happy to assist in attacking play and isn’t afraid to get the tackles in.

Ryan Wynter – Striker/Defender Wynter re-signed for the Scholars in August 2020 after a brief spell with local rivals Stafford Rangers. Starting out as a striker Wynter has now been moved to the backline and is a powerful and commanding defender. He is a fan favourite and that was clear to see when he picked up Supporter’s Player of the Season for the 2018/2019 season.

Jordan Evans – Defender Jordan joined in the Scholars in July 2020 from neighbours Lichfield City after four years at the club. An athletic, attack minded left back will really add competition in that area for us. With his willingness to get forward Evans has added another dimension to our attacking system.

Joshua Mansell – Defender A late signing in the 2021-2022 season, Josh is an attack minded defender who is an asset at both ends of the pitch. An integral part of our backline we look forward to seeing Josh back in the Scholars team for the next season.

Mitch Clarke – Defender Mitch joined the club from Rushall Olympic in the summer of 2022. He is a commanding and athletic centre half who has plenty of experience within nonleague to help strength our back line.

Kris Taylor – Defender Originally brought in predominately to be part of our coaching set up Taylor has found himself as Wynter’s defensive partner for the majority of the season. With his vast footballing knowledge Tayls has been solid at the back and a clear leader within the defensive set up.

Opponent Spotlight - PLAYER PROFILES CHASETOWN FC Luke Cox – Defender A new addition to the squad Cox has found himself in the starting line up a handful of times over the last few weeks and has fitted in well within the line up. A strong defender who isn’t afraid to get the hard-work done. An exciting young talent for the future.

Luke McGinnell – Defender/ Midfielder A young defender who has joins Chasetown in August 2021, he has impressed during his spells at right-back during preseason 2021. A defender who can be just as useful in both boxes, whether it is putting in a last ditch tackle in the defensive box or getting a cross in to the attacking players in the other.

Oli Hayward- Midfielder Hayward is an attacking midfielder that joined Chase in June 2017. Very skilful with great energy levels. The former Lichfield player also has an eye for goal. As well as being an accomplished midfielder he is also a fantastic right back and has made this position his own in the 2017/2018 season. After suffering a double leg break during the first game of the 2018/2019 season it took a while to see Hayward back on the pitch. But since Swann’s arrival we have seen Hayward go from strength to strength reverting back to his midfielder role.

Jack Langston- Midfielder Jack re-signed in November 2017 after a short spell at local rivals Stafford Rangers. He originally joined the club in March 2014. Jack has been awarded the top goal scorer award twice in the last 3 seasons in 2016/2017 he netted 26 goals and he again picked up the award in the 2017/2018 season winning it in the final game of that campaign. Langston is a fan favourite and is an established member of the squad, he commands the midfield and will pop up with a goal or two when the team really need it.

Danny O’ Callaghan – Midfielder In July 2020 O’Callaghan agreed to once again to join the Scholars. Having won everything in sight for our reserve side under Mark Swann, Doca has since gone on to forge a fantastic career in non league. Danny lists Romulus, Sutton Coldfield Town, AFC Telford Utd and Stourbridge FC among his former clubs and joins us from Rushall Olympic.

Mitchell Botfield – Midfielder A fantastic all rounder and can play in a number of the midfield positions, Botfield joined The Scholars from Alvechurch in July 2021. His character, mentality and experience will only aid a relatively young Chasetown side.

Opponent Spotlight - PLAYER PROFILES CHASETOWN FC Jakob Burroughs – Midfielder Jakob joins from Market Drayton and adds even more competition for places within our midfield. He is a talented young footballer with great energy and tenacity.

Dilano Reid- Midfielder Reid has been part of the set up since the 2021-22 season, finding himself within the squad throughout. A winger with an abundance of pace Reid is able to beat the opposition defenders to get balls into the box and dance around the defence when part of the attacking set up.

Ben Lund – Midfielder/Striker Lund joined Chasetown during 2020 and has been an asset so far to the team in both seasons that did not finish due to COVID. He is an intelligent midfielder who knows how to perform his defensive duties but is also confident supporting the attacking play and will get amongst the goals to help the team.

Liam Kirton – Midfielder/Striker A midfielder who has established himself within our youth set up and has announced himself within the senior squad, over the last few seasons Kirton has grown as a player even inviting interest from locals Walsall FC. He is a pacey, tall and strong attacking player who will pop up with a goal or an assist when the team really need it.

Luke Yates – Midfielder/ Striker Luke joined from Sporting Khalsa in Summer 2022. He is an athletic, fast paced and creative attacking player, he will add another option to our attacking line up.

Aaron Ashford – Striker Aaron joins the club after impressing against us in pre-season when he notched four goals.

He adds Chasetown to an impressive CV that includes West Bromwich Albion, Birmingham City, Stourbridge, Boldmere St Michaels and Romulus. Ashford hopes to be back on the pitch sometime in the 2022-23 season after suffering and injury during the season prior.

Joey Butlin – Striker Joey joins for his second spell with the club after a successful few months with Hereford.

We originally signed Butlin from Walsall Wood having played at Oak Park under our management team in seasons past. A combative striker whose ex clubs list Hednesford Town and Walsall FC. He is a handful for any defender he comes up against, not afraid to put in a tackle and get stuck in.

Opponent Spotlight - PLAYER PROFILES CHASETOWN FC

Jack Edwards – Striker Jack joins us from local neighbours Lichfield City after scoring 28 goals in the 2021.2022 for them. He is a powerful player who can play anywhere in the attacking set up. We look forward to seeing him score goals in a Scholars shirt in the upcoming season.

St Neots Town FC Playing Record Season 2022/23

Saints Partners - Visit www.stneotstownfc.co.uk to find out how to become a partner.

1 KESTER WAY, ST NEOTS, PE19 6SL

01480 211771 www.flamesgrillstneots.co.uk Free local delivery (minimum order applies) Delivery up to 8.0 miles (see prices) Card payments accepted We pride ourselves on being open minded with a particular emphasis on working closely with our business partners to ensure mutually beneficial achievements. Our aim is to continue developing football for all, to offer duel career pathways and to continue to engage and support the Community and local businesses.

Manager - Peter Gill Assistant - Sean Greygoose Coach - Marc Abbott GK Coach - Gary Dean Physios - Craig Lambert & Sam Roblett Kitman - Mick Hunt

Manager – Mark Swann Assistant - Jamie Hawkins Coach - Chris Slater Coach - Kris Taylor GK Coach - John Birt Physio - Liam Brown Kitman - Dave Harrison

Squad List

Squad List

Jamie Greygoose Theo Sackey-Mensah Aaron Smith Toib Adeyemi Charlie Lewis Harvey Beckett Charlie Stallard Joe Tarpey Decland Nche Callum Anderson Manny Osei Saleem Akambi Daniel Barton Andre Hassanally Brandon Njoku Robbie Mason Tremayne Charles

Curtis Pond (GK Alex Melbourne Ryan Wynter Jordan Evans Joshua Mansell Mitch Clarke Kris Taylor Luke Cox Luke McGinnell Oli Hayward Jack Langston Danny O’ Callaghan Mitchell Botfield Jakob Burroughs Dilano Reid Ben Lund Liam Kirton Luke Yates Aaron Ashford Joey Butlin Jack Edwards

Colours Navy/Light Blue quarters Dark blue short Light blue socks

Colours Red Shirts Red Shorts White socks

Referee Zac Kennard-Kettle Assistant 1 Daniel Statham

Next Home Match versus Godmanchester Rovers Saturday Saturday 20th August 3.00 pm KO FA CUP PRELIMINARY RD

Assistant 2 Peter Kwak