Now that we are a month into the season, it is a good time to take stock of what we have achieved. On the field, I am very pleased with the progress of our squad. The first team are currently in a higher position in the Southern League than at any time since we were promoted – not bad considering where we started in the Summer. Of course it is early days, and the league table can be deceptive at this time of year, but it is a great platform to build on. I thought our performance against Thatcham was excellent, one of the most solid defensive displays I have seen from any City team.
The one blemish has been the FA Cup defeat to Moneyfields. Of course, we all know that the priority this season is the league, but a decent run in the FA Cup would have been hugely enjoyable. We are trying to run the club on a more business-like basis, but really this is a hobby for us all, and winning a few Cup matches would have been a lot of fun! It would also have brought in some more money – in our budget, we prudently assumed that we would lose all our cup matches and win no prize money but, all the same, a decent run would certainly have made things a bit more comfortable.
Away from the first team, our reserves are greatly strengthened and more focussed this year, and have made a solid start in the Wessex Combination. I think this is a result of the reserves and first team working more closely together. Andy Leader and Tim Cole seem to be building a great relationship, which is good for the whole club. Sadly, however, our under 18s will not be able to repeat last season’s brilliant success in the FA Youth Cup, after losing 3-1 in a difficult opening tie at VT. So far this has not been our year in FA competitions – let’s hope we can put that right in the Trophy!
Behind the scenes, we continue to make progress, although of course there is a very long way to go in our rebuilding plans. Sometimes, the amount that we still have to do can be frustrating, but when I look back on our achievements over the last four months I think we have to be satisfied with what we have done. When the revamped committee took over in May, it was by no means certain that the club would even start the season, let alone retain a place in the Southern League. So the fact that we now occupy a higher position in the Southern League than at any time last season is hugely satisfying.
We are also making progress in our plans to build a community club for Winchester. The club is currently working behind the scenes with local youth football clubs, local schools, local residents, local businesses, the city council and the local army bases – I hope that we will see the fruits of this work in the coming months and years. It takes time to build these sorts of foundations, but I think we are doing the right things and I hope we can all look forward to some exciting times over the next few years.
The excitement starts this Saturday, when we welcome Farnborough to the Denplan City Ground for one of the biggest matches of the season. Farnborough have invested heavily on and off the pitch and are clearly looking to win promotion this season. Our former manager, Steve Moss, is now assistant up there, and he has taken a number of last season’s squad with him. We look forward to welcoming them back to the City Ground and hopefully putting one over them on Saturday! Hope to see you there, 3pm kickoff.
The one blemish has been the FA Cup defeat to Moneyfields. Of course, we all know that the priority this season is the league, but a decent run in the FA Cup would have been hugely enjoyable. We are trying to run the club on a more business-like basis, but really this is a hobby for us all, and winning a few Cup matches would have been a lot of fun! It would also have brought in some more money – in our budget, we prudently assumed that we would lose all our cup matches and win no prize money but, all the same, a decent run would certainly have made things a bit more comfortable.
Away from the first team, our reserves are greatly strengthened and more focussed this year, and have made a solid start in the Wessex Combination. I think this is a result of the reserves and first team working more closely together. Andy Leader and Tim Cole seem to be building a great relationship, which is good for the whole club. Sadly, however, our under 18s will not be able to repeat last season’s brilliant success in the FA Youth Cup, after losing 3-1 in a difficult opening tie at VT. So far this has not been our year in FA competitions – let’s hope we can put that right in the Trophy!
Behind the scenes, we continue to make progress, although of course there is a very long way to go in our rebuilding plans. Sometimes, the amount that we still have to do can be frustrating, but when I look back on our achievements over the last four months I think we have to be satisfied with what we have done. When the revamped committee took over in May, it was by no means certain that the club would even start the season, let alone retain a place in the Southern League. So the fact that we now occupy a higher position in the Southern League than at any time last season is hugely satisfying.
We are also making progress in our plans to build a community club for Winchester. The club is currently working behind the scenes with local youth football clubs, local schools, local residents, local businesses, the city council and the local army bases – I hope that we will see the fruits of this work in the coming months and years. It takes time to build these sorts of foundations, but I think we are doing the right things and I hope we can all look forward to some exciting times over the next few years.
The excitement starts this Saturday, when we welcome Farnborough to the Denplan City Ground for one of the biggest matches of the season. Farnborough have invested heavily on and off the pitch and are clearly looking to win promotion this season. Our former manager, Steve Moss, is now assistant up there, and he has taken a number of last season’s squad with him. We look forward to welcoming them back to the City Ground and hopefully putting one over them on Saturday! Hope to see you there, 3pm kickoff.
Document last updated: 01/10/2007
