Saturday 9th September 2023 3pm – The Isthmian Premier League – The Dripping Pan

Welcome to The Dripping Pan for this afternoon’s Isthmian Premier League game against Folkestone. Here is your complimentary e-programme.

Good afternoon and welcome to this afternoon’s Isthmian Premier League game against Folkestone Invicta. I’d like to welcome the visiting fans, players, management and officials and hope they enjoy our hospitality.

We’ve had a good start to the season, coming into this game unbeaten and have had no problem finding the net. Naturally, we were disappointed to concede in injury time a couple of weeks ago to Hornchurch in a highly entertaining game to share the points, but two days later, we were on the receiving end of the fortune when an injury time own-goal gave us a draw at Bognor Regis Town.

It was something of a stormy game and we felt that one decision caused the problems, the tackle on Ryan Gondoh at the end of the first half, that saw him play no further part in the game, or at Faversham Town last week. I don’t think many fans who were there (home or away) could believe the challenge didn’t result in a red card.

Last week we travelled to Faversham Town for our first FA Cup game of the season. It was a bit of a non-win situation for us – Faversham are a Step 5 club but also have a very generous budget. Twenty four hours before the game they signed former EFL striker Stefan Payne from Tonbridge Angels. But we put on a very professional display, scored four excellent goals and kept a clean sheet. We now face a tricky game against Ascot United next weekend.

This week we held a Town Hall for our owners to discuss the investment proposal from Mercury 13. Around 140 owners joined the call and over 90 minutes we covered a lot of ground, answered a lot of questions and hopefully, provided more detail on the way forward. I still see a lot of misinformation in the public domain and whilst I will try to provide truthful information, people have to be willing to listen. It is hugely frustrating when individuals decide to use public platforms to criticise and post misinformation yet aren’t willing to hear the truth.

We have received over 300 questions from owners on the subject and every single one will be answered. That isn’t something that can be done in a few hours – it takes time, and I hope most (it’ll never be all I am afraid) that appreciate the thoroughness of our process. But, as a summary to some of the frequent questions asked and misinformation:-

1. Yes, there will be an owners vote on the investment – the timeline was shared with owners on the call last night;
2. It is not a takeover as some media sources have reported, it is a proposed investment into one part of our club;
3. No, the investment will not result in the Men’s team being sidelined/forgotten or deprioritised. On the contrary, our Men’s team will benefit from investment in resourcing, facilities and infrastructure;
4. No director will financially benefit from the proposed investment; and
5. No deal has been signed or agreed – hence why we are in the investment consultation process.

If any fans wants to chat about the investment proposal I’m happy to discuss at the game today.

Next Friday we head to Ascot United for the Second Qualifying Round of the FA Cup. I know that moving the fixture forward, on request from our hosts, from Saturday afternoon has been unpopular with a few fans. We’ve tried to give as much notice as possible to allow everyone planning on attending to change their plans and hope to see as many fans there as possible.

For 90 minutes (plus injury time) this afternoon, let’s focus on getting behind the team and on the three points on offer.

Come on you Rooks!

Stuart

Good afternoon everyone, and welcome to today’s fixture against Folkestone. Here are my thoughts from our recent 4-0 win against Faversham.

Faversham – On paper, a step 3 side playing a step 5 team sounds like a pretty simple task, but if you have kept up to date with non-league football, they are not your everyday step 5 team. They have had significant investment in the club; the manager himself walked out on a team in step 3 that was top of the league at the time, to join them, and have ex-pros and players from good levels playing for them; to add on top of that, we had Ronnie Vint, Ryan Gondoh & Alfie Egan missing the game too. It had banana skin written all over it! Outside of the first 10 minutes, we controlled the whole game, so it turned out to be a pretty comfortable game in the end. We had most of the ball, hit the post twice and the bar once, and scored four, so it was a very professional performance and what could have been a tricky tie.

Special mention must go to Tommy Wood, who scored his first goal for the club. He has been really unlucky not to score before this game, so it’s great he is off the mark now, as his performances this season have been superb, and he always puts the team before himself. You only have to look at the people around him who have scored 14 goals between them. He runs 11k plus every game, and his hold-up play is so good that people around him will consistently score goals. He is a very popular member of the group. You only have to see how happy everyone was when he scored to see that. We will continue to work and encourage him; it is the first time I have ever told someone to be more selfish, so that’s a new one for me!

We are back to league action as Folkestone Invicta are in town. Whenever you play them, it is always a challenging game, so I don’t expect any different this weekend. They have threats in wide areas, and in Smith a good goal-scorer, so our defence will need to be switched on all game. They are a good, honest team that I could talk about a lot, but I also know we have put together a good side ourselves, and we continue to grow as a group, which excites me about what is to come. If we follow the game plan set and put our best foot forward, we will be hard to stop, and that goes for any team we play in our league. I hope you all enjoy the game.

As always, bring the noise!

Tony

Nine years ago today we travelled to Corringham in deepest, darkest Essex to face East Thurrock United, coming away with a point in a hard to watch goal-less draw. Last week the Directors at East Thurrock United announced that the club was no more. In the space of a few seasons, the Rocks had fallen from the National League to the Isthmian League North but their journey, at least for now in their current form, has come to an end.

Whilst we operate in a competitive environment, both on and off the pitch, nobody wants to see a club have to close. Everyone suffers – players, fans, sponsors and the local community. The reasons behind why a club has to shut its turnstiles is often never truly known – in the case of East Thurrock United, they have never fully recovered from the death of a major investor a few years ago.

Our record against the Rocks has been good. In our thirteen meetings we’ve only won three times, the last of which was in February 2022 when goals from Jueven Spencer, Razz Coleman De-Graft and Casey Petit saw us beat East Thurrock 3-2.

We wish everyone associated with the club well and good luck for any future plans they have.

PHONE SCREENSAVER

THE FACTS

• Folkestone Invicta Football Club, which was formed in 1936 and played in the East Kent Amateur League, took over use of the Cheriton Road ground in early 1991 after the demise of the old Folkestone club who had enjoyed a long history in the Southern League.

• Invicta entered the F. A. Cup for the first time during the 1994-95 season, beating Hailsham Town and then Southern League Premier Division side Sittingbourne before going out 2-1 at home to a Worthing side which included former Tottenham striker Mark Falco.

• It was during the 1996/97 season that a club record 2,332 saw the club play hosts to West Ham United in a benefit game following freak floods in the town. Harry Redknapp brought down a strong West Ham side that won 6-0 and included Portuguese World Cup star Paolo Futre, Julian Dicks, a young Frank Lampard and Stan Lazaridis.

• In 1997, Neil Cugley was appointed manager of Folkestone Invicta, and in 2018 held the honour of the longest football managerial reign in England’s top seven tiers, after Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger retired that year.
  
• In 2022, during his twenty-sixth season as Folkestone Invicta manager, making him England’s longest-serving manager, he decided to step down as the clubs manager. Because of his long tenure as Folkestone Invicta manager, he has been dubbed “Mr. Invicta”.

ONE TO WATCH?

Jordan Ababio

Taken from Lewes Clamour’s interview with Folkestone fan group ‘the 36’, “Joining us toward the end of last season at just 22 years old, he plays with directness and isn’t afraid to take on opponents. I believe he has the potential to advance to a higher tier of football if he continues working hard.”

RECENT HEAD TO HEAD

18th March 2023	Folkestone 1-2 Lewes
8th November 2022	Lewes 3-2 Folkestone
26th March 2022	Folkestone 1-2 Lewes
20th November 2021	Lewes 3-0 Folkestone
30th November 2019	Lewes 0-0 Folkestone
26th October 2019	Folkestone 2-0 Lewes

DID YOU KNOW?

• Michael Everitt, joint Head Coach of Folkestone, holds the most senior appearances for the club, with 776.

OUR LAST MEETING AT THE PAN

AN INTERVIEW WITH OUR CHAIR

ON THIS DAY IN FOOTBALL HISTORY – 9th SEPTEMBER

SUNDAY LUNCH ON THE SHORE OF LAKE COMO? WHY NOT

It takes just as long to get to Como from London as it does Manchester and based on the state of our railway infrastructure, invariably costs less. So whilst you could enjoy the delights of Old Trafford and its leaky roof, or various other less salubrious destinations in the north of England, you could fly 90 minutes south-east(ish), hop in a car and drive 30 minutes and be enjoying some pasta and a glass of Pino Grigio on the edge of Lake Como…and naturally taking in a game.

That’s how I had sold this to CMF. “Fancy lunch in Italy on Sunday?”. Of course she knew there would be strings attached, and I had already done the groundwork…meaning I’d bought tickets that came with “hospitality” for Como 1907’s last home game of the season.

Whilst there was a world were both Como and visitors Ternana could still make the complicated Serie B play-offs (both in terms of promotion and relegation), it was unlikely either would be in a prime position and there was a danger this game could be a meaningless match where both teams play for a draw, although that was a thought far from our minds as we touched down in a rainy Milan Malpensa with just 90 minutes to kick off.

A massive advantage of watching football in Como is that the stadium is located central to almost everything that is good about the city. The disadvantage of rocking up 10 minutes before kick off is that there is nowhere to park because it is so central. We got lucky in finding a Fiat 500 leaving a space a short walk from the ground, and although our hire car was *slightly* bigger than the one that departed, the benefit of having a zero excess insurance policy came into play. Car squeezed in, hoping we wouldn’t return to find it damaged we hot-footed down towards the lake edge.

We got into the ground just as the tifosi were in full flow in the Curva Como. It was quite a scene, with thousands of them waving their blue and white plastic sheets around. Our seats were at the back of the Tribuna D’Onore and “armed” with our VIP wristbands we could help ourselves to some pre-match snacks and a beer but it was the view across the Distinti to Lake Como and Switzerland in the distance that was the money shot. There’s few stadiums in the world that have such a superb location, which at times is a bit of a distraction to the football.

The visitors had brought a hundred or so fans, making the 700+ mile round trip from just north east of Rome, enjoying the sunshine and the best of the early play, whipping their shirts off to twirl them around their heads.

The Stadio Guiseppe Sinigaglia may have an unenviable location but doesn’t meet the ambitions of the club. Whilst a play-off spot for a place in Serie A wasn’t still out of the question with two games to go, a capacity of just 13,600 would make it one of the smallest in the top division. The Curva Como was a scaffold-style stand, whilst the upper tier of the Distinti was out of bounds. It’s no wonder that Technical Director/President/Administrator (delete as appropriate in what you have read) Dennis Wise, yep that Dennis Wise, is looking to find a location for a new ground. That won’t be popular among many of the fans, and the football tourists like me, but to take the club to the next level and replicate the ambition off the pitch with what’s happening on it, it needs to happen.

The away side took the lead in the 32nd minute when César Falletti cut inside the Como defender and fell easily to the floor. It was enough to convince the referee to point to the spot and Favilli slotted it home.

At half-time we got to enjoy more Italian hospitality, an irony of some prawn sandwiches (rolls) washed down with Prosecco, and a chat with former Gillingham FC owner Paul Scally, resplendent in his Gills blue suit, who had travelled out to “discuss business with Dennis”.

Whatever was said in the Como dressing room it certainly worked. Cesc Fàbregas (yep, the one and same) was hauled off and it gave Como more freedom in midfield, and they were rewarded by three unanswered goals in a fifteen minute spell through Vignali, Da Cunha and Chajia, punctuated in between the equaliser and the 2nd by a red card for denying a clear goal-scoring opportunity by Davide Agazzi.

There was a real celebratory feel at the full time whistle. The win had given Como a slim chance at finishing in the top eight, going into the last game. The defeat, their fourth in a row, saw the visitors hopes extinguished.

The players and their families slowly left the pitch and we headed out, although our romantic walk along the lake edge was halted by the 100 or so Carbonari blocking the road, providing 1 on 1 protection for the away fans.

A meal sitting in the Duomo square finished off a superb day trip and certainly one that should be on any Football Tourist’s agenda for the next couple of seasons before any decisions are made about the future of the stadium.

In today’s Vox Pop, we asked Lewes fans ‘3 wins, 2 draws, 1 opinion – What do you make of our start to the season’ – Here are your responses…

‘Wins were good. Draws were OK. Haven’t lost which means we have got at least 1 point in every match‘ – Fergus

‘Entertaining‘ – Chris Sallis

‘Brilliant! Can’t wait for Saturday! Watching my first ever game for my birthday at the age of 35! – Adrian Lee Marshall

‘Had to rebuild the squad but it’s better than I dared hope. Brilliant new additions‘ – Chris Roberts

‘Very good, had feared the worst pre season but I’ve been impressed’ – Chris Miller

‘Better than I expected if I’m honest. Now I’m expecting an invincible season in the league!‘ – Michael Kennard

‘Still early days but I think Tony has really worked his magic with this new group of lads’ – Perry Anderson

‘Brilliant. So much better than last year. We look a really good outfit’ – Joseph White

‘Look much better than this time last year, dropped points aren’t really a worry as we played well in both draws, should kick on and keep this form up’ – Harvey Lock

‘Been the better team in all games. Most exciting part is that you can actually see where things can get better still. This is what happens when there is a clear footballing philosophy that’s communicated well to the players. It means that on the whole, the team keeps getting better’ – Sam Luis

RATE THE FIT – BY HARVEY LOCK

In this new segment in the Progcast, we welcome young Harvey Lock, who throughout the rest of this season, plans to rate each Isthmian Premier team’s home and away kit, as we all know we’ve seen some unique kits during our time…

Home Kit:

Likely the one they will wear this afternoon, a pretty uncommon colour of amber (or gold, depending on who you ask) with the black stripes is very nice, especially with the all-black shorts and socks instead of white – Perhaps the only fault in OUR kit last season. The sponsor on the back above the numbers is a small pet peeve, making it look like the player names are on the shirts when they’re actually not, and the need for three macron logos on the shirt is very debatable, but overall a solid kit. 7/10

Away Kit:

Ditto for the small issues with the home kit, instead this time consisting of a lovely shade of red and white instead of the amber and black; works very well with this template, if slightly uncreative due to being the same design as the home, just with different colours. As it is a similar design, it is similarly as good as the home 7/10

AN ISTHMIAN PREMIER PREVIEW – BY IAN TOWNSEND

We’ve some fine entertainment in prospect in Pitching In Isthmian Premier tomorrow, and we could end up with new leaders. Here’s our preview.

Leaders Chatham Town put their one hundred percent record on the line once more as Cray Wanderers head to the Bauvill Stadium. Both sides were in FA Cup action last weekend, and both matches ended five-one, but that was a positive for the Wands, a first win of the campaign, whilst it was a disaster for the Chats, who were hammered by Ramsgate. Home fans will be hoping that defeat was just a blip, whilst the travelling Wands will be hoping for a first League win, a result which might lift them out of the bottom four- or if they can’t get that, a first league point. This will be their first meeting since 2016-17, a campaign which saw a Cray double over their Kent rivals.

Second place Enfield Town remain unbeaten, and indeed only a draw with Haringey Borough on Bank Holiday Monday broke their one hundred percent record. The Towners welcome Bognor Regis Town to the QEII Stadium, the Rocks smarting from a cup defeat against South East side Burgess Hill Town last weekend, a result which ended their four match unbeaten run. The Rocks have only defeated the Towners once in their last thirteen attempts. 

Billericay Town hit seven in the cup last weekend, but the Blues might have a rather more difficult task as Dulwich Hamlet arrive an New Lodge. Town start the weekend in third, having won four of their five matches, and yet have scored fewer league goals that any other member of the top twelve, which perhaps says a great deal about their defence. They’ll hope the forwards have now found their groove! Hamlet have had a disappointing start to their Isthmian return, winning only once so far, and have now gone five matches without a victory. It isn’t yet time to panic for the pink and blue hordes, but they’ll be beginning to feel a little worried nonetheless! The Blues have won the last four meetings between the sides, the last Hamlet victory over Town coming back in March 2018.

Carshalton Athletic are our joint top scorers, which is bad news for the side who currently have the worse defence, as Concord Rangers make the trip to Colston Avenue. The Robins are unbeaten in league and cup, whilst Rangers have lost every game but one in all competitions this season, and that draw against Wroxham last weekend didn’t do them a lot of good as the North Division Yachtsmen hammered them three-nil in a midweek replay. 

Hornchurch, who start the weekend in fifth place, are the fourth of six unbeaten sides in the Premier Division, and put that unbeaten record on the line once more as they travel to face a Wingate & Finchley side who are in fine form. The Blues started the campaign with heavy defeat but haven’t looked back since, having won four- and drawn one- of their five matches in all competitions since. Given they lost a three-nil lead in that drawn match, at Whitehawk, they will probably think that they should be in the top three rather than eighth! Wingate and Finchley have won only two of their last eleven meetings with the Urchins, and lost both of last season’s encounters- but they seem much stronger this year so won’t be downhearted by those statistics.

Hastings United were in good form in defeating Erith & Belvedere in a cup replay in midweek, but in truth have been in good form all season, undefeated in all competitions and with the joint-best defensive record in the top flight. United welcome Haringey Borough to Pilot Field. Borough have only picked up one league point so far, but those results perhaps don’t reflect their form, and they knocked Dulwich Hamlet out of the cup on Tuesday night. Last season’s meetings were both home wins, United winning the last of them four-one in November.

Lewes are back at the Pan, and welcome Folkestone Invicta. The Rooks remain unbeaten in all competitions but have drawn their last two league matches; whilst Invicta travel on the back of two victories and three successive clean sheets. The Rooks have triumphed on the last four occasions the sides have met.

Horsham, having finally disposed of Leatherhead in the FA Cup, welcome Cheshunt to the Camping World Community Stadium. The Hornets clearly have a squad talented enough for a promotion push if they can find some consistency, whilst the Ambers haven’t had the start they would have wished for and have managed only one win from their six matches in all competitions- but we suspect they’ll shake off that relegation hangover shortly, and every defeat has been by the narrowest of margins. The last five meetings between the sides show the Hornets with a three-two advantage, no draws.

Tenth place Whitehawk are off to a different seaside, visiting the land of the container ships on a visit to Canvey Island (not that the container ships are on land, that would be silly. Think how many wheels they’d need…). The Hawks haven’t lost since the opening day, although they needed two goes before disposing of South East side Sevenoaks Town in a midweek cup replay. The Gulls have had a mixed start to the season but seem to have found their mojo, sticking five past Lowestoft Town in the cup on Saturday and three past Concord Rangers in Bank Holiday Monday’s derby. We think this is the first time they’ve met since 2013, when the Hawks beat the Gulls by a rather incredible five goals to four!

Hashtag United have become our draw specialists, but will hope to get back to winning ways as they welcome Kingstonian to the Len Salmon. The Tags saw an own goal give them victory against Brentwood Town in the FA Cup last weekend, their first win in four; whilst the K’s were also delivering a cup triumph to end a two match losing streak. We believe this to be their first ever meeting. 

Margate have a family fun day and lots of attractions- and will hope another attraction will be a win over Potters Bar Town. The Blues have blown a little hot and cold so far but were certainly at an upper temperature in defeating Hendon three-two in the Cup last Saturday; whilst the Scholars have had the worst possible start to the season, with six successive defeats in all competitions- but five of those defeats have come against sides currently in the top four, so perhaps that not a fair measure of their ability. The last time the sides met was as recently as April, the visitors leaving Hartsdown Park with three points and three goals in a three-two win.

ON THE ROAD TO…ASCOT UNITED – FRIDAY 15th SEPTEMBER

How was last season?
You couldn’t have asked for a better season as the Yellas finally reached Step 4 after being crowned Combined Counties North champions, winning the league by 18 points.  They lost just two league games, scoring 99 goals in the process and capped off a memorable season with a 1-0 win in the FA Vase final at Wembley against Newport Pagnell Town.

Combined Counties Premier League North 1^st P 38 W 33 D 3 L 2 GS 99 GA 30 GD +69 PTS 102

• FA Cup – Preliminary Qualifying Round – Holyport (A) 1-2
• FA Vase – Winners – Newport Pagnell Town (N) 1-0
• Berkshire Senior Cup – Qualifying Round – Flackwell Heath (H) 0-2
• Combind Counties League Cup – Semi-Final – North Greenford United (H) 3-3 lost on pens

2023/24 Season so far

A brief history
The first record of Ascot United was chronicled in 1928 and it seems that over the years teams by that name formed and re-formed until 1965 a men’s team, who played their games at Sunninghill, were established with “after-match meetings” in The Wells public house in Cheapside village.

Soon after the club gained permission from Ascot Racecourse to convert the land West of Coach Park 10 into a football pitch where the club is still located today. A wooden clubhouse was built and around this time this team went on to win many prestigious trophies in the years that followed.

The Club has grown to become one of the largest football clubs in the UK. Currently there are over 1000 registered players, embracing all ages from age 5 and all levels of ability.

Ascot United fields 83 teams every weekend, predominantly at youth level from U7’s and upwards, with a proven pathway into our senior teams with provisions also available for Vets & disability football. It is supported by over 50 businesses who provide various forms of sponsorship, it is run by over 100 volunteers 80 of whom have formal FA coaching qualifications.

The club’s status was underlined in August 2004 when it became an FA Charter Community club, at the time only the second club in Berkshire to receive this award.

The Men’s First Team win the Combined Counties League Premier Division North on 102 points securing Step 4 football for the first time in their history, they become champions again when they win the Isuzu FA Vase trophy v Newport Pagnell Town at Wembley Stadium on Sunday 21st May 2023.

About The Racecourse Ground
Yep, technically it is part of Ascot Racecourse but you don’t have to worry about any equine action.  The ground is located in one of the car parks, right at the end of the sprint straight.  It’s a modest set up at Ascot United, with a decent sized club house with a bar, and a covered stand that sits above pitch level. The rest of the ground is hard standing.  The club installed a 3G prior to COVID-19.

How to get to The Racecourse Ground
From Lewes – A27/A23/M23 and then head clockwise on M25 around to M3 then head south-west towards Southampton.  At junction 3 for Lightwater, take the third exit for A322 towards Bracknell.  After a mile bear around to the right at the roundabout and continue to head north on the A322 towards Ascot. At the right-hand bend, follow that into Kings Ride.  At the roundabout, turn right into Ascot High Street, the main entrance to the racecourse being on your left. 

At the second roundabout, turn left into Winkfield Road.  Drive under the racecourse tunnel, then take the next turning on the right. Continue straight along this road passing a road into the racecourse on the right, and Ascot Golf Club on the left, until you go through some green metal gates.  Keep going along this tarmac road until you see Ascot Golf Club through the trees on your left and a large field on your right.  Just before the road bends round to the left, park on the field just in front of a mesh fence.  There’s plenty of free parking in front of the club house.

By Rail – Ascot is located on the Waterloo line and trains run approximately every 30 minutes on most days, taking around 50 minutes. The Racecourse Ground is approximately 30 minutes walk away.  Head north up Station Hill then right into the High Street.  Just before Starbucks, turn left into Course Road, and then right along the edge of the racecourse.  When you reach Winkfield Road, turn left and then follow route as if by car.

Admission at The Racecourse Ground
Admission this season is £10 for adults, £7 for concessions (senior citizens and students), Under16s £3.  You can buy in advance a £15 ticket which includes a burger and a beer/soft drink.  It should be noted that The Racecourse Ground is a cash-free ground.

Fancy a beer?
There’s only one pub in Ascot High Street, the Stag, which is decent so if you want a beer before the game you may be better having a stop en-route for those coming by train, at Waterloo or Clapham Junction.

LEGALS AND CREDITS

“The Isthmian Football League strongly supports the FA statement that there should be a zero tolerance approach against racism and all forms of discrimination. Accordingly any form of discriminatory abuse whether it by reason of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion and belief, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, sex and sexual orientation or any other form of abuse will be reported to The Football Association for action by that Association.” (The FA 0800 085 0508 / Kick it Out 020 7253 0162).The Isthmian League and all Member Clubs in the League are committed to promoting equality by treating people fairly and with respect, by recognising that inequalities may exist, by taking steps to address them and providing access and opportunities for all members of the community.”

Lewes 2000 FC Limited. Registered in England and Wales with Company Registration Number 03790979. Lewes 2000 FC Limited is 100% owned by Lewes Community Football Club.

Honorary President Terry Parris
Chair Stuart Fuller
Directors Willa Bailey, Tim Bradshaw, Ed Briggs, Scott Currie, Stuart Fuller, Andy Gowland, Lucy Mills, John Peel, Trevor Wells
Chief Executive Officer Maggie Murphy
Club Secretary John Peel
Fan Engagement Manager Shrey Nilvarna
Operations Manager Damian Watts

Life Members
Peter Brook, Dorothy Brook RIP, Vic Blunt, Pat Dartnell, Gary Elphick, Gordon Fowlie, Peter Hiscox RIP, Billy Nixon, Derrick Parris RIP, Terry Parris, Jimmy Quinn, P. Swaysland, Steve Ibbitson, Jason Hopkinson, Steve White, Martin Elliot, Kevin Fingerneissl, Kevin Powell, David and Barbara Arnold, Roger and Cathy Feltham, Ethel Treagus, Roy Dartnell RIP, Ron Moore, Derek Southouse, Ray Smith, Ken Carter RIP

Manager Tony Russell
Assistant manager Joe Vines
First team coach Nathan White
First team physio Toni Miller
Goalkeeping coach Charlie Himbury
Match logistics Vikram Dogra
First Team Performance Analyst Henderson Russell
Under-18s Manager Jon Miller

Golden Rook Rob Read
Web Editor Stuart Fuller
Progcast Editor Stan Lahood
Club Photographer James Boyes

TODAY’S QUIZ ANSWERS

1. The day that Wayne Rooney became England’s record goalscorer. His penalty in the 2-0 defeat of Switzerland in a Euro qualifier at Wembley was his 50th England goal, one more than Bobby Charlton…and the own-goals figure.
2. Third tier Notts County had been invited to Turin to play the first match at Juventus’s new ground – the Juventus Stadium. History provided the reason. The historical link between the two clubs dates back to 1903 when Juventus decided to change the shirt colour they had been playing in since they were founded – pink! They asked an English team member, John Savage, for help and he in turn contacted a friend in Nottingham to send out a set of shirts to Turin. As a Notts County supporter the shirts he sent were inevitably black and white stripes and black and white remain the colours of Juventus to this day.
3. An impressive display by England who won 4-1 in Croatia in a World Cup qualifier. Theo Walcott became the youngest England player to score a hat-trick with Wayne Rooney scoring the other goal.
4. 17-year-old Robert Frederick Chelsea Moore made his debut for West Ham United, a 3-2 First Division victory over Manchester United at Upton Park.
5. Then FA Chairman Greg Clarke payed a surprise visit to The Pan for the game versus Hythe Town.