Today we welcome our good friends from Rochdale Football Club, can I wish their Directors, Manager, Players, Staff and Supporters a pleasant stay with us and a safe journey home.
Well, after last season’s promotion we’ve reached the start of a new season in the blink of an eye and though the squad is not quite where we would perhaps want it, today is still a joyous occasion for our club after winning the final eight games of last season, which included play-off wins over Dorking Wanderers and Torquay United, then a promotion final win against Maidstone United.
In terms of our present squad depth, we always felt throughout pre-season that we must remain patient to bring in one or two quality players to balance what was already a competitive squad. Of course, in an ideal world we would have wanted to have done our business slightly earlier but in today’s market that has not been possible.
Recent events have also changed things somewhat, as only last week we were invited into the National League Cup due to the off-field issues at Morecambe. That meant we would need to improve the budget slightly to facilitate a bigger squad and as such Luke and Charlie Hunter have looked further afield to bolster our ranks and it proved productive as we have signed the highly rated midfielder Tom White from Morecambe.
It was a big decision for our football club to accept the late invitation into the National League Cup, especially after Jack Payne’s injury, operation and expected 14-week layoff. That said, all these things are financially led, and I will of course support Luke and the dressing room in what they feel they now need going forward to be competitive.
Club Information
On Friday our South Stand and away fan zone planning application will finally be submitted to HBC after six years of hard graft. In truth I’m really excited about this project and by my objective, collaboration and partnership with HBC regarding Meadow Park, Brook Road Car Park as it goes back not just the last 6 years but for more than two decades.
This application alone has taken 6 years of behind closed-door meetings, it has included architects, consultants in places like Huddersfield, it has included councillors and officers, aborted plans, skewed drawings, crazy submissions, further crazy submissions, more planning and officer madness, me arguing our residents’ case, arguing the park users and the local schools case, and of course me arguing the football clubs’ future case.
So, to finally get the chance to submit what would be an amazing local project is hugely exciting and very satisfying. In truth, the execution of a three phased build over the next two years will no doubt be complicated, problematic and should be ambitious as it is imperative for me, my partners, my sponsors, the council, our residents, our town and our community to not only move things forward but to get cross party agreement and be ready to push this project on from a position of both unity and strength.
I’m happy in the knowledge that our fans through year on year investment now enjoy not only the improvements on and off the pitch, which include our bars, when sitting in the stands, when standing on the terracing and all around our facility, that will I hope soon include the away end, whilst also enjoying a level of football that for years was not in reach when I first arrived here.
It’s now time to finish the Park, deal with the walkways, finish Brook Road Car Park and get our Stadium ready for the EFL and get our High Street ready to deal with additional visitors and their third party spend.
After our promotion, I hope a new era will begin here starting today with the visit of Rochdale and after another summer of off the field improvements and investment here, we must be ready to push on. Promotion from the division below was always going to be the vehicle to get us to where I want us to be and when you align that with our latest planning application, it does show longevity, incredible ambition, a future vision and year on year progress.
In truth if I can pull it off, I’m just so pleased to begin this next stage of what will be the biggest club development seen here during my time as Club Chairman, which is made even better by being back and competing in the National League once again.
Only through my local collaborations and long-term partnerships have I, along with our two Councils, AFC, AWFC, Sponsors and support from a quietly growing Fan Base, could I have ever hoped to create the long-term legacy we need locally for our children and our grandchildren. I hope actions speak louder than words and our wider community now believe in this football clubs’ ambitions to get us to the EFL and I know I’m the right local person to lead that.
Anyway, that project is for another day, as today is about our first game back in the National League, where we go up against ex-Football League club Rochdale who finished fourth last season and are one of the league titles favourites this season. Rochdale have made some great signings in pre- season especially in the forward areas, as such no doubt they will give us a good indication of where we are as a club and our squad presently sit.
Luke and his staff will obviously know much more about our visitors and what perhaps is needed to get ourselves a result today and what is still needed within the dressing room. That said, no matter what today’s result brings, this day is a celebration to this clubs’ resilience, it’s never say die attitude, it’s hard work and its togetherness, as today marks our more than deserved return back to the very top table of non-league football.
I say deservedly back in the National League because the division below was so hard, it was so difficult and was a steep and unforgiving learning curve and reminder to me about never switching off for a moment. So, it’s great to say thank you for the lessons but goodbye, as I hope never to be in the National South again and so I say hello once again to so many ex- Football League clubs like Rochdale who we must use as our benchmark.
After Rochdale this afternoon, we then play Notts Forrest on Tuesday in the National League Cup – please note all entrance fees will be reduced by 50%, with home season ticket holders going free as we don’t have to share the gate revenue.
We will then make the long journey north next Saturday to play another ex-Football league club Carlisle United. I must say win, lose or draw, I’m really looking forward to our first week back in the National League. It is of course a huge challenge but it’s where I feel we now belong and it is time for us to man up and meet the challenge head on and whatever happens in the next week, we must learn quickly from the experience, good or bad.
Lastly, can I say to my incredibly loyal staff, to the dressing room and of course to you our very loyal supporters, thank you for staying with me and the club over the last 12 months – I know it wasn’t easy at times but thank you again for allowing me the chance to turn certain things around and get things back on track. I hope we have made even more memories together as the play-off experience was pretty damn special. As I often say, “God loves a trier” and eight straight wins last season when everyone had written us off was our reward for sticking together.
So, today I ask you to turn out in your numbers, bring the drum, bring the noise, make our first game back in this division an occasion and whatever happens please stick with us once again when the going gets tough. We know the road will be long and at times football at this level can be brutal. So, let’s stick to the fight when we’re hardest hit, travel away in your numbers when you can as you do make a difference, and I know if you do that, if we can park our feet and come out swinging, then trust me as an underdog club who knows itself then we’ll be just fine.
Let’s hope for an open, attacking game this afternoon and may the best team win.
Take care,
Danny.
Proposed development: South Stand
