ASHFORD TOWN MIDDLESEX F.C. vs Barking Saturday 14th September 2019 | KO 3:00pm #ASHBAR @ashfordtownmx 2 #ASHBAR ashfordtownmiddlesexfc.com CLUB PARTNERS If you would like to become a club partner please contact our commercial team: [email protected] #ASHBAR 3 @ashfordtownmx CONTENTS Page 6: Welcome to the RPS Page 8: Recent Action Page 10: Today’s League Fixtures Page 12: Today’s Opponents Page 22: League Teams Directory Page 26: Fixtures & Results Page 28: League Table Page 30: Under 18’s Fixtures & Results Page 31: Under 18’s League Table Page 32: Ashford Town Women Page 34: The Non-League Paper Page 38: Today’s Squads Page 8 Page 12 Page 26 Page 28 Page 30 Page 32 Page 34 Page 38 4 #ASHBAR ashfordtownmiddlesexfc.com Ashford Town (Middlesex) Football Club Limited The Robert Parker Stadium, Short Lane, Stanwell, Middlesex TW19 7BH Telephone: 01784 245908 Email: [email protected] Website: ashfordtownmiddlesexfc.com Member of the BetVictor Isthmian League, affiliated to Middlesex and Surrey FA’s, and an FA Charter Standard Community Club Company Registration Number: 07904731 Company Limited By Guarantee Directors: First Team Manager: Russell Canderton Nick Bailey (Chairman), First Team Assistant Manager: Scott Weight Graham Felce (Vice-Chairman) Goalkeeper Coach: Steve Honey Alan Constable (General Secretary) Physio: Martin O’Connell Paul Blair (Football Secretary) Steve Clark (Finance Director) Chris Canderton (Membership Secretary) Women’s Team Manager:Will Boye Steve Honey Robert Parker Under 18’s Manager:Finn Kemp Under 18’s Assistants: David Gully, Sam Eason Patrons: Russell Grant - The Lord of Ashford in Middlesex Groundsmen: Liam Balmer, Steve Honey Ray Dorset President: Programme Edited by: Paul Gully for Elevated Online Robert Parker Website and Social Media:Elevated Online Vice Presidents: Lynne Morgan Follow us across social media Bob Lewis Pat Munns Stewart Lloyd Life Vice-Presidents: Paul Burgess Alan Constable @ashfordtownmx Gareth Coates #ASHBAR 5 @ashfordtownmx Welcome to the RPSAlan Constable It is rare these days that we meet a club against whom we have never played at any level but that is the case this afternoon as we welcome everyone connected with Barking FC to Short Lane, when both of us will be attempting to achieve a first league win of the season. Our visitors have a long and interesting history having been formed back in 1880. Many of their players from the past have gone on to become full-time pros, including the writer’s most favourite player ever, Mark Lazarus, still loved to this day at Loftus Road. Barking joined the Isthmian League in 1952 and spent many seasons in the League until they were eventually relegated to the Essex Senior League, but they were champions of that league at the end of the 2016-2017 season and returned to the Isthmian League in 2017-2018, finishing 10th and then 12th in Isthmian Div One North in the last two campaigns. Earlier this summer they were surprisingly moved from the North Division to this one, which one suspects has increased their travel significantly. It may well be that today will be a fleeting visit as one would think that their natural place would not really be in this division. Last week after beating Aveley in the Preliminary Round of the FA Cup, they went out, losing 1-3 to Kings Langley. Like ourselves they have not made a sparkling start to this new season, their one point gained to date putting them two places higher than ourselves with our “nil points”. Both sides, therefore, are bound to see today’s match as an opportunity to snatch something from the game at the very least. From our viewpoint we are now seeing new players coming in regularly and last Saturday’s performance at home to Northwood was encouraging, even though it was another defeat, albeit by the only goal of the game. Hopefully we can build upon that and the return of one or two old favourites is very welcome after the mass defection last year. We are very quickly back in action after today and we can expect a sizeable attendance on Tuesday evening when FA Vase holders Chertsey Town are the visitors for what will be our fourth successive home game. They were unstoppable in the CCL last season and the run to Wembley and then the final victory will never be forgotten by Chertsey folk and most of that team will probably be on show including Lubomir Guentchev, the son of the Bulgarian World Cup player Boncho Guentchev, who also played here a few years ago for Hendon. Next Saturday, 21 September, we travel to South Park. Don’t forget that admission today and Tuesday is just £5. We may not be the best at the moment but we are surely the cheapest place in the country at present to watch football at this level. Enjoy the match 6 #ASHBAR ashfordtownmiddlesexfc.com #ASHBAR 7 @ashfordtownmx RecentAction Ashford 0 - 1 Northwood 8 #ASHBAR ashfordtownmiddlesexfc.com Home to Northwood #ASHBAR 9 @ashfordtownmx Today’s League Fixtures 10 #ASHBAR ashfordtownmiddlesexfc.com #ASHBAR 11 @ashfordtownmx Today’s Opponents Barking Club History Barking embark on their third season of Isthmian League football following a gap of 13 seasons after our transfer to the Southern League and then demotion to the Essex Senior League as a result of problems off the pitch. They have reached the Southern League Division 1 East play offs in our previous two seasons. Their renaissance started five seasons ago when Mick O’Shea and Rob O’Brien took them into third place in the Essex Senior League in 2014/15, the highest since joining the league, and then winning the Gordon Brasted Memorial Trophy. This was followed by fourth place in 2015/16, achieved by Glen Golby and Steve Willis who took over as joint managers during the season. Mick and Rob concentrated on the academy and took the Academy under 19 scholarship team to the national final of the Football Conference Youth Alliance League Cup in which the young Blues lost 3-1 to Kidderminster Harriers at Wycombe Wanderers’Adams Park Stadium. This progress was maintained in 2016/17 when joint managers Golby and Willis with coach Jeff Sears led Barking to win the Essex Senior League championship and promotion back to the Isthmian League. Their present manager, the well-known and highly respected Justin Gardner, known widely as The Gaffa, took them to tenth place during the 17/18 season ,thus justifying promotion. This was their highest placed finish since 2005/06. The highest ever league placing was when they were Isthmian League champions in 1978/79. In addition to success on the pitch the clubs hands-on chairman Rob O’Brien, together with Mick O’Shea and other dedicated volunteers have established the club as a valued pillar of the community with an emphasis on youth work. The ancient abbey town and fishing port of Barking has been represented by a football team since at least 1880 and Barking are the longest established football club, and possibly sports club, in the borough of Barking and Dagenham. They have played in the FA Cup since 1895/96. Barking's colours of Royal Blue are said to originate from the Short Blue fishing fleet which plied the oceans from Barking Creek for many years and supplied London with fish. In 1880 the Barking Rovers club was formed, playing on Eastbury Field, and is known to have existed until at least 1890. The Vicarage Field ground was opened in 1884 with a match against IIford which Rovers won 2-0 but in 1889 Barking Rovers were accused of damaging the Vicarage Field cricket pitch and were forced to return to Eastbury Field. In 1892/93 a South Essex League existed for one season and included Barking Excelsior and Barking Working Men’s Institute. Excelsior, playing at Holland’s Field, were champions and by 1895/96 were known as Barking Town, then playing at Eastbury Field. They won the Essex Junior Cup, defeating Saffron Walden 3-0 but disbanded in 1896 when it has been suggested that they were integrated into Barking Woodville. 12 #ASHBAR ashfordtownmiddlesexfc.com Woodville from Forest Gate became known as Barking Woodville and moved to the Vicarage Field in 1896. This club was in existence by 1882 as Woodville (Upton), in which year a Woodville club formed in Barnet had to distinguish itself as Barnet Woodville. Barking Woodville was affiliated to the London Football Association in 1886. The club played in the Essex Senior Cup from at least 1886 and the FAAmateur Cup from at least 1894 but appears to have disbanded in 1900 when the Vicarage Field lease expired. An unconfirmed suggestion was published in the Grays and Tilbury Gazette at the time that Barking Woodville became West Ham United’s reserve team. Although there was no connection London Caledonians also occupied the Vicarage Field for a period. The Vicarage Field was then occupied by Barking Institute, formed in at least 1896 as Barking Working Lads’ Institute, originally playing at the Recreation Ground (Barking Park), or earlier as Barking Working Men’s Institute. They won the London Minor Medals in 1896/97 and the London Institutes Federation Cup in 1897/98. The link between Rovers, Woodville and the present club is unclear. One authority states that the Rovers club was the precursor to the present club, the local Church Institute being involved in running it with the name being changed to Barking Institute. What is certain is that each club was regarded as representing the town and played on the Vicarage Field, which was the prime sporting venue in the town for many years.