THE COMBINED COUNTIES LEAGUE DIVISION ONE Walton & Hersham v. Dorking Wanderers Reserves Tuesday 15th December 2020 – KO 7.45 p.m. WALTON & HERSHAM Good evening everyone and welcome to The Elmbridge Xcel FOOTBALL CLUB Sports Hub for tonight’s Combined Counties League, Division One fixture. Company Reg. No. 12031468 We extend a particularly warm welcome to all the players, Elmbridge Xcel Sports Hub, Waterside officials and supporters of our opponents Dorking Wanderers Drive, Walton-on-Thames, Surrey KT12 Reserves, and of course to tonight’s three match officials. 2JP We would like to take the opportunity of thanking our visitors www.waltonhershamfc.com for agreeing to bring forward this match from Tuesday the 2nd of March to alleviate some of the inevitable fixture congestion in the Members of Surrey County F.A., Cherry New Year. Red Records Combined Counties Last season they won an amazing game here 4-3 after League Division One, Allied Counties trailing 3-0, their final three goals all coming in the last eight Youth Football League minutes. Chairman: Jack Newton We extracted a fair degree of revenge in the reverse fixture however, winning 6-3. Club Secretary: Calogero Scannella People attending tonight’s match will see the necessary Director of Operations: Sartej arrangements that have been put in place in order to follow the Tucker Covid-19 guidelines, and we would ask everyone to respect these Matchday Secretary: Mervyn in order to keep everyone safe and stop the spread of the Rees disease. Unfortunately as a consequence of these guidelines the Treasurers: Jack Newton, Stephan upstairs clubhouse area will only be open for the purchase of light Karidis refreshments. Football Development Officer: Ben Madelin Last Saturday we hit six for the second week running, putting on 1st Team Manager: Scott Harris another all-action, attacking display that visitors Chessington & Hook United could not withstand. Assistant Manager: Billy Rowley Apart from the goals scored, the goal-frame was struck on no Lead Physiotherapist: Michael Owen fewer than four occasions, and two more than reasonable penalty claims were rejected. U18 Manager: Steve Howard A Dominic Ogun hat–trick helped us to a 4-0 half-time lead U18 Secretary: Richard Northage that could easily have been doubled in the second-half. Our already potent strike-force had been further Club Analyst: Marzaan Choudhury strengthened with the signing of Josh Ogunseye from Godalming Town. Public Liaison Officer: Thomas Having already scored ten goals in the league for his Bradbury previous club this season, the former Guildford City striker came off the bench to add to that total by scoring the sixth goal two Head of Media: Sartej Tucker minutes from full-time. Programme Editor: Mervyn Rees We would like to take the opportunity of welcoming Josh, and our other new signing Dylan Randall, to the club. Welfare Officer: Rachel Bailey Dylan was formerly at Hampton & Richmond Borough, where Academy Directors: Mark Hams and he was highly rated as a young player. Adam Pittwood There was also a welcome return for Joe Pratley-Jones, who made his first appearance in over two months since sustaining a CLUB HONOURS rib injury. We took the lead after just six minutes, Alex Kelly making a run into F.A. Amateur Cup: Winners: 1972-3, the box to have a shot blocked, and Dom following up to drive home a Semi finalists: 1951-2, 1952-3 low, left-foot shot. Isthmian League Premier Division: Dom then struck a post, and Sean McCormack did likewise with a Runners-up 1972-3 superb shot from the left of the box. Division One: Runners-up 2004-5, It was surprising it took until the 35th minute for the second goal to Third Place 1993-4, 1996-7 come, P-J bundling the ball home from close-in following Harry Mills’ corner. Barassi Cup: Winners: 1973-4 Five minutes later it was 3-0 when Alex sent a terrific ball through to Premier Midweek Floodlit League: Dom, sending him clear into the box to calmly slot home. Winners: 1967-8, 1968-9, 1970-1. Dom completed his first-half hat-trick in the final minute of normal- Runners-up 1971-2 time with another decisive finish after being set up by Harry. Surrey Senior Cup: Winners: 1947- Alex almost set up a fifth goal early in the second-half with a terrific 8, 1950-1, 1960-1, 1961-2, 1970-1, run through the visiting defence that took him from the centre-circle to the 1972-3 Runners-up: 1946-7, 1951-2, right byline. 1959-60, 1969-70, 1971-2, 1973-4, But five minutes in Harry drove a low cross into the 6 yard-box from 2004-5 the right, for Sean to ram the ball home at the far-post. London Senior Cup: Runners-up: Both Josh and Dylan came on for their debuts, and Josh was just 1973-4 denied a first goal by the visitors’ keeper. Athenian League: Champions: 1968- After the goal-frame was struck for a third time, this time by a 9, Runners-up: 1950-1, 1969-70, defender trying to clear a Sean cross, the keeper again prevented Josh 1970-71 from getting a goal. Athenian League Challenge Cup: The visitors’ goal-frame was then struck for a remarkable fourth time Runners-up: 1969-70 when Stuart Baldwin sent in a superb lob from the edge of the box, only for the keeper to fingertip the ball against the crossbar. Corinthian League: Champions: After Josh showed his talents with some great play 25 yards out that 1946-7, 1947-8, 1948-9, Runners- up: 1949-50 finished with a shot that dipped just over, he finally got his goal, coolly finishing from the left of the box after being picked out by Harry. Southern Combination Cup: Winners: 1982-3, 1988-9, 1991-2, Next Saturday we make the short trip to Premier Division side Guildford 1999-2000, 2000-01, 2004-05 (Joint) City in the 3rd Round of the Buildbase FA Vase, and we remind anyone Runners-up: 1998-99, 2002-3 looking to attend of the ticketing arrangements. John Livey Memorial Trophy: With a good crowd expected, and it being limited to 300, City have Winners: 1991-2, 1993-4, 1996-7 advised the booking of tickets in advance, although there will still be Saft-Nife Shield: Winners 1996-7 admission on the day. Tickets can be booked on their website following the link: Walton & Hersham Football Club thelittleboxoffice.com/guildfordcityfc does not accept liability for any We want to see as many there as possible supporting the Swans on accidents to spectators either on what looks like being a special day, so make sure you don’t miss out. the football ground or its precincts. Children must not sit on, or in That looks like being our last match of the year, and at the moment our front of, the barriers next home game is not until Saturday the 16th of January, when we play surrounding the pitch; spectators Bedont & Feltham, but supporters should keep an eye out for any fixture are asked to help the Club by changes. ensuring that everyone remains behind the barriers as serious It should be noted the address for the club website is now injury, for which the Club cannot be www.waltonhershamfc.com held responsible, could occur. The floodlight pylons So we would like to take the opportunity of wishing everyone a good are dangerous, due to the high Christmas and a Happy New Year, hoping that 2021 is a much better and voltage used, accidents can be safer one. caused by attempting to climb In the meantime we hope everyone enjoys this evening’s match, has them. Would spectators a safe journey home afterwards, and stays well. please assist us by not allowing any person to indulge in this dangerous practice and if seen, please inform a club official. A History of Football in Dorking DORKING’S FOOTBALL HISTORY is a story combining nearly 200 years of rich local heritage with a remarkable modern day community success story. Football was first played in Dorking in the 1830s. The game was played in the street with the East and West of the town competing against each other in the annual Shrove Tuesday game. The first senior club, called Dorking FC, was formed in1880 and became founder members of Surrey FA. Football in Dorking became quite literally central to the town in 1953, when a new stadium was built at Meadowbank - an iconic, picturesque location just behind the High Street. Among many memorable occasions in the Corinthian and Athenian Leagues, the stadium’s high point came in 1992 when a record breaking crowd saw the latest version of Dorking FC take on Peter Shilton’s Plymouth Argyle in the first round proper of the FA Cup. Unfortunately, there was to be no happy ending as, not only did the visitors secure a narrow 3-2 win, but Meadowbank never witnessed such heady days again. Two decades of under-investment and decline saw a dilapidated Meadowbank stadium, once the pride of Dorking, closed for health and safety reasons in 2013. Meanwhile, Dorking Wanderers FC had been established in 1999. Founder members Marc White, Peter Buckland, Mark Lewington, Ian Davidson, Lee Spickett and Penny Gregg entered a fledgling team into the Crawley & District League, with home games played at Big Field in Brockham. The club remained at its village location for eight years until, after several promotions it relocated to its current Westhumble home. This was a monumental project, which saw a huge off the field effort transform the once derelict site into a new, senior standard football ground.