NORTH GREENFORD UNITED £1.50 A Warm Welcome where sold To Berkeley Fields EDGWARE TOWN Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division Tuesday 15th September 2020 Kick off 7.45pm Match Sponsor Andrew Swanzy Offi cial Matchday Programme WELCOME TO BERKELEY FIELDS We extend a warm welcome to the players, offi cials and supporters of Edgware Town for this Spartan South Midlands League match. We hope you enjoy a pleasant stay with us, along with the referee Thomas Healy and his assistants Aiden Farrelly and Aidan Dicer-Lawlor plus our match sponsor There are a small handful of players who have Andrew Swanzy and wish you all a safe been involved in both competitions. journey home. The team returned to Northampton and the Like most people, I am baffl ed about what three players, who had been in contact with we can do and what we cannot do during the infected person had to self-isolate. this Covid-19 pandemic. Do not worry, I am not going to try and make sense about the My fi rst reaction was that Northamptonshire’s changes that came into effect yesterday. Vitality Blast match, incidentally with Gloucestershire, would not go ahead because As a cricket fan and a Northamptonshire of government guidelines. supporter, for my sins, I was intrigued by their fi nal Bob Willis Trophy match. But it did minus the three players who had previously played the Vitality games. It has For clarifi cation, this competition was a to be noted we do not know the player who replacement for the County Championship tested positive. that did not start because of the current situation. However, as these players are all part of a club it surprises me that more players have Northamptonshire were playing the fi rst day not been affected. Admittedly, subsequently of this game against Gloucestershire at Bristol all players have since tested negative. But I and had reduced the hosts to 66-6 at lunch. believe you could be negative on one day but positive on the next as it takes time for this The match was then abandoned because virus to show symptoms. a player, who had not travelled with the Northamptonshire squad, had tested positive Has a precedent been set? What is the for Coronavirus. protocol if a North Greenford United player tests positive. Can you self-isolate Some clarifi cation is required here. a few players and carry on playing like Northamptonshire are playing two squads one Northamptonshire? for the Bob Willis Trophy and another for the Vitality Blast Twenty-20. Graham White 2019-20 North Greenford United v Edgware Town 3 NORTH GREENFORD UNITED FC BERKELEY FIELDS, BERKELEY AVENUE GREENFORD, MIDDLESEX, UB6 0NX TEL: 020 8422 8923 www.pitchero.com/clubs/northgreenfordunitedfc Patron: Marc Todd First XI Managers: Colin Jones President: John Bivens First XI Assistants: Chairman: John Bivens Paul Mills, Gary Brown Vice Chairman: Richard Rooney Under-18s Manager Dino Pashias Treasurer: Barbara Bivens Under-18s Assistants: General Secretary: Richard Rooney Mark Warwick, John Webb, Andy Martin Football Secretary: Barbara Bivens Club Coach: Chris Paladino Assistant Football Secretaries: Club Physio: Barbara Bivens Pat Hillier, Andy Martin Welfare and Safety Offi cers: Programme Editor: Graham White Barbara Bivens, Richard Rooney Website: Darren Barden Commercial and Development Offi cers: Groundsman: Steve Goldfi nch Barbara Bivens, Richard Rooney NORTH GREENFORD UNITED IS A MEMBERS CLUB RUN BY AN ELECTED COMMITTEE Affi liated to: The Middlesex Football Association Members of: The Spartan South Midlands Football League and The Allied Counties Youth League SPONSOR OPPORTUNITIES AT NORTH GREENFORD UNITED We are looking for sponsorship partners for North Greenford United play in The Spartan our club for the forthcoming season. South Midlands League Premier Division. Options can include: Pitch Perimeter Boards or Banners They regularly compete against local teams giving you increased advertising exposure in Web Site Advertising local communities. Match Day Sponsorship For more information contact Barbara Bivens Football Shirt Number Sponsorship on 07915 661580 or email barbarabivens@ talktalk.net WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT 4 North Greenford United v Edgware Town PREVIEW OF THE BLUES BIG GAME Welcome to this this evening’s SSMFL Premier Division match against Edgware Town. We again extend a warm welcome to our visitors, to the Wares manager Fergus Moore, his management team and players, along with the club’s committee members and supporters, and hope you all have a safe journey home after the game. Our second league game last season was also against the Wares, played on the club’s 3G pitch. On that occasion, after being well beaten by Biggleswade United in our opening match, we had taken a 2-goal lead midway through the second half with Georgie Brown adding to Dan Clifton’s fi rst half opener, only to then see Edgware score four in the fi nal twenty minutes. COLIN JONES We never managed to stage the return fi xture anything like as well as we had hoped. A at Berkeley Avenue. The original fi xture disappointing FA Cup performance, which saw scheduled for 21st December 2019 was our involvement in the competition ended by postponed due to a waterlogged Berkeley Gloucestershire side Brimscombe & Thrupp, Fields pitch with the game re-arranged for 3rd was followed by another disappointing display March suffering the same fate. at Arlesey Town. Both were games we could and should have won had we taken our And the Covid-19 lockdown put paid to any chances. chance of getting the match played on the third re-scheduled date – 24th March. For their part, the Wares successfully negotiated their fi rst FA Cup hurdle by That fi rst postponement came at a time winning 6-5 on penalties after their tie against when Edgware were enjoying a fi ne run with Ardley United ended in a goalless draw. fi ve wins in six games, taking the club up to a healthy mid-table position on 25 points. They were unable to repeat this success at Although in the New Year, the Wares results Fairford Town in the next round, however, on were mixed, the club held onto their mid-table this occasion losing out 4-2 in the kicks from position and were occupying 10th spot on 42 the penalty mark after another drawn game, points when the league was suspended. which ended 2-2 after 90 minutes. We would of course have given anything to This is our visitors’ opening league game and have ended up in a similar position, but at they will obviously be keen to start their new that point, despite an excellent run in which season’s campaign with a win. we chalked up 17 out of a possible 24 points to take us above London Colney at the foot We will, of course, be equally determined to of the table, we were still seven points adrift put the two disappointing defeats behind us of the club immediately above us – Arlesey and put our fi rst points on the board. Let’s Town. hope we can do just that in what should be a competitive and hopefully entertaining Unfortunately, after a reasonably promising contest. COYB! pre-season programme, we have not kicked off this season’s competitive campaign Pat Hillier THIS PAGE IS SPONSORED BY STEVE GOLDFINCH North Greenford United v Edgware Town 5 MEET THE RETURNING BLUES 2020-21 SAM HOUSE (Goalkeeper): Experienced ETHAN RELF (Defender/Midfi elder): Ethan goalkeeper who signed for NGU in July 2019 and was previously at the University of Northern Ohio whose previous club was AFC Hayes. He made on a football scholarship. He signed for NGU in 26 appearances last season and was named September 2020. manager’s and supporters’ player of the year. JOE MILLS (Midfi elder): A talented young central midfi elder who was a regular in the KOJO AGYEMAN (Defender): Very promising previous season’s successful Under-18s side. He young defender who signed for the club in July signed for the fi rst team in July 2019 and made 23 2020 from Waltham Abbey. appearances last season. RYAN KIRWAN (Defender): Talented and pacy TOLUWALOJU JAMES (Forward): Strong young young defender who signed for NGU in August forward who signed for the club in July 2020. His 2019 and made 13 appearances last season. previous club was Linby Colliery in Nottingham who he played for while at University. He was also TOM WARD (Defender): An experienced, a member of Gary Brown’s Under-18s squad. versatile defender who signed for NGU in July CONOR MOLYNEAUX (Forward): An 2018 having played for Broadfi elds the previous experienced, versatile forward who joined NGU season. He signed again for the Club in July 2019 from Delaford Colts towards the end of the and made 28 appearances last season. previous season and re-signed for the club in July 2019. He made 28 appearances last season. CALLUM ROGERS (Defender): An experienced centre-half who played for Harefi eld United last DANIEL CLIFTON (Midfi elder): A strong and season. He was also a member of assistant versatile midfi elder who signed for NGU in July manager Gary Brown’s Under-18s squad. 2019 and whose previous club was Harefi eld United. He made 16 appearances last season. GEORGIE BROWN (Midfi elder): A talented ex- SAM MOLYNEAUX (Defender/Midfi elder): An NGU Under-18s midfi elder who re-signed for the experienced, versatile player who joined from club in July 2019 making 30 appearances last Delaford Colts towards the end of the previous season. season and re-signed for the club in July 2019. He made 22 appearances last season.