Premier Division Fixtures
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OFFICIAL MATCH PROGRAMME Friday 27th December 2019 Spartan South Midlands League – Premier Division BIGGLESWADE UNITED v POTTON UNITED What’s Inside • Welcome • The Chairman’s View – Guillem Balague • (published Friday 20th December) • The Players • Highlights from our recent games • Current League Standings • Premier Division Fixtures • First Team Results and Fixture Dates • Biggleswade United Under 23 • Biggleswade United Ladies FC • Next Up at Second Meadow • Our Club History • First Team Appearances and Goals • Our Forthcoming Fixtures • Our Under 23s Forthcoming Fixtures • Venue For Hire Welcome Welcome to Second Meadow Good evening and welcome to Second Meadow for tonight’s Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division fixture. We extend a warm welcome to the players, officials and supporters of our visitors POTTON UNITED FOOTBALL CLUB. We also welcome our three match officials and we hope that you enjoy your short stay with us. Match Preview – Courtesy of Leon Waite @leonwaite98 2019 is nearly over and United will hope they can end a year of tremendous progress and evolution with a victory but just getting a game on would be a start. Saturday’s trip to Eynesbury Rovers was the latest match to be postponed amid the wintry weather, meaning it will be nearly three weeks since the last time the team took the field should Friday night’s local derby proceed as planned. While there has been nothing to report on the pitch, the departure of top scorer Lorrell Smith this week has provided a significant story off it. The pacey frontman’s 17 goals have helped earn him a move to National League North outfit Brackley Town and Smith was quick to praise the level of training he’s received since arriving at the club in the summer. A great example of the type of opportunities hard work and quality coaching can yield for a player - even if he will be sorely missed. Our Visitors Tonight – Potton United FC Potton United were promoted from the United Counties League Division One in 2017/18 and subsequently transferred to the SSML Premier Division where they finished 7th. They currently sit 15th in the table but are unbeaten in five in the league having drawn four consecutive games before winning 1-0 at Crawley Green. Add a 5-1 triumph over Eynesbury Rovers in the Premier Division Cup and their most recent outing on December 10, a 4-3 success over Step 4 Barton Rovers, and they’re undefeated in seven across all competitions. Ahead of their trip to United, it is worth noting The Royals have been far more effective on the road with 4 wins from 9 games compared a single win from ten at The Hollow. United won both meetings between the sides last term and the pair actually met twice the season before in the FA Cup with Potton prevailing 2-1 in a replay at Second Meadow after a 0-0 draw in the initial tie. The Chairman’s View Chairman Guillem Balague – published Friday 20th December When it comes to commenting on the as is the fairness of the fees that we are contributions made to local football in the being charged so eight sides of differing area by our local council and governing ages can train on them. On behalf of bodies, it's fair to say that in the past I everyone at the club, many thanks. haven't always been particularly complimentary. Grateful thanks also to the enormous help of the Bedfordshire FA Football That said, the financial constraints they Development Manager, James Petty who are compelled to work under means they has given us invaluable advice and face the thankless task of trying to please assistance with regards to who we need everyone, something we understand to contact, what boxes we need to tick perfectly well, precisely because the and what path we need to negotiate in paucity of funds we live with means we order that we can strive to secure the also struggle to function on a day to day maximum funding that we can for our basis. club. The lack of money is a serious enough The current weather conditions are truly problem but it is currently being dreadful. Last weekend's game at high- compounded by the elements that have flying Colney Heath was called off, as was recently conspired, not just to lead to the our game at Harefield United, scheduled postponement of matches, but also to for last Tuesday night. Our Bedfordshire disrupt training for all of our sides. Senior Cup game against neighbours Biggleswade Town also fell foul of the It is for that reason that we are weather and we have been unable to play inordinately grateful to the powers that a game, home or away, since December 7. be at Biggleswade Town Council, and in particular to, Works Manager, Bob Catchpole for the help and support he and the council have given us by allowing us to train on the municipal facilities in the town at the Stratton Way and Eagle Farm Road playing fields. The sterling efforts they have made to Continued overleaf keep the facilities in as tip-top a condition as the elements allow - especially considering the swamp-like deluge the whole country seems to be currently enduring - is a tribute to them, The Players.. BIGGLESWADE UNITED TV With thanks to Chris Thomas – our intrepid cameraman To watch the highlights from our recent games click on the links below. Leighton Town v Biggleswade United Biggleswade United v Leverstock Green Harpenden Town v Biggleswade United Biggleswade United v Dunstable Town. Biggleswade United v Harpenden Town Biggleswade United v Berkhamsted (friendly) Biggleswade United v Wembley Our Current League Standing Premier Division Results and Fixtures First Team Results and Fixtures Biggleswade United Under 23 Bedfordshire County League – Premier Division Biggleswade United Ladies Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Women’s League – Division 3 Pictured above: Biggleswade United Ladies FC with mascots from Biggleswade United Under10s Girls Next Up At Second Meadow SATURDAY 4TH JANUARY 2020 BEDFORDSHIRE COUNTY LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION BIGGLESWADE UNITED U23 V CRANFIELD UNITED TH SATURDAY 11 JANUARY 2020 SPARTAN SOUTH MIDLANDS LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION BIGGLESWADE UNITED V NEWPORT PAGNELL TOWN KICK OFF 3pm Our History 1959 - 1999 Biggleswade United Football Club was re-formed on the 16th July 1959. However, local history records indicate that there was a Biggleswade United side playing at Second Meadow as early as 1929. Our first season (1959/60) saw us competing in Division Three of the North Herts. League (NHL). After 10 successful years in the NHL the club made the step up to South Midlands League (SML) football. But towards the end of a 15-year association with the SML the club began to struggle and after three years of finishing in the bottom three of Division One we sought fresh fields. The club joined the Herts. Senior but club continued to find the going tough. In 1986 we elected to return to local League football, joining the Bedford and District Football League and began to build again. The appointment of Brian Swords as first team manager in 87/88 proved to be the turning point in the club's fortunes. During the next ten years the club achieved a tremendous amount of success on and off the football pitch. Our record of League and Cup honours speak for themselves but aligned to this a great deal of work went on behind the scenes to match the on-field success. The club now boasts one of the best clubhouse and ground facilities in the Mid-Bedfordshire area. The success of the club has also attracted many new players as well as commanding a great deal of loyalty from those players who helped the club progress from Division Three of the Bedford and District League to County Senior Club status in just 15 years. The 1995/96 season was the most successful in the club's history - winning five major honours; the Beds Intermediate County Cup, Bedford and District League Championship, League Cup Championship and as the League's representatives the club won the Beds. FA Centenary Cup. Having won every major Bedford League honour the club felt it was time to move on and made the decision to make the step up once again and returned to Division One of the SML. In an exceptionally successful first season we celebrated a Division One "double" by winning the Championship and the Division One Cup. We also retained the Beds. FA Intermediate County Cup, only the second club in the competition's history to achieve this feat. To crown our success the club were awarded the SML Special Achievement Trophy in July 1997. In the season 1997/98 we finally achieved Senior status. This was achieved not only through the endeavours of the players on the field but ultimately as a result of an extremely hard working committee. With the help of the Biggleswade Town Council a new stand was erected and perimeter fencing installed. And two seasons later the club erected floodlights and on the evening of 26th October 1999 we played our first-ever floodlit game at Second Meadow, Ryman League side Leighton Town were the visitors in the Bedfordshire Premier Cup. Our History 2000- 2019 The next eleven years saw the first team led by Steve "Snowy" Wright and under his management the club continued to enjoy a very high level of League and Cup success ultimately achieving promotion to the Molten Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division and with it the opportunity to compete in the FA Cup. And under Snowy the club made three Beds FA Senior Challenge Cup final appearances, winning two of the three with victories over Stotfold (4-1) and Leighton Town (1-0) but missed out in 2006/07 going down 2-0 to Dunstable Town.