SWANS #FOLLOWTHEYOUSWANS Bracknell.indd 1 01/11/2019 13:59:35 SWANS #FOLLOWTHEYOUSWANS Bracknell.indd 2 01/11/2019 13:59:35 SWANS STAINES v BRACKNELL TOWN TOWN Saturday 2nd November 2019 – kick-off 3:00pm BetVictor Isthmian League – Division One South Central CHAIRMAN Joe Dixon CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER Kevin Rowell CLUB SECRETARY Steve Parsons INTERIM MANAGER Mahrez Bettache ASSISTANT MANAGER Hamza Marchoud ANALYST Dan Bell DIRECTOR OF FOOTBALL/YOUTH MANAGER Peter Stanford THERAPISTS Sam Codling, Zoë Rush KIT MAN Steve Ryan YOUTH COACHES Jack Oxenham, Mitch Garrett #FOLLOWTHESWANS 3 Bracknell.indd 3 01/11/2019 13:59:41 SWANS ello again and welcome to Wheatsheaf Park for this, our second home League match in just five days. Today marks our first meeting with Bracknell Town in over 15 years, since a match in this division at Larges Lane in March 2004, which was notable for the fact that Kezie Ibe scored all four goals in a 4-3 Swans victory – this following up a 3-0 win here just a fortnight before. In fact, all our competitive meetings with Bracknell have come in three short bursts, beginning with a Spartan League double for Staines (including an 8-0 win), plus a win in the Spartan League Cup and a defeat in the FA Amateur Cup all in 1970 and ’71. From 1987 – 89 we met six times in the then Vauxhall Opel League Division 1, losing the first two without scoring a goal, then winning the next four without conceding one. Following a lone friendly in 2000, we met four times (three wins and a draw) in the leage between 2002 and ’04. To the players, officials, and supporters of “The Robins”, we wish a very warm welcome, and a safe trip back to Berkshire later on.We are still bottom, and still without a league win since 9 March, but responses like that lend justification to Mahrez’s squad rebuilding programme, and comparisons cannot realistically be made with last season while we remain competitive in all our League games, rather than shipping an average of 4 goals a time as we did in 2018/19. This is not to say we have been strangers to each other since 2004 … we’ve already met Bracknell twice at U18 level this season, losing heavily both times, the most recent being just on Wednesday at Larges Lane – reports of those games can be found elsewhere in this edition. Since 2004, we have followed rather different routes to end up back here at the same place. Staines of course went up to the Isthmian Premier that year, and thence to the Conference South for 6 seasons, dropping back in 2015, and then enjoying three more years in the Isthmian Premier before the switch to the Southern League and last season’s best-forgotten relegation season. Bracknell in contrast were switched to the Southern League Division 1 West (later South West) at the end of 2003/4, but endured six miserable seasons before finally having a campaign even worse than Staines’ of 2018/19, to slip into the Hellenic League. They even went down from the Premier in 2012, but quickly bounced back from Division 1 East, and then began a rise that will be an inspiration to all of us. In keeping with the major municipal improvements to the town itself, the club’s infrastructure was steadily improved, #FOLLOWTHESWANS 4 Bracknell.indd 4 01/11/2019 13:59:42 SWANS with the ground getting an impressive facelift and eventually an all-weather 3G pitch, a pioneering international academy was set up, and after finishing as Hellenic runners-up twice (the second time only on goal difference) they were promoted to this division last season, and again claimed 2 nd place. This exposed the cruelty of the play-offs, for, having disposed of Westfield, they were beaten 3-0 at home by a Cheshunt side who had scored 23 goals fewer, to miss out on promotion. This season has seen some upheaval on the managerial and playing fronts, but they were among the early season favourites, and, with new management installed in the shape of Mark Tallentire and Aaron Steadman, will be looking to make up the lost ground in the coming weeks. Our own fortunes have improved, with us thankfully climbing off the bottom on Tuesday, and in fact we came within a whisker of ending Hanwell’s unbeaten league record this season … but for yet another last minute winner. Mahrez has quickly shaped the team in his own image, and you can read his inspirational first programme notes elsewhere in this edition. As an aside, our last four games have produced a 3-2 win (we grabbed a winner in the last minute at Hanworth Villa), a 2-3 loss (Hertford ambushed us with two late goals in injury time), and two 2-2 draws (we scored very late at FC Romania, and Hanwell did the same to us on Tuesday night). So we could easily have ended up with four 2-2 draws in a row. That set me thinking – what is the longest sequence of identical results we’ve had? I could only ascertain this with any degree of reliability since 1943, and discovered, somewhat surprisingly, that the answer is only THREE. In July 2009, Steve Codery’s side won three successive friendlies, all 1-0 – here against Brentford, and then away games at Chertsey Town and Boreham Wood. So we’ll equal that if today’s game finished 2-2. As mentioned in the last edition [when the pictures of Zaid and Joel were unfortunately swapped over – apologies if anyone was confused], Mahrez has been busy recruiting new players. Here is the second half of the introductions begun on Tuesday (including the last one, a covering ’keeper, which is still hopefully being processed as I write these notes) … #FOLLOWTHESWANS 5 Bracknell.indd 5 01/11/2019 13:59:43 SWANS Arif HATTABI - Midfielder, 22. Signed from Walton & Hersham in October 2019, Arif previously played for Whyteleafe in season 2018/19, and before that with Sutton United. Earlier in his career he had a season in Gibraltar with FC Bruno’s Magpies, following a series of trials with clubs such as Crystal Palace. He is 5’8” tall, of Moroccan background, and has representative honours for Westminster Schools. Arif has already bagged two goals in his two appearances for us so far. Simeon OLARERIN - Right winger / right back, 18. Added to Mahrez Bettache’s squad in October 2019 after a few months with Hillingdon Borough, Simeon started as a junior with Brentford and had a spell training with the Crawley Town first team, before a move to Barnet. He started the 2018/19 season with Stevenage, and was then transferred to Wingate & Finchley. He earned a cap for the successful Middlesex U18 side. O.J. Michael OLAREWAJU - Defender / midfielder, 23. Signed from Tooting & Mitcham United in October 2019, from where he had also been dual registered at Hanworth Villa. He was without a club the previous season due to injury, but before that he had appeared for Chipstead, Merstham, Redhill, Dulwich Hamlet, and in the Academy programmes of Tottenham Hotspur, Leicester City, and Crystal Palace. Of Nigerian background, Michael is 6’3” tall, and can play either as a centre half or a holding midfielder. Dylan RANDALL - Striker, 18. This 6’3” tall forward joined Staines at the end of October 2019, having last played during a three year spell at Hampton & Richmond Borough – where he gained the distinction of being the youngest player ever to score a competitive First Team goal, aged only 16, and also his 40 goals in his season in the U18s. He started as a junior with Molesey, later moving on to Elm Grove and Leatherhead, has trialled with Ipswich and Derby, and has also had short spells at Egham Town and Hanwell Town. Jacob ADAMS - Goalkeeper, 19 [photo to follow]. Started as a junior with Chelmsford City and Broomfield FC, and Eastern Junior Alliance side Waltham Abbey, he stepped up into men’s football with Springfield last season, and was picked to represent the Essex Olympian League. This 6’ tall stopper started the current campaign at Southend Manor and Hullbridge Sports, before relocating to continue his studies and signing for the University of Surrey – and then joined the Staines Town family on Hallowe’en night. In addition, Matthew ROWELL, who was with us last season, has re-signed. Finally, another pair of Youth Team players have signed First Team forms, namely Johann AIDOO and Tom UNSWORTH. After today’s game, we then have a break from the League and an intriguing Middlesex Senior Cup tie on Tuesday, when we visit the superb new home of former Football League club Barnet. We hope as many of you as possible will go to The Hive to cheer the team on. We return to the battle for points in a week’s time, with a visit to another club in the lower half of the table, and hence a very important match, at Mayesbrook Park, home of Barking FC. Incidentally, did anyone spot this chap, doing his best to blend into the background on Tuesday night (with his ‘barely noticeable’ shock of pink hair?) – none other than Lyle Taylor, former Staines Town player, current Montserrat international and Charlton Athletic star, who came along to support his brother Joey. In doing so, he closely follows another international / Football League player and ex-Swan Terence Vancooten (of Guyana and Stevenage FC), who’s been along at least twice to watch brother Ashley Lodge compete in the old gold & blue.