NEWS LETTER Vol 2 No 4 Feb 2018

Welcome to members and non- The evening's total profit was £1,400. members alike for this latest edition. Thanks also to Graham Roberts and I hope that you enjoy reading it and Sue McCloud for their help on the will pass it on to your friends night. afterwards. Please note, as always, some of the opinions expressed are Next up is our 'piece de resistance' mine and not necessarily those of the Annual Dinner on Friday, 9th OWWSA as a whole. March. The price is £30 per head, with tables of ten the general rule. COMMITTEE NEWS The reason the cost has risen is At our last meeting, your committee because we have listened to decided to donate another total of comments made by members and £2,000 to the Club, so that the made it a waiter service as opposed electronic scoreboards can be to the queues to get your meal. The repaired. We felt that they were very meal itself is at 7:30, although the useful for keeping an eye on the time bar opens an hour beforehand. throughout a game, especially in light Please contact Sandie for further of our record of late goals this information regarding booking a season. table, plus details of the proposed three-course meal, including the SOCIAL EVENTS vegetarian options. A most enjoyable evening was had by all at our recent Quiz Night. A record The following have been invited as 26 teams entered, a credit to the OWWSA's guests: , hard work that Sandie Derben puts Richard Dobson, Roger Mott and into organising. The evening followed David Finch junior (OWWSA Auditor). it's usual course with James Herriot's Soapy Elbows coming out on top. The There will be the usual raffle and coveted wooden spoons went to The Marion is always on the lookout for Swans. Marion and Harold Lunnon donated prizes. again came up trumps with their raffle, which raised a profit of £488. NEWS LETTER Vol 2 No 4 Feb 2018

TRAVEL R. I. P. A further reminder about our The year has got off to a sad note proposed weekend trip to with the passing away of Peter Chesterfield for our last scheduled Birdseye, Jimmy Hay and Cyrille away game of the season. We have Regis. Much has been written about reached the point where we will all three and I won't repeat too much probably have to deem it a non- of it here. Peter was, at the time, our starter due to lack of sufficient oldest surviving player and the interest, which is a shame. Previous Father of a good schoolmate of mine, such trips have been very enjoyable Paul, who also had a long career and there could well be things to playing for us. Jimmy came down celebrate! from Scotland to find work in the early sixties. I last came across him The next away trip is on Saturday, about twelve years ago when he was 3rd March to Crawley. Cost for adult manager at Adderbury Park, who members is £14, senior members played in the Hellenic League at the £13 and junior members £12. For all time. non-members it is £19. Cyrille, who was a wonderful As usual please contact Rena or ambassador for the game, formed Graham by the Thursday evening to that superb partnership upfront with secure your seat. Simon Garner. I will always remember his wonderful goal in his Details of other forthcoming games final game for us on a scorching are available on the OWWSA afternoon at Leyton Orient. Our website. Please note that the game condolences go out to the Family and at Lincoln on Saturday, 7th April has friends of all three. had to be postponed due to their involvement in the Football League Trophy Final the next day. It will obviously be a Tuesday night out now. NEWS LETTER Vol 2 No 4 Feb 2018

ON THE FIELD over this period, I would just like to What can be said about our mention the versatile Dominic Gape performances since my last and the promise of Nathan McGinley, newsletter? For sheer entertainment who showed such calmness in an it could not have been bettered and, assured performance after replacing especially at Kenilworth Road, we the injured Dan Scarr at Exeter. He have shown what a good side we are. looks another in the - That performance was right up there Jason McCarthy mould. amongst my greatest moments of watching the Club. Of course there FROM THE PAST was then the amazing finish to the As this newsletter was scheduled for Carlisle game in which Marcus Bean, the visit to Cheltenham, I thought having reached the 100 game mark that I would look back to see what for us against Preston, became the we were doing on the equivalent 15th player to score in the league for Saturdays 5, 10, 20 and 30 years ago. us this season, which is why we have scored so many. In true style, he On 16th February 2013, during then follows up with another at Gareth's first season in charge, we Exeter! lost 1-0 away to our old friends Bristol Rovers in a League Two fixture The two goals by at with the following team: Luton means that he is the first Archer, McCoy (Spring), Dunne, player to reach 50 goals for us since Harriman, Winfield, Stewart, Grant we gained promotion to the Football (Morgan), Lewis, Kuffour, McClure League. has also (Oli), Wood. recorded two all-time records for us, being the first to play in 400 Football Five years previously, again on the League matches and also to pass 100 16th and again a League Two match, substitute appearances. it was a 1-0 home win over Rotherham, with a goal from big Without wishing to single out players Scottish defender David McCracken in what has been a true team effort and we lined up as follows: Fielding, NEWS LETTER Vol 2 No 4 Feb 2018

Martin, Woodman, Johnson, survive by the end of the season. Our McCracken, Holt, Torres, Doherty, goal came from feisty left-back Sean Knight (Bloomfield), McGleish Norman. Another defender, Michael (Sutton), Lennon. Barnes, played his only game for us in this line-up: February 14th 1998 and another Granville, Corbin, Norman, Barnes, home win in a League Division Two Barrett, Woodall, Barry (Greenaway), (now League One) game. This time it Boyland, West, Crossley, Durham. was 2-1 against, now boys, Burnley, goals coming from I wonder how many of those players Steve Brown and Paul McCarthy. We mentioned above are familiar with had a great record against them at any of you. in the five seasons that we played them, winning four in WHERE ARE THEY NOW succession, with scores of 4-1, 5-0, 2- I will start with something a little bit 1, 2-0, followed by a 1-1 draw on different. John Halls, joined us from their last visit. Our line-up twenty Aldershot (as did several others) years ago was: when Gary Waddock was manager. Taylor, Cousins, Kavanagh, Ryan, He signed just before the start of the McCarthy, Mohan, Carroll, Scott 2011/12 season but went on to play (Harkin), Stallard (Read), McGavin, just eight times due to a recurring Brown. injury and loss of form. He retired at the end of that season and set up his Thirty years ago we were still playing own male fashion business. Now Non-League football and had yet to though he actually treads the move to Adams Park. The Football catwalk as a highly successful male League wasn't in our thoughts as we model. travelled to Dagenham for a relegation battle in the Football On BT Sport a few weeks ago, St Conference on 13th February. A poor Mirren featured in an important performance and a 2-1 defeat didn't Scottish Championship game. help the cause, although we did Captaining them was Stephen NEWS LETTER Vol 2 No 4 Feb 2018

McGinn, while John Sutton was on the total Premier/Football League their substitutes' bench. Also, north list. We are in 72nd place (average of the border, Alex Jacubiak, who 4,372), while Burton, two divisions disappointed in a loan spell with us higher, are 67th with an average of last season, is now on loan at Falkirk. 4,710. Of the nine, Fleetwood are 84th with 3,211, while 92nd placed Another of our ex-loanees, Stephen Morecambe average just 1,443. O'Halloran, is at Stockport and featured in their recent FA Trophy What the article fails to grasp is that win over Maidenhead. Stephen was these clubs, on the whole, don't excellent during our League Cup come from the big cities or larger campaign of 2006/07. towns and would average more if people followed their local side FOOTBALL MATTERS instead of the big boys down the There was an interesting article in road. The Times' excellent Monday football supplement recently, although I Don't forget if any of you have any thought the heading was rather comments on the content of this condescending. It read 'Once a small newsletter or if there is anything you club, always a small club' and gave a wish to see included in the next table of average home attendances edition, please contact me on 07484 for this season for clubs new to the 723982 or mail me at Football League since automatic [email protected]. I would promotion from non-league was be really glad to hear from you. introduced in 1986/87. It didn't include those that had been League Dave Finch (OWWSA Committee clubs before and who had reformed Member) (Wimbledon and Newport). Nine of these clubs (Fleetwood, Cheltenham, Yeovil, Forest Green, Stevenage, Crawley, Barnet, Accrington and Morecambe) are the bottom nine of