NORTH GREENFORD UNITED £1.50 A Warm Welcome where sold To Berkeley Fields COCKFOSTERS Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division Saturday 2nd March 2019 Kick off 3pm Match Sponsor Mark Harfi eld and Dizzy Barden Offi cial Matchday Programme 2 North Greenford United v Cockfosters WELCOME TO BERKELEY FIELDS We extend a warm welcome to the players, offi cials and supporters of Cockfosters for this Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division fi xture. We hope you enjoy a pleasant stay with us, along with the referee Andrew Tregoning and his assistants Gareth Burton and Callum Parrish plus starting at 3pm on a Saturday. If you are our match sponsors Mark Harfi eld and abroad though it is permissible to watch Dizzy Barden and wish you all a safe streaming of an English game at that time. journey home after the game. Many clubs in non-league now have a video If you are of a certain age, you will not man to give full 90 minutes coverage of their remember the era when the only live games although it cannot be shown until domestic games on TV would be the FA Cup 24 hours later. This is likely to be due to the fi nal. That was certainly the case back in the Saturday afternoon restrictions. 1970s. One club at Step Five has taken things a To watch a game in its entirety you would step further. For on Tuesday evening Spartan have to go to your chosen ground otherwise South Midlands League Premier Division side rely on the highlights packages provided Biggleswade United gave full live coverage of by the BBC’s Match of the Day on Saturday their home game against Harpenden Town, evening or the regional football programmes which for the record, they managed to clinch on ITV on a Sunday afternoon. a 4-1 win. It was given plenty of advertising on their Twitter feed and there was even This was obviously before Sky and BT Sport a picture of Biggleswade United chairman who between them provide adequate live Guillem Balague’s television which was coverage on TV including some non-league showing the game. fare with several matches in the Vanarama National League being covered. A new As far as I know our game on Tuesday was initiative that has become popular this season not televised, certainly not in its entirety. It has been streaming of games especially in should have been because it was a fi ne 1-0 the English Football League where you can win against Leighton Town. pay £10 to watch your chosen team in action. However, this only applies to midweek games Graham White because there is a restriction on live games 2018-19 North Greenford United v Cockfosters 3 NORTH GREENFORD UNITED FC BERKELEY FIELDS, BERKELEY AVENUE GREENFORD, MIDDLESEX, UB6 0NX TEL: 020 8422 8923 WEBSITE: www.northgreenfordunitedfc.co.uk Patron: Marc Todd First XI Managers: Paul Palmer, Matt Penfold President: John Bivens First XI Coach: Mark Nicholls Chairman: John Bivens U-18s Managers: Colin Jones, Paul Mills Vice Chairman: Richard Rooney U-18s Assistants: Mark Warwick, John Webb Treasurer: Barbara Bivens U-18s Secretary: Andy Martin General Secretary: Richard Rooney Club Physio: Barbara Bivens Membership Secretary: Barbara Bivens Welfare and Safety Offi cers: Football Secretary: Barbara Bivens Barbara Bivens, Richard Rooney Match and Fixtures Secretary: Pat Hillier Commercial and Development Offi cers: Programme Editor: Graham White Richard Rooney, Barbara Bivens Website: Steve Goldfi nch, Pat Hillier 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 Cockfosters PREVIEW OF TODAY’S BIG GAME Welcome to this afternoon’s SSMFL Premier Division match against Cockfosters. We welcome the Cockfosters manager Ryan Wade and his management team as well as the club’s committee members and supporters, and hope you all have a safe journey home after the game. Since the beginning of the New Year just about everything that could have gone wrong at the club has – both on and off the pitch. Off the pitch a serious break-in and damage to the club house was followed by the shared public car park being occupied for nearly a week by travellers. And on the pitch the worst spell of weather so far this season led to the postponement of three home games on the spin at the beginning of February. When we were able to play, performances MATT PENFOLD on the pitch were generally disappointing. Although the away defeat to London Tigers diffi cult and frustrating season to date the at the beginning of January was followed by highlights being an early league away win in a spirited 4-4 home draw with then league August against Edgware Town, draws against leaders Tring Athletic, this was in stark London Tigers, Stotfold and Leighton Town in contrast to our next home game when we lost September, a home victory over Leverstock 3-0 to London Colney. Green in October and a remarkable 5-5 draw against Crawley Green in November. We then suffered a 4-1 defeat at Harpenden Town providing the Harps with three vital It could well be argued, however, that today’s points taking us down into the Premier visitors’ biggest success during their current Division relegation zone. Our hopes were campaign has been their two comfortable lifted the following Saturday when we home victories over us, winning by two goals travelled to face Leverstock Green and came to nil in the Premier Division League Cup tie away with all three points after a morale back in October, and beating us 3-1 in the boosting 2-1 win. But then a further setback, Premier League game played at the end of losing our next two away matches: by 2-1 at November. Since that match though the only Crawley Green and 2-0 at Potton United last league points Cockfosters have earned have Saturday. come in an 3-1 away win over Crawley Green in January and a 2-2 home draw in their last On Tuesday evening, however, when the club game against London Colney. They currently entertained an in-form Leighton Town team sit just one place and one point above we secured a narrow but crucial 1-0 victory at Stotfold at the foot of the Premier Division the end of a scrappy contest in which every table. outfi eld player, supported by a superb Frazer Siddall display between the sticks, had battled Given their current league positions, both tirelessly throughout the 90 minutes to keep clubs will clearly be desperately keen to a clean sheet and protect the only goal of the secure a win and three more badly needed game scored by Petrit Krasniqi – his fi rst for points so a hard-fought competitive game is the club – some ten minutes after the break. virtually guaranteed. Like us, Cockfosters have had an extremely Pat Hillier THIS PAGE IS SPONSORED BY STEVE GOLDFINCH North Greenford United v Cockfosters 5 MEET THE UNITED BLUES FRAZER SIDDALL (Goalkeeper): Experienced ERIC SOWONOLA (Defender/Midfi elder): and reliable goalkeeper who signed for NGU in Promising young player who signed for NGU October 2018 and whose previous club was Rozel in January 2019 and who has also played for Rovers. Harrow Borough’s Under-23s Development Team. KEVAL PATEL (Goalkeeper): Promising SAMMY ADAMS (Midfi elder): Played for the goalkeeper who signed for NGU in January 2019 NGU Under-18s and Reserve Team before being having played for Harrow Borough’s Under-23s promoted to the fi rst team squad last season. He Development team. has played for several clubs this season before re-signing for NGU in January 2019. DARREN ANKOMAH-BREW (Defender): A promising young defender who has played for BEN LONG (Midfi elder): Experienced midfi elder Cricklewood Wanderers and Rayners Lane before who signed for NGU in July 2018 having played signing for NGU in November 2018. for Southall last season. DUJON DESAGURANTE (Defender): Talented EMMANUEL NDUKWU (Midfi elder): A talented defender who signed for NGU in January 2019, young player who signed for NGU in January his last club being Harefi eld United. 2019 having previously played for Harefi eld United. HARVIE GARDINER (Defender): Promising young full-back who has been a member of the MARK NICHOLLS (Midfi elder): A highly Hayes & Yeading Under-23s Development Team. experienced ex-professional player who was a Signed for NGU in December 2018. member of Neil Shipperley’s management team and has recently returned to NGU to support the ANTHONY PAGE (Defender): Experienced fi rst team as a player-coach. defender who signed for NGU in July 2018 having played for Southall last season. SAMUEL OLANREWAJU (Midfi elder): Promising young wide midfi elder who signed for NICK TURNER (Defender): Very experienced NGU in January 2019 and who has also played central defender who was a key player in the for Harrow Borough’s Under-23s Development double winning season 2009-10, and played for Team.