ASHFORD TOWN MIDDLESEX F.C. vs Tooting & Mitcham United Tuesday 29th September 2020 | KO 7:45pm #ASHHER @ashfordtownmx 2 #ASHTMU ashfordtownmiddlesexfc.com CLUB PARTNERS If you would like to become a club partner please contact our commercial team: [email protected] #ASHTMU 3 @ashfordtownmx CONTENTS Page 6: From The Dugout - Luke Tuffs Page 8: Recent Action - Chalfont St Peter Page 10: Today’s League Fixtures Page 12: Today’s Opponents - Tooting & Mitcham United Page 24: League Directory Page 26: Fixtures & Results Page 28: League Table Page 32: CCL Under 18’s Page 34: The Non-League Paper Page 38: Today’s Squads Page 6 Page 10 Page 12 Page 26 Page 28 Page 32 Page34Page 38 4 #ASHTMU ashfordtownmiddlesexfc.com Ashford Town (Middlesex) Football Club Limited The Robert Parker Stadium, Short Lane, Stanwell, Middlesex TW19 7BH Telephone: 01784 245908 Email: [email protected] Website: ashfordtownmiddlesexfc.com Member of the BetVictor Isthmian League, affiliated to Middlesex and Surrey FA’s, and an FA Charter Standard Community Club Company Registration Number: 07904731 Company Limited By Guarantee Directors: Nick Bailey (Chairman) First Team Manager: Luke Tuffs Graham Felce (Vice-Chairman) Assistant Manager: Dean Greenwood Alan Constable (General Secretary) First Team Coach: Liam Balmer Paul Blair (Football Secretary) Goalkeeper Coach: Martin Cook Steve Clark (Finance Director) Chris Canderton (Membership Secretary) Physio: Lydia Matthews Russell Canderton Robert Parker Women’s Team Manager: Will Boye CCL Under 18’s Manager:Paul Gower Patrons: CCL Under 18’s Assistants:David Gully, Matt Hellyer Russell Grant - The Lord of Ashford in Middlesex Ray Dorset Groundsman: Liam Balmer President: Robert Parker Programme Edited by: Paul Gully for Elevated Online Website and Social Media:Elevated Online Vice Presidents: Lynne Morgan Bob Lewis Pat Munns Follow us across social media Stewart Lloyd Life Vice-Presidents: Paul Burgess Alan Constable Gareth Coates @ashfordtownmx #ASHTMU 5 @ashfordtownmx From the Dugout with Luke Tuffs Hi all, these are my first ‘programme notes’ ahead of our first home league game, throwing in a few updates and a few requests strangely as well! Firstly - a huge thank you to all of those of you who travelled to Hullbridge. It was a journey and a half but cup runs build clubs, both through excitement, financial return and the togetherness garnered from trips far afield, win or lose. I feel we achieved all of these objectives at the weekend! I thought the boys did their best to repay those that made the long journey, and put on an excellent performance in difficult conditions, with little time for pre match prep (the joys of a trip round the M25 into the middle of knowhere). As a group, players, management and supporters together, it’s very easy to get ahead of ourselves with a few good results in the bag, but it’s important we remain balanced and considered in our expectations and our approach. We will, without doubt, come across tough times this season, and we have to remember we are competing with clubs with far greater resources than us. This isn’t to say we can’t succeed, it’s saying we need to factor in what success looks like to us as a collective and understand there will be hard times as well, so we can all rally together if and when they appear. Of course we will absolutely take the highs and the good times of the previous weeks, and long may they continue, but balance, context and perspective is everything to building a house on rock. Tonight we face Tooting, our first encounter with one of the Leagues power houses, and it’ll be a good indication of where we are at as a group! A few player movement updates. As you’ll have seen we have signed Duffy from Hartley which is an excellent signing we couldn’t be happier to get over the line! In the other direction, we have been getting players game time on loans and duel registrations with other clubs. Callum Abraham Barlow is on loan with Badshot Lea in the CC Prem but with a view to this becoming permanent. Callum is a young lad with bags of potential and just needs to be playing. Brad Sweeney who was out for a month with a broken shoulder, needs minutes and will be spending the next few weeks with Step 5 side Oxhey Jets. We see Sweeney as a huge part of our future and look forward to his return! Aaron Petch is currently on loan to Badshot Lea also to get valuable minutes he so badly needs. I know Petch is an ashford boy at heart, and we can all see the talent he has. He knows what he needs to do to become a regular fixture with us. Sammy Balogen - hugely popular in the group - is looking to get regular minutes elsewhere. Again Sammy is just a young lad with ability that needs to play, and we are currently talking to a few clubs for him to source a duel reg or a loan. We hope Sammy doesnt move somewhere permanently but we understand that he does just need to play. 6 #ASHTMU ashfordtownmiddlesexfc.com You’ll also have noticed Samad isn’t regularly with us currently. Aside from a few knocks, Samad’s wife is due to give birth anytime now and I know you as we all will wish Samad and his wife good wishes and the best health. Finally from me - a huge well done to the Women’s team for getting through in the Women’s FA Cup and a good win yesterday in the league at Eastbourne. And at the time of writing - good luck to our Under 18 CCL team as they take on Cranleigh intheir first home league game. Thanks for all your support and on we go! Up the Tangerines, Tuffs #ASHTMU 7 @ashfordtownmx Recent Action Chalfton St Peter 0 - 1 Ashford 8 #ASHTMU ashfordtownmiddlesexfc.com vs Chalfont St Peter #ASHTMU 9 @ashfordtownmx Today’s League Fixtures Tues 29 Sept 2020 10 #ASHTMU ashfordtownmiddlesexfc.com #ASHTMU 11 @ashfordtownmx Today’s Opponents Tooting & Mitcham United Club History Tooting & Mitcham United FC was formed in 1932 when two local sides, Tooting Town and Mitcham Wanderers amalgamated, the club remaining in the London League until joining the Athenian League in 1937. In 1938 the Surrey Senior Cup was won for the first time by beating Dulwich Hamlet 2-1. Wartime then brought a mixture of friendly matches and a league called the South East Combination. The London Senior Cup was lifted in 1943 when Dulwich Hamlet were defeated 5-4. When the Second World War ended the club returned to the Athenian League and were Champions in 1950 and 1955. They also reached the FA Cup First Round Proper for the first time in 1948 unluckily losing by a goal to nil at Millwall and in 1950 reached the First Round Proper again with their first ever home tie against Football League opposition Brighton & Hove Albion, losing 3-2. The club was invited to join the Isthmian League in 1956, the premier amateur league in the South, and they switched from playing in white shirts to black and white stripes. That season saw the club reach the FA Cup Second Round Proper losing to Queens Park Rangers. In the 1957-58 season they were crowned Isthmian League Champions but were hit by tragedy when star goalkeeper Dave Moore was killed in a car crash soon after the title was won. In season 1958-59 the club reached the 3rd round proper of the FA Cup for the first time in its history beating Football League clubs Bournemouth and Northampton Town. In the third round they were drawn at home to Nottingham Forest, one of the top clubs in the country, and led the First Division side 2-0 at half-time but a own goal and a very controversial penalty for handball enabled Forest to scramble a draw. In the replay the Midlands side won 3-0 played before a crowd of 42,362 and they went on to lift the FA Cup at Wembley. The 1959-60 campaign was one of the best in the club’s history the Isthmian League Championship was won for the second time and Tooting reached four Cup Finals, winning two. The London Senior Cup was lifted as Bromley were beaten 5-0 and the Surrey Senior Cup was also won when Tooting defeated Walton & Hersham 3-0, great striker and Northern Ireland International Paddy Hasty getting a hat-trick. Paddy would also play for the Great Britain Olympic team in the 1960 summer Olympics and was the last player to score a goal for Team GB until 2012. Tooting were the first amateur side to reach the London Challenge Cup Final for over 30 years losing 2-1 to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. 12 #ASHTMU ashfordtownmiddlesexfc.com Tooting & Mitcham continued.... In March 1962 the club switched on their brand new floodlights and how bright they were, the game against Arsenal was a classic as the Gunners were beaten 4-2 in a never to be forgotten evening. The following season the team had a record 11-0 win over Welton Rovers in the Amateur Cup, the Tooting & Mitcham side containing several England Amateur Internationals. Young goalkeeper Alex Stepney was a local lad who had come through the Tooting ranks and at the end of the 1962-63 campaign he joined Millwall and later played for Chelsea, Manchester United and the full England side against Sweden, a proud moment for Tooting & Mitcham. Dario Gradi, who had an illustrious career as manager of Crewe Alexandra over a long period of time, also played for the Terrors in the early 1960’s.