2019-20 16 November 2019 • BetVictor Southern League Division One Central • The Meadow, Chesham Aylesbury United versus Bedworth United The Gold Club The club is grateful to all those supporters who have joined the Gold Club this season Steve Baker Daniel Cadwell Steve Cadwell Pete Chilcott Graham Durban Dan Harvey Martin Hearn Rob Hiscock Richard Livings Brian Metcalfe Jim Rayner Steve Woodage Gold Club members enjoy: • A season ticket for all home league games • Members-only Aylesbury United polo shirt • 3 exclusive pre-match meals with a talk from the manager • An advert in every matchday programme for business members. Visit bit.ly/aufcgoldclub to sign-up now The Gold Club Welcome to The Meadow Aylesbury United FC 01296 487367 aylesburyunitedfc.co.uk Chairman Graham Read Vice chairman Ken Turnbull General secretary Steve Baker Fixture secretary Ian Pluck Directors James Byrne, Brian Metcalfe, Ian Pluck, Alan Sherwell, Warren Sheward Welfare officer James Byrne Safety officer Warren Sheward Here’s hoping for better weather today than against North Leigh Ladies team chairman Andy Foster ood afternoon to the Southern match at home 21st Century Ducks and welcome League Premier against Bedford chairman Zana Saunders G Matchday hospitality to The Meadow for Central. They Town last Saturday, Muriel Turnbull this match against were relegated the only to draw 3-3 First team kit Ron Schmidt Bedworth United. following season, at the final whistle. Web editor Luke and ended up in Meanwhile, the Buckingham-Brown Photographer Mike Snell It’s been a while the Norther Premier Ducks notched Programme editor since the two sides Division One up a hard-fought Paul Snell met, with the most Central. Another 1-0 win away at St recent meetings play-off victory, Neots Town. Legal name Aylesbury United Football in the 2014-15 this time against Company no. 05814026 season. The Ducks Stamford, saw Don’t forget, the Significant interests lost both those them promoted 21CD Meet the (Shareholder/ games, conceding once more, only Manager and Quiz Shareholding) Graham Read: 49% four on both to be relegated last Night takes place 21st Century Ducks: 39% occasions. season returning at Rivets Social them to the same Club on Monday, Bedworth finished league as us. starting at 7.30pm. @aylesburyutdfc fourth that season, We hope to see as qualifying for The Greenbacks many fans there as @aylesburyunitedfc the play-offs and are currently in possible. flick.kr/ beating Barton 13th position. aylesburyunited Rovers in the final They were 3-1 up Up the Ducks! issuu.com/ to earn promotion in their previous aylesburyunited About Aylesbury United ylesbury United a year later a local lad for the ‘Duck Walk’ goal Awas founded in called Cliff Hercules celebration as Aylesbury 1897 when three local made his debut. ‘Hercy’ reached the third round sides, Night School FC, is an Aylesbury icon, losing to Premier League The Printing Works and and hung up his boots Queen’s Park Rangers at Aylesbury Town, decided 20 years later having Loftus Road. to merge. The club, smashed club records nicknamed the Ducks due with 669 appearances Rollercoaster ride to the famous Aylesbury and 301 goals. breed, has experienced Steve Ketteridge delivered some incredible highs Promotion to the the Isthmian League Cup, over its 112-year history Southern Premier was but it was the beginning but are now without a soon achieved and of a rollercoaster ride for home ground of its own. shortly afterwards the the club. After almost Ducks moved to their going out of business, United played in local new Buckingham the Ducks were pipped leagues before joining the Road stadium. Gould’s to the Isthmian League Spartan League in 1908 talented squad secured title by Sutton United in where we remained until the Southern League 1998-99. The following the Second World War. Championship in 1987-88 season saw the Ducks and gained promotion to in administration and Fame and the FA Cup the Vauxhall Conference. fighting for survival on and off the pitch. Despite Ducks first tasted national That year the Ducks defeating Reading in the publicity in 1951 as they became the only non- Berks and Bucks Senior became the only club league side ever to take Cup for the second time from the Delphian League on the full England team, in four seasons, the club ever to reach the First as over 6000 packed into was relegated to Division Round of the FA Cup, Buckingham Road to see One for the first time in its losing to Division Three the Ducks take on the history. Watford. Three Lions. In October 2000 Hercules Aylesbury turned semi- Between 1985 and 1992, took charge and secured professional in 1976 Aylesbury boasted the promotion back to the and joined the Southern best FA Cup record of any Isthmian Premier Division League, kicking off the side outside the Football and an FA Cup first round club’s most successful League, reaching at least trip to Port Vale. period. In 1983 the club the First Round Proper appointed Trevor Gould every season. In 1994-95 2002-03 saw Aylesbury as manager, and then the club became famous returned to national 4 | aylesburyunitedfc.co.uk prominence hosting Sven going close to the playoff The 2014-15 season saw Goran Eriksson’s England positions in the Midlands the club finish in 13th squad for training, and Division for the next place but reached the the club made its first three seasons but a new final of the Berks & Bucks appearance in the FA challenge arose when Cup for the first time in Trophy semi-final. the previous manager left 10 years, losing the final taking almost the entire 4-0 to Conference side Bring the Ducks home playing squad with him. Maidenhead United. In summer 2006 former This lead to another Tony Joyce tendered his chairman Bill Carroll turbulent season which resignation after six years cut ties with the club saw Martin Stone initially at the club following a he had been involved appointed as manager, disappointing start and with since 1997, having before resigning less was replaced by coach failed in his plans to than than two weeks Glyn Creaser. In Glyn’s convert the Buckingham before the first game of first full season in charge Road playing surface the season. His assistant he led the club to the to a third generation Byron Walton did a semi-final of the Southern artificial surface when sterling job assembling a League Cup and 13th the Southern League competitive team before position in league. and FA baulked at his former United defender ideas. Local businessman Tony Joyce became the Current manager Ben Graham Read took over new permanent manager. Williams was appointed the club, but the Ducks Unfortunately he was in January 2018 and led were left homeless after unable to prevent the the team to 13th place the lease expired. club’s relegation to the finish, followed up with a Spartan South Midlands 15th place last season. Since then United have League. been forced to play their Work continues to ‘home’ matches away Starting to rebuild identify opportunities to from Aylesbury while return to Aylesbury. This the committee work After two seasons of year the club was invited hard keeping the club steady improvement and to tender an offer for the alive. The campaign to finishes of sixth and fourth now derelict Buckingham ‘Bring the Ducks Home’ in the Spartan South Road. While that was was generated plenty Midlands League, the unsuccessful, the site is of publicity, but sadly Ducks clinched second now being offered on the nothing concrete in terms spot in the league and open market and the club of a new home. with it promotion back intends to resubmit a bid, to the Southern League, giving fans hope the team On the pitch the club as well as winning the may be able to return did remarkably well, Premier Division Cup. home in the near future. aylesburyunitedfc.co.uk | 5 Meet the Ducks Jack Hopwood Archie Davis Anthony Ball Jake Bewley Goalkeeper Goalkeeper Derek Feyi Sponsor: Ian Pluck Defender Defender Sponsor: Erika Robinson Defender Jordan Jenkins Dave O’Connor Jack Wood Defender Defender Sonny French Ollie Hogg Defender Midfielder Midfielder Sponsor: Darren Dixon-Smith Jamie Jellis Harry Jones David Manu Midfielder Melvy N’Somi Lewis Osborne On loan from Midfielder Sponsor: Tony & Ian Lowe Midfielder Midfielder Stevenage Borough Midfielder Mark Riddick Ben Seaton Jamie Rudd Midfielder Greg Williams Midfielder Midfielder Sean Coles Sponsor: David Horne Midfielder Forward 6 | aylesburyunitedfc.co.uk Ken Feyi Jacob Hutchinson Ben Williams Mike Hogg Forward Paul Batchelor Sponsor: Ken Turnbull Forward Manager Assistant Sponsor: G Williams Coach Builders manager Luke Robertson Joe Peacock Sports therapist Katie Pusey Assistant sports Assistant sports therapist therapist Featured Duck David Manu Appearances 11 Goals 5 Ducks debut 17 September 2019 vs Bedford Town Previous clubs Beaconsfield Town, Welwyn Garden City, Wingate & Finchley, Bedford Town, Uxbridge, Romford, Hanwell Town, Kings Langley, AFC Hayes, North Greenford United, Hertford Town Age 23 aylesburyunitedfc.co.uk | 7 The visitors he first Bedworth For season 1954-55, Bedworth TTown football club Bedworth joined the was formed in 1895. They Birmingham League United became founder members and qualified for the of the Nuneaton and Northern Section for District League in 1898, the league’s inaugural but had disbanded by First Division. A lack of 1900. success and problems off the field saw Bedworth Finishing runners up in Town change their name the Second Division of to Bedworth United the Coventry and North in 1968. In 1972 they Warwickshire League in obtained membership the 1904-05 season, the for the Southern League ECS changed their name Division One North.