FORESTOFFICIAL MATCHDAY PROGRAMME 2017/18 WALTHAM FOREST V SPORTING BENGAL UNITED Essex Senior League 16.9.17 Waltham Forest Football Club Match Day Centres, Wadham Lodge, Kitchener Road, Walthamstow, London, E17 4JP Chairman: Turgut Esendagli Vice Chairman: Steve Howe Company Secretary: Vacant Treasurer & Hospitality Manager: Vacant Secretary: Andy Perkins Communications Manager: Andrzej Perkins ([email protected]) Club Historian: David Chapman Directors: Tony Brazier, June Brazier, Mustapha Cetinkaya, Turgut Esendagli, Kemal Soper Life Members: A. Brazier M.B.E., J. Brazier, D. Chapman, D. Crabb, C.E. Gross, K.J. Harris, S. Howe, G. Larkbey, A McLean, A. P. Perkins, D. Salmon, C. Ward, D.E. Ward Club Honours Waltham Forest F.C. and Leyton Pennant F.C. Pennant F.C. and Walthamstow Pennant F.C. 1995 – Present 1965 – 1995 Essex Senior Cup Winners: 2005/6 London Senior Cup Runners-Up: 1990/1 Essex Senior Trophy Winners: 1995/6 London Junior Cup Winners: 1974/5 Eastern Flootlit Cup Winners: 1997/8, 1998/9 SW League Junior Cup Winners: 1968/9 Essex & Herts Champion’s Cup Winners: 1996/7 SW League Intermediate Cup Winners: 1969/70 Essex & Herts Border Comb Cup Winners: 1996/7 SW League Senior Cup Winners: 1970/71 London Intermediate Cup Runners-Up: 1996/7 SW League Premier League Winners: 1972/3 London Challenge Cup Runners-Up: 1995/6, 1996/7 London Metropolitan League Winners: 1974/5 Suburban League Division Winners: 2005/6 London Metropolitan League Runners-Up: 1978/9, Essex County FA Website of the Year: 2012 1979/80, 1981/2 London Metropolitan League Intermediate Cup Youth Teams Runners-Up: 1977/8, 1978/9 EJA Under 18s Trophy Winners: 2003/4 Spartan Reserve League Winners: 1980/1, 1990/1 EJA Under 15s Trophy Runners-Up: 2014/5 Spartan Reserve League Runners-Up: 1987/8 Conference Youth League: Winners: 2005/6 Spartan Reserve League Cup Winners: 1980/1, Pelly Cup Runners-Up: 2005/6 1988/9, 1990/1 2 THE EDITOR ANDRZEJ PERKINS Good afternoon, and welcome to Wadham Today’s opponents, Sporting Bengal, have Lodge for this tie against Sporting Bengal enjoyed a good start to the season, and are United. comfortably mid-table (if there’s such a thing less than ten games in), so we’ll have to be at Though it is only early in the season, there’s our best again if we want to get anything from already a feeling of not wanting to get caught the game. up at the wrong end of the table. With a possibility of as many as four teams getting In honour of our visitors today, we’ve got two relegated come the end of April, wins like long reads on Bangladeshi football. On page Tuesday’s one against Woodford Town are all 20, there’s the forgotten story of Bangladesh’s the more important. football revolutionaries, and on 24 we’ve got a piece on why Bangladesh is in love with We started slowly, and there was only really Maradona. two shots in the entire first 40 minutes - both coming from Woodford Town - one hitting the Remember, you can sign-up to receive this bar, and the other going in. programme for free to your email inbox after every game. Sign up at walthamforest-fc.co.uk, But we soon found our feet, and the rain helped or give me a shout this afternoon. quicken up what was until then a rather slow pitch. By the time Town had a man sent off, Enjoy the game, it was one-way traffic, and they couldn’t deal with our attacking movement. In truth, they Andrzej were fortunate to get away with just conceding four. 3 THE TREE SURGEON CHARLIE WARD Today we take on Sporting Bengal, who sit In defence of the manager, most of the changes above us following a decent start to the season, he made we born out of necessity as players but, if we can win today we leapfrog them in were not available, but, I still feel he needs the table to get a settled side of players who will be regularly available and go from there. Since our last game here against Wadham Lodge, where we collected our first League I know he will not tolerate players with win of the season, we collected a draw at what he considers a bad attitude, but, I Clapton. After an excellent first half, where we also feel that he should perhaps have took a two goal advantage into half time, but spoken to those players and tried to allowed them to steal a point with a two-goal get them to understand his methods comeback. and reasons for doings and playing certain After that we entered September and it is fair formations - just to say, that apart from last Tuesday, we haven’t to discard enjoyd the best month so far. We have lost them is two League games and exited the FA Vase, possibly conceding nine goals and scoring none in the wasting processes. some talented Thankfully, we managed to get back on track players. with a good 4-1 win at Woodford Town. After conceding an early goal - we got level by half But, then, time and with a man advantage finally found I am not the our scoring boots to add three more, two of person who is charged which were superb individual efforts. with getting results from a virtually brand new squad. During our wretched run of ten days, I know thoughts turned to the position of the manager I am slightly perplexed with and whether we should replace him. players that think they know better, given the manager and Now I cannot class him as a friend, merely a coaches have a proven track football mate and I would say he has made record in coaching young mistakes and not sticking to a settled side and players. constantly changing formations are two of them (I am not saying anything in this column They have experience of that I have not already said to him). getting the best out of young talent and know what is We have used four goal keepers already and required, so why players that is too many - I personally think that he would not listen to what should have started with Mohammed Ahmed they are being told, I am not who never let us down last season and I sure. thought deserved the chance to be first choice, I understand that there has but, now he is injured so will have to wait his been an attitude of some turn. players who feel they should 4 not be playing at our level for a club that has Premier Division, so our players are getting limited resources and on the face of it is going noticed by senior non-league clubs. nowhere. Finally, as mentioned before, they are working I can come up with several good reasons under people who are good coaches and can for them to come to us as they forge a motivate and improve young players. career. My last point would be to those people who Firstly, we have a direct link with seriously thought of getting rid of the manager Crawley Town of the League 2 and if - wo would we get in to replace him? they impress, they could well be snapped up. Let us look at what we have to offer - a club in the Essex Senior league, with minute gates Secondly, they are and no budget for players - there is no way we playing for a would get an experience manager applying for club that has the job - when we had one last season, in Kem already Kemal, who’s record at our level and above seen three is impressive, could not get us near to the players top three after a strong start and left before sign on Christmas. contract for clubs So all we would be doing is swapping one in the inexperienced manager for another, we have Isthmian tried that a few times already and it got us a place in the bottom two. Let’s face it, until the club can either find increased finance or can substantially reduce our costs, the club are treading water trying to keep afloat and I feel that we have a good a manager and the best man for the job in our current position and I believe he will get us playing well again. All he has to do now, is to start getting the team playing like he did at the end of last season and if he can do that, then I am sure we will start to rise up the table. 5 QAYUM SHAKOOR QAYUM Q’S CORNER Q’S We have endured The dismissal of one of their players before a roller coaster in the break gave us the perfect opportunity to form the last couple go on and win the game and unlike the second of weeks, I have half against Wadham Lodge, where we barely to say that, troubled a team down to ten men and with at times, I was a stand in keeper, we kept moving the ball, frustrated beyond pulling their players in all directions and made belief. our superior numbers pay. After gaining our first The other thing that I was impressed with was win of the season the way we toughened up after seeing the against Wadham home team trying to bully us in the first half. Lodge and putting in a tremendous first I feel that our players have the ability, but, half performance against some do not always take the right option in Clapton, only to undo all of the final third and their decision making and our good work in the second composure could be better, but, they are a half, we then went through young side and as they mature, I am sure they hell for the next three games, will improve on that aspect of their game.