HISTORY INDEX


Bank of England Soccer Section AGM - Hon Secretary's Report

Season 2010/11

Back On Track and Reaching Higher

Last season’s report began with a quote from Bill Shankly, emphasising the importance of loyalty and a plea to all club members to rally support and improve availability and commitment to turn a poor 2009-10 season around in the following year.

This season we are proud to report that the club’s response to this call was considerable, leading to significant progress in terms of league positions for the top three sides, with the 1st team a whisker away from promotion, a series of club socials and a well-attended club tour to Cologne.

These results were achieved by a campaign to improve morale, and to galvanise the energy and commitment of existing members with a view to attracting new recruits:

  • Mark Woodward wrote a motivational letter to all members to encourage more collective responsibility for the club’s fortunes
  • A poster campaign was designed and displayed by Richie Taylor
  • Ayyaz Ishaque and I led a recruitment campaign that included spreading the net to Universities, the FSA (supported by Jerry Jones) and local community networks
  • The social events calendar was refreshed by Gary Hyett
  • Training was modified in response to member suggestions
  • We secured the voluntary support of John McDonagh, former 1st team coach, to work with Ayyaz Ishaque in the running of the 1st team

    • The impact of these activities was immediate, with more players applying for sponsored guest member places than we had seen for several seasons, team performances significantly improved across most teams and sustained attendance at training throughout most of the season, although securing regular captains for the 4th and 5th teams has proved difficult.

    The First XI, despite not reaching the LFFA Cup Final for the first time since 2003-04, came 3rd in the Southern Amateur League 3rd division with four points needed from their last two games to gain promotion in 2nd place. Unfortunately they eventually lost out to Merton, but still a fantastic improvement and we all have high expectations for their successful return to the 2nd Division during 2011-12.

    The Second XI, determined to win promotion to Division 2 after their disappointing 8th place last year, secured more points than previously, turning out consistently good performances. However, good play was not always reflected in the results and that elusive 2nd place, still a possibility with three games to go, was not to be.

    Jerry Jones in his third and final year as captain for the Third XI steered the team to achieve 8th spot on 23 points by playing good possession football and achieved a significant improvement on last year’s 10th spot.

    Of the lower sides, the Fourth XI fought valiantly to avoid relegation from minor league (South) Division 5, eventually finishing bottom, one point below the two teams above.

    The Fifth XI again enjoyed some good results this season, winning eight games and finishing 4th in Division 7 (South), a position they failed to keep in the run up last year and this time successfully holding on to.

    The Sunday morning Vets XI have had mixed fortunes this season winning seven and losing seven matches, also being knocked out of the Vets Cup in the second round. Mick Harris, co-captain, was again top scorer with nine goals.

    Morale and club spirit has been much lifted after these improvements and the club tour in May to Cologne re-established our annual tradition of cultural European exploration.

    Again, off the field there has been much to commend, with key club members deserving our praise and commendations, for playing or supporting the club in a voluntary capacity: Ayyaz Ishaque, Paul Cheetham, myself of course, Jerry Jones and the group of players sharing the captaincy of the 4th and 5th teams for leading the 5 teams each week, and of course for Mike Harris continuing to lead the Vets. Thanks also to Adam Boothroyd, supported by a range of volunteers, for the lively and improved weekly training sessions.

    Special thanks to all the committee members, for their lively and important contributions to the running of the club, including Gary Hyett as Social Secretary and his organisation of the annual dinner, social events and club tour, Mike Redhouse’s invaluable work organising fixtures and referees each week, Alan Powell’s ambassadorial work at the club each Saturday in providing hospitality to the referees and visiting captains, Dean McShane’s sterling management of the 100 club, Peter Willsher’s improved membership records, Andy Moss for maintaining the club Website and Mark Woodward’s excellent oversight of the club in his role as Chairman. To conclude, a special mention for Phil Bunn, whose expert accounting, keeping us financially on track for many years, has now come to an end. Lastly, a very special mention to John McDonagh for his efforts and commitment towards improving 1st team performances and results, all on a voluntary basis. We hope his work will give us the platform to get us back to the heady heights of a fourth place finish in 2nd Division, a feat achieved when he was Head Coach during the 2004-2005 season.

    Looking forward, we have been busy recruiting new players to achieve just that and hope to see a full turnout at training on 27th July. Pre-season training will focus on Fitness for Football, and we can assure you that it will be a hard but fun and enjoyable experience.

    Finally a big thank you to all members for responding to the call for greater commitment and for playing a part in restoring our pride in this fantastic football club.

    Steve Pisano (Hon.Secretary)