Saturday 11th April 2015 Biggleswade United

V Kings Langley

The Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division

Saturday 4th April 2015

Biggleswade United v Kings Langley

Colours: Red / Navy Colours: White / Black

1 Grant Beckwith 1 Charlie Crowley

2 Stuart Richardson 2 Danny Hutchins

3 Adam Drakulic 3 Tom Carter

4 Martin Russell © 4 Jack Pattison

5 Ollie Peters 5 Stuart Deaton

6 Jason Darvall 6 Callum Adebiyi

7 James Chisholm 7 Lee Burgoyne

8 Jack Boyd 8 Dean Hitchcock

9 Tom Cookman 9 Mitchell Weiss

10 Nyasha Sagwete 10 Alex Campana

11 Sam Nair 11 Nick Jackson

12 Brett Leader 12 Connor Toomey

14 Hector Bataller 14 Ant Ladyman

15 Will Wright 15 Ollie Cox

16 Jake O’Neill 16 Lewis Toomey

17 George Melrose 17 Joe Debayo

18 Tre Grant 18 Daryl Atkins

19 Ryan Dobson 19 Luke Ladyman

20 Jude Eboji 20 Sam Warrell

Manager: MICK REARDON Manager: RITCHIE HANLON

Assistant: MARK ROYAL Assistants: PAUL HUGHES

Physio: VANESSA FOUCHER Physio: ANDY BOWMAN

Match Officials

Referee: Mr L Smith : Assistants Mr R Pearson and Mr J Brown

Welcome to Second Meadow

Good afternoon and welcome to Second Meadow for this afternoon’s Premier Division

fixture. Today we extend a warm welcome to the players, officials and supporters of

KINGS LANGLEY FC. We also welcome our three match officials and hope that you

all enjoy your short stay with us.

Last Saturday’s Media Day was a great success with over 180 spectators passing

through the turnstiles. It was great to see so many new faces within the crowd and we

hope that they will return for next season’s campaign. Also present was Anglia TV

sports correspondent, Donovan Blake, who spoke to me after the match and

commented on how much he enjoyed the spirit and atmosphere within the club and

was impressed with the high standard of football at this level. It was just a shame that

we were unable to secure a point from our local rivals Stotfold but it was certainly a

game that kept the spectators enthralled with seven goals, play swinging from end to

end, two penalty decisions and a stunning overhead strike to allow Stotfold to

celebrate a last minute winner. All Roy of the Rovers stuff!!

Our visitors today are currently top of the leader board with promotion to Step 4 an

almost certainty. A remarkable achievement when you think that last season they

were a Division One side. We were hoping to be the side that dented their unbeaten

run but that was achieved in the midweek when Hertford Town took all three points in

a 3-1 win at Hertingfordbury Park. Kings Langley will be looking to retrieve the winning

touch today so we will need to put in a far better performance that that given in our

2-1 defeat at Leverstock Green on Tuesday night.

The two sides have met twice this season. Back in September we took the honours in

a Premier Division Cup tie but we were given a lesson in finishing at the end of

November when our visitors slammed in a quick-fire three goals to give us a mountain

to climb in the second period. We rallied, but not enough to overturn the deficit and

finished 4-1.

Our next match is on Saturday when London Colney visit Second Meadow. Kick Off

3pm. During the week we will be hosting the Bedfordshire FA Intermediate Cup Final.

AFC Dunstable Reserves take on Great Barford on Wednesday 15th April Kick Off

7.30pm.

Let’s hope for an enjoyable and exciting game this afternoon. Tracey James – Secretary and Programme Editor

CURRENT LEAGUE TABLE THE HISTORY OF BIGGLESWADE UNITED (2)

The next eleven years saw the first team led by Steve "Snowy" Wright and under his management the club continued to enjoy a very high level of League and Cup success ultimately achieving promotion to the Molten Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division and with it the opportunity to compete in the FA Cup. And under Snowy the club made three Beds FA Senior Challenge Cup final appearances, winning two of the three with victories over Stotfold (4-1) and Leighton Town (1-0) but missed out in 2006/07 going down 2-0 to Dunstable Town. Snowy's other cup successes came in the form of the Hunts Premeir Cup, North Beds Charity Cup, Hinchingbrooke Cup, the SML Division One Cup and the SML Special Achievement Award once again. The end of the 2006 2007 season saw Snowy step down as manager with his assistant, Nick Burton taking over the first team reins. The 2006 2007 season marked a crucial time in the club's history with the formation of a youth structure that sees Biggleswade girls and boys aged 7 to 18 able to be part of Biggleswade United. We now have twelve youth teams including three girls teams with a well established youth committee. The profile of the club as a community club is very much boosted by the association with such a well organised and well structured youth set up. January 5th 2009 saw the club embark on further ambitious ground improvements. With financial backing from Biggleswade Town Council, Mid Beds District Council and the Football Foundation we installed a 260-seater stand, fully enclosed the ground with a double turnstile entrance and players' secure walkway which raised the ground to Grade E status. After several years of stability in terms of first team managers the next six years saw a regular turnover of first team and reserve team managers with Nick Burton, Dave Elkin and Phil Childs all taking over the first team reins for a time. At the start of the 2013 2014 season we appointed Mick Reardon and Mark Royal as first team managers both of whom have enjoyed success as coaches at the higher levels of football. Their disciplined approach was quickly adhered to and responded to by the players. The new 2014 – 2015 season has seen the arrival of several new young players to the club following the club’s positive decision to introduce a side that will compete in the Suburban League as well as continuing to compete in the SML Premier Division. The Suburban side will be managed by Gary Burkett who enjoyed success with Shefford Saints Under 18s and many talented young players will be part of the United Squad. Gary will be assisted by former Bushey Met Police manager, Tony Jones. In November 2014 the club took a further positive step to realise our ambitions with the appointment of Sky Sports Presenter and renowned author, Guillem Balague as Biggleswade United’s Director of Football. The club has certainly come a long way in relatively few years but we could not have done it without the help of a very supportive Town and District Council who clearly understand the benefits of having a community based club in Biggleswade. Our success is also very much down to a very hard working committee who throughout the year - not just the football season - continue to volunteer their time and commitment to the club, to help it continue to thrive and be a source of enjoyment for our supporters and the Biggleswade community.

2014-2015 Season

Spartan South Midlands Football League

Premier Division

P W D L F A Pts

1 Kings Langley 37 29 3 5 112 34 90

2 London Colney 36 24 5 7 66 24 77

3 Sun Sports 38 25 2 11 81 51 77

4 AFC Dunstable 37 22 9 6 83 48 75

5 Harefield United 39 22 6 11 92 63 72

6 Wembley 36 22 5 9 77 51 71

7 St Margaretsbury 36 20 9 7 85 41 69

8 Berkhamsted 37 21 3 13 89 60 66

9 Hadley 38 19 4 15 70 64 61

10 Tring Athletic 38 18 6 14 70 50 60

11 Hertford Town 36 17 6 13 75 62 57

12 Oxhey Jets 38 17 6 15 78 68 57

13 Biggleswade United 39 14 7 18 72 77 49

14 Colney Heath 38 11 9 18 65 70 42

15 Leverstock Green 39 11 6 22 56 89 39

16 Cockfosters 37 11 4 22 41 79 37

17 Stotfold 37 9 9 19 56 89 36

18 Hoddesdon Town 38 10 5 23 52 88 35

19 London Tigers 37 7 9 21 55 90 30

20 Ampthill Town 38 8 5 25 40 109 29

21 Holmer Green 36 8 3 25 49 100 27

22 Hillingdon Borough 39 2 9 28 58 115 15

BIGGLESWADE UNITED : OUR HISTORY SO FAR

Biggleswade United Football Club was re- formed on the 16th July 1959. However, local history records indicate that there was a Biggleswade United side playing at Second Meadow as early as 1929. Our first season (1959/60) saw us competing in Division Three of the North Herts. League (NHL). After 10 successful years in the NHL the club made the step up to South Midlands League (SML) football. But towards the end of a 15-year association with the SML the club began to struggle and after three years of finishing in the bottom three of Division One we sought fresh fields. The club joined the Herts. Senior but club continued to find the going tough. In 1986 we elected to return to local League football, joining the Bedford and District Football League and began to build again. The appointment of Brian Swords as first team manager in 87/88 proved to be the turning point in the club's fortunes. During the next ten years the club achieved a tremendous amount of success on and off the football pitch. Our record of League and Cup honours speak for themselves but aligned to this a great deal of work went on behind the scenes to match the on-field success. The club now boasts one of the best clubhouse and ground facilities in the Mid-Bedfordshire area. The success of the club has also attracted many new players as well as commanding a great deal of loyalty from those players who helped the club progress from Division Three of the Bedford and District League to County Senior Club status in just 15 years. The 1995/96 season was the most successful in the club's history - winning five major honours; the Beds Intermediate County Cup, Bedford and District League Championship, League Cup Championship and as the League's representatives the club won the Beds. FA Centenary Cup. Having won every major Bedford League honour the club felt it was time to move on and made the decision to make the step up once again and returned to Division One of the SML. In an exceptionally successful first season we celebrated a Division One "double" by winning the Championship and the Division One Cup. We also retained the Beds. FA Intermediate County Cup, only the second club in the competition's history to achieve this feat. To crown our success the club were awarded the SML Special Achievement Trophy in July 1997. In the season 1997/98 we finally achieved Senior status. This was achieved not only through the endeavours of the players on the field but ultimately as a result of an extremely hard working committee. With the help of the Biggleswade Town Council a new stand was erected and perimeter fencing installed. And two seasons later the club erected floodlights and on the evening of 26th October 1999 we played our first-ever floodlit game at Second Meadow, Ryman League side Leighton Town were the visitors in the Bedfordshire Premier Cup.

BIGGLESWADE UNITED DEVELOPMENT TEAM

2014-2015 Season

Suburban Football League

North Division

P W D L F A Pts

1 Berkhamsted 18 14 1 3 56 20 43

2 Binfield 18 13 2 3 59 29 41

3 Northwood 19 10 1 8 35 44 31

4 Camberley Town 18 9 1 8 35 42 28

5 Farnham Town 18 8 2 8 35 34 26

6 North Greenford United 17 7 3 7 49 33 24

7 Leverstock Green 17 6 5 6 41 46 23

8 Harefield United 17 6 2 9 28 28 20

9 Biggleswade United 19 3 5 11 31 55 14

10 Hartley Wintney 16 3 3 10 30 53 12

11 Newport Pagnell Town 13 2 3 8 29 44 9

BIGGLESWADE UNITED 3 STOTFOLD 4 KINGS LANGLEY HISTORY

It was certainly close encounters for the third time at Second Meadow on Saturday as local rivals United and Stotfold battled it out to see who could come out on top for this third meeting of the season. And with Anglia TV Sports correspondent, Donovan Blake in attendance together with Three Counties Radio’ Matt Massiano it was a game that delivered for all the right reasons – seven goals, an edge of controversy and a spectacular winning goal. In front of United’s best crowd of the season the 189 spectators who had turned out to enjoy the spectacle of the club’s first Media Day were certainly not left disappointed with a game that had seven goals, controversy and a former Chelsea and Espanyol player making his home debut. And it was the former Spanish Under 21 International, Enrique De Lucas, (pictured) that set up United’s first goal in the 27th minute. A deft drop of the shoulder saw him send his marker in the opposite direction leaving himself time and space to chip the ball over the Stotfold defence to the awaiting Tom Cookman who had the simplest of tasks heading home past visiting keeper Adam Harpur. However, De Lucas’ hero status lasted just six minutes when in the 33rd minute he made a rash challenge on Stotfold’s Mark Ellis leaving the match referee little option but to award the penalty from which Ben L’Honore dispatched the equaliser. Guaranteeing your name in the match report must be part of a professional player’s life as two minutes later it was De Lucas that was felled as he entered the Stofold box and Cookman got his second firing past Harpur from the spot to restore United’s lead. On the stroke of half time L’Honore brought it back to all square when United failed to clear from a corner and the much travelled former striker turned defender snapped up the loose ball to send the teams in at 2-2 with all to play for. While the first half was played at a frenetic pace the second period lulled in to a more sedate affair and the opening period saw both sides concentrate play in the middle of the park with only a clutch of half chances falling to both sides. However, the game burst into life once again in the 76th minute when Stotfold youngster, Charlie Joy, received the ball wide on the left flank, turned inside United’s George Melrose and fired low past United keeper, Grant Beckwith for 2-3. No sooner had the visiting spectator’s finished their celebrations than United were back on terms with De Lucas getting his third assist of the day. His corner was met perfectly by Lee Bilcock leaving Harpur grasping at air as the ball flew in to the back of the net for 3-3. United almost made it 4-3 when Harpur spilled a shot from United’s other Spanish import, Hector Bataller, and in the 81st minute Cookman slammed the ball against Harpur’s crossbar after he only managed to parry away a powerful strike from Nyasha Sagwete leaving Cookman to scoop the ball up but the woodwork denied the United striker his hat trick. But with the clock ticking down it was a piece of sheer brilliance that saw the game tip Stotfold’s way and it was a highly memorable goal from Mark Ellis that he will be hoping was captured by the Anglia TV camera. A corner from Ashley Fitton saw Ellis dispatch a once in a football career over-head volley to the far corner of Beckwith’s goal. With the game slipping away from their grasp United went hell for leather to retrieve at least a share of the points. Substitute Ryan Dobson hit the sidenetting in the 88th minute and Cookman was again denied by the woodwork in the final seconds as Stotfold held firm for maximum points that they are hoping will stave off the threat of relegation.

1886 Kings Langley Football Club, one of the oldest in the county, formed. 1891-2 Founder members of West Herts League. St. Mary’s Cup winners (attendance 3,500 at the Watford Rec. Grd). 1892-3 St. Mary’s Cup retained. Although it has been stated that the Club did not move to Home Park until 1913, the pitch was certainly hosting a 1998-99 match against Hemel Hempstead Town in front of 300 spectators. 1911-12 West Herts League Division 3 Champions. 1919-20 West Herts League Division 2 Champions. 1920-21 Joined Herts County League. Returned to West Herts League 1922-23. Club folded in Feb. 1930, reformed four months later. Div. 2 Champions & Webster Cup winners 1930-31. Relegated 1932-33, Division 2 Champions 1934-35. 1934-35 New pavilion built on Home Park and this was opened by the future F.I.F.A. president, Sir Stanley Rous. 1935-36 Joined the Southern Olympian League, promoted from Division 2 first season, Division 1 Champions following season and spent two seasons in the Premier until the outbreak of war. 1945-46 Competed in F A Cup. Preliminary round won before losing in the First Qualifying round. 1946-47 Returned to Herts County League, gaining promotion from Division Two. Herts County League Champions 1949-50 and again in 1951-52. St. Mary’s Cup winners 1950-51. Kings Langley regularly competed in the F A Amateur Cup and in September 1949 entertained the famous amateurs of Corinthian Casuals. Although losing 1-3, over 500 watched the game. 1952-53 Joined Parthenon League . Apsley Senior Cup winners. 1955-56 Returned to the Herts County League, for a tenure that would last for the next 45 years. 1960-61 Apsley Senior Cup winners. Herts County League titles 1965-66 and 1966-67, Herts Charity Shield winners 1966-67,Aubrey Cup 1967-68. St. Mary’s Cup winners 1971-72. Relegated 1972-73. Herts County Div. 1 Champions 1975-76. Apsley Senior Cup winners 1976-77. Relegated 1977-78. Promoted back 1979-80. 1980 Home Park lost to redevelopment. A nomadic existence followed, playing at Colne Valley, Rolls Royce and Buncefield Lane and Leavesden Hospital, until March 1997, when the club moved into their present ground at Gaywood Park. The reformation of Kings Langley Youth Football Club in 1989 after a 19 year absence played its part, as both junior and senior supporters combined to launch a project of obtaining the land, laying two pitches and building a pavilion. Sponsors included the National Lottery, Herts. F A, Dacorum Borough Council, Kings Langley Parish Council and the club’s great benefactor, Graham Gaywood, who tragically passed away so soon after the dream was realised. The ground is named Gaywood Park as a tribute to someone who made it all possible. 1997-98 Rickmansworth Charity Cup winners. Lost Herts County League title on goal difference. 2001-02 Joined Spartan South Midlands League (Division 1). Relegated on Ground issues 2003-04. 2006-07 Spartan South Midlands League Division 2 runners up. Herts. F A Intermediate Cup winners. 2007-08 Spartan South Midlands Division 2 Champions, Division 2 Cup winners, Herts. F A Intermediate Cup winners A club record of 47 consecutive matches unbeaten in all competitions between 15-09-07 and 15-10-08. 2008-09 Spartan South Midlands Div. 1 runners up. Promotion denied due to floodlights not being in operation by late March 09, (due to the slow turning wheels of the Local Planning Authority), a deadline missed by a matter of weeks.. 2009-10 Paul Hobbs appointed manager and took a new look young side to a highly encouraging seventh place finish, as well as the semi finals of the Herts F A Senior Centenary Cup and quarter finals of the Challenge Trophy and Division One Cup. 2010-11 Third in Division 1, narrowly missing promotion. Unbeaten in League from Nov. to March (10wins, 1 draw). 2011-12 Fourth in Division 1, Herts Senior Centenary Trophy winners, Herts Charity Shield & Division One Cup runners up. Paul Hobbs retired at end of season and Ritchie Hanlon & Paul Hughes appointed joint managers. 2012-13 Sixth in Division 1 and Winners of the League Division 1 Cup. 2013-14 Division 1 Runners Up and promoted to Premier Division. Winners of the League Division 1 Cup. The Youth section continues to flourish and now boasts some seventeen teams ranging from mixed gender teams as young as six up to under-18 level, together with a Ladies Football team. The club has now been granted FA Charter status and looks to further improve its facilities as well as to progress up the football pyramid.

RESULTS

Premier Division – Saturday 4th April

Ampthill Town 0 6 AFC Dunstable

Biggleswade United 3 4 Stotfold

Hadley 1 0 Cockfosters

Harefield United 4 0 Hillingdon Borough

Hertford Town 0 4 St Margaretsbury

Hoddesdon Town 6 1 Colney Heath

Holmer Green 1 5 Berkhamsted

Kings Langley 2 0 Leverstock Green

London Colney 3 2 Oxhey Jets

Sun Sports 2 0 Tring Athletic

Wembley 2 1 London Tigers

Premier Division – Tuesday 7th April

Berkhamsted 0 1 London Colney

Hertford Town 3 1 Kings Langley

Hoddesdon Town 0 4 Tring Athletic

Leverstock Green 2 1 Biggleswade United

London Tigers 1 5 Holmer Green

Oxhey Jets 4 2 Hillingdon Borough

St Margaretsbury 2 3 Sun Sports

Stotfold 1 2 Ampthill Town

Premier Division – Wednesday 8th April

AFC Dunstable 1 1 Wembley

Premier Division – Saturday 11th April 2015

Berkhamsted v Ampthill Town

Biggleswade United v Kings Langley

Cockfosters v AFC Dunstable

Hadley v Holmer Green

Hillingdon Borough v Hertford Town

Leverstock Green v Hoddesdon Town

London Colney v Sun Sports

London Tigers v Colney Heath

St Margaretsbury v Harefield United

Stotfold v Oxhey Jets

Tring Athletic v Wembley

FIXTURES

Premier Division – Tuesday 14th April 2015

Ampthill Town v Holmer Green

Colney Heath vv London Colney

Kings Langley v Wembley

London Tigers v Berkhamsted

St Margaretsbury v Hertford Town

Premier Division

Hadley v Oxhey Jets

North Beds Charity Cup – Semi Final

Langford V

Stotfold

Thursday 16th April 2015 Kick Off 7.45pm

Leverstock Green 2 Biggleswade United 1

United suffered their third defeat of the season at the hands of Hertfordshire side Leverstock Green at their Pancake Lane ground on Tuesday night. This was very much a game of two halves, with the home side dominating the first half and the visitors having much more of the play in the second half. Injury to Lee Bilcock and without Ollie Peters due to work commitments in Newcastle, United’s manager, Mick Reardon, was forced to draft in a half fit Adam Randall after having also lost Jude Eboji during the pre-match warm up. It came as no surprise therefore that Leverstock took an early lead before United had gotten into their stride. In the fifth minute a cross from Carl McCluskey found the impressive youngster, Louis Bircham, wide on the left hand flank he planted the ball into the path of Callum Wright to stab home from close range. United were having little joy in breaking down a resolute home defence, while Leverstock were making the most of their down-hill slope advantage and they went 2-0 up in the 25th minute. An uncharacteristic sloppy pass from a normally dependable Stuart Richardson gifted Bircham a run at goal. The youngster twisted and turned as he ran at United defender Randall and eventually planted a delicate shot in to the bottom corner of the net. The second half saw United enjoy the benefits of the down-hill slope and with Nyasha Sagwete (pictured) having replaced the struggling Randall, United tightened their defence and went all out to get themselves back into the game. On 64 minutes substitute Jack Boyd made a run from deep and although he beat three players in the process his lack of match fitness saw him under hit his strike. On 70 minutes a long range shot from United’s Adam Drakulic ‘s strike was turned around the post by home keeper, Damien McNicholas and Brett Leader should have made more of a header from Sam Nair’s corner. Time was very quickly running out for United but they were looking at a light at the end of the tunnel when a lofted free kick from Nair floated above the packed Leverstock area, over the grasping hands of McNicholas and in to the top corner of the net for 2-1. With five minutes to go it was all hands on deck for the hosts as they fought to stave off a final onslaught by United. Martin Russell was pushed forward to add to the firepower and was unlucky not to make it 2-2 with the ball scrambled away by the home back line. Boyd went close again with a strike that was palmed away by McNicholas and Nair got behind the Leverstock rear guard but couldn’t find the awaiting Reynaldo Carbon. Despite an added five minutes United were unable to break down the Leverstock back pack and had to settle for another 2-1 defeat by their bogey side.