Amateur Football Alliance

Southern Amateur League

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ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

AGENDA

Chairman's Report
Robert Gyles

As I complete my 10th year as Chairman (I originally thought I would do the usual 3 years!) I can reflect on the progress we have made as a club in that time. A long held ambition to have a full youth section has happened and, thanks to the partnership with Andy Russell, we have gone way beyond that with a development group of 30 x 7 and 8 year olds, youth teams at every level from under 9’s to under 17s, a weekly community football scheme involving 100 or so youngsters each week out of a possible 200+ and soccer camps in the school holidays.

Not only does all this help generate important revenue for the club but it also enables us to employ FA qualified coaches to help develop the youngsters football skills and now we are beginning to reap the benefits as young players with top 3 team ability are coming into the club every season.

This season we had a formal link-up with Redbridge College (where Andy Russell teaches) which enabled them to enter the Conference Youth League and in return a number of their students played regularly for the 1st team and reserves. This link has previously brought us excellent first team regulars, Matty Knights and Rod Beya, and this year, amongst others, Godfrey Poku and Abe Seymour who have developed into outstanding prospects.

An experiment to introduce new young players into the 6s, 7s and 8s under the mentoring of Gary Harrowell had some real success but also some real difficulties. It did nevertheless result in some talented young players coming into the club and we have plans to build on that for next season when we expect many of those players to progress into the top 3 or 4 sides.

On a wider scale I have seen the club grow into 10 Saturday league sides all competing strongly in their respective divisions plus two competitive vets sides and a trophy haul from all sides over the last 5 years or so which has led senior members of the SAL management committee to label us as the leagues most successful all round club – a huge endorsement for our club and you should all be very proud of the contribution you have made to that success.

This season has again been successful on the pitch with 3 cup finals and 3 wins – the 6’s winning the SAL Intermediate Novets Cup, the 8’s the SAL Junior Novets Cup and the Vets the AFA Closed Cup. The vets also reached the semi final of their other two cup competitions and will come second or third in their league. Commiserations to Peter Goldring and the 5s who were unluckily removed from the final of the SAL Senior Novets Cup on a technicality on sectional strength issues. Although the league, privately, understood the good intentions behind the selection of the team they were not able to ignore some clear facts which gave them no choice than to exclude us.

I can also congratulate the 4s for an outstanding league win and, providing Norsemen and Old Finchleians don’t cheat with their team selection, the 8s should add the league title to their cup win to make it an excellent double. The 6s deserve another mention for a near miss in the league and also the 5s and 9s who both competed against other Hill sides (4s and 8s) and finished well in their division, in each case playing against opposition teams higher up in their own clubs. It is not just about winning trophies and all teams had good seasons and finished comfortably in their respective divisions.

League  
P 20   W 6   D 8   L 6   F 24   A 19   Pts 26   Finished 5th
AFA Senior Cup                                    Eliminated last 32
AFA Middlesex & Essex Senior Cup      Eliminated last 16

This was a strange season for the first team. In a division where all teams were regularly dropping points we were never far off the pace but, ultimately, got dragged into a relegation battle involving 6 other sides until two wins and a draw in our last three games secured our position and actually moved us to 5th and how sad it was to watch Broomfield snatch the second relegation slot right at the end!

We were mean in defence with only champions West Wickham conceding fewer goals but our problem was at the other end and only bottom club Civil Service scored less. In 6 league and 2 cup defeats, all but one were by the odd goal and no team scored more than 2 goals against us. I cannot pretend we were of championship material but the fact remains, if we could have converted just a few more of the chances we created we could have challenged for the title. Probably the 3 most frustrating games were against teams who were all reduced to 10 men in the first half but went on to beat us. Also for the first time in a few years we went out of the two cup competitions with a whimper in games we really should have won. Yet for the second season running we finished off the season with a quite outstanding performance, fielding a very young side against Old Owens and winning 2-0.

With youngsters Godfrey Poku and Abe Seymour from Redbridge College settling in so well there is now the basis for a young and very talented team next year despite the loss of Ben Penfold (traveling) and Barry Chaters (working in Dubai) who will be missed (they WILL return). If we can score goals we will be well in the hunt for honours I believe.

Second Team
League  
P 20   W 9   D 3   L 8   F 36   A 31   Pts 30   Finished 5th
AFA Intermediate Cup                               Eliminated Round 1
AFA Middlesex & Essex Intermediate Cup Eliminated last 32

It has been said captain George Wainwrights 2s don’t do cups (last years quote and the year before!). They didn’t disappoint again. Once again the league start was good and when they beat league leaders and eventual champions Carshalton 5-0 to move to the top of the division the prospects looked very good. However, once again poor availability, the loss of goalscorer Ry Hardy and too many injuries in the 1s and 2s undermined performances from early December and put paid to any chances of league success. However youngsters Charles Matthews and Alan Donohue made their mark on the team and towards the end of the season a number of students from Redbridge College put in very creditable performances to help George out. There is every reason to be optimistic for next season with so many talented youngsters beginning to stake their claim but better and consistent availability is needed from the senior players.    

Third Team 
League  
P 20   W 8   D 5   L 7   F 54   A 51   Pts 29   Finished 6th
AFA Junior Cup   Quarter finalists                     
SAL Junior Cup   Eliminated last 16                 
(Both cup defeats to Old Finchleians by a combined score
of 16 – 5!!)

The 3s have been the model of consistency for about 3 or 4 years and for the first time in those years there have been no trophies this time for Stuart Collins boys. I don’t have a report for the season but they had a settled squad and achieved some good results. The goals for column looks impressive but the goals against column suggests all was not well defensively and might explain the lack of consistency

Fourth Team
League  
P 18   W 12   D 4   L 2   F 56   A 26   Pts 40   Champions!!
AFA Minor Cup              Quarter Finalists
SAL Minor Cup              Quarter Finalists

With no report from the 4s I can only comment on the statistics. All season the team were in command in the league and never looked likely to fail. A really impressive performance all season from Stewart Honour’s boys, most of whom have been together for a few seasons now. Two good cup runs as well and probably a tinge of disappointment that one at least did not lead to another trophy

Fifth Team
League  
P 19   W 9   D 3   L 7   F40   A 42   Pts 30   Finished 6th
AFA  Senior Novets Cup   Eliminated last 16
SAL  Senior Novets Cup   Semi Finalists

Again no report but the 5s with the impressive Pete Goldring in charge had a good season competing alongside the 4s. They finished in a creditable position bearing in mind they play mostly against 4th teams at the top 4th team level in the SAL. Gradually we are getting to the point where our two teams in the same division will be of equal standing and we could be heading for 1, 2, finishes which would be good. As mentioned earlier the team were unfortunate to be eliminated from the SAL cup after winning their semi final comfortably against Old Actonians

Sixth Team 
League  
P 20   W 13   D 3   L 4   F 70   A 36   Pts 42  
Two games to go will finish 2nd or 3rd  
AFA  Intermediate Novets Cup   Eliminated Round 1
SAL  Intermediate Novets Cup   Winners!!

Again no report but the 6s, led by new captain Gary Harrowell, were a largely new side involving many talented young players new to the club plus a couple of old stalwarts.. Always playing good football they did really well despite suffering the vagaries of a lot of dodgy refereeing at away games. A good run in the SAL cup led to another trophy for Gary following on to many he won with the 5s and a strong league performance against mostly 4th and 5th teams almost brought success but a runners up finish is likely

Seventh Team
League  
P 20   W 8   D 2   L 10   F 52   A 60   Pts 26   8th
AFA Junior Novets Cup   Quarter Finalists
SAL Junior Novets Cup   Quarter Finalists

A much better season this time for the 7s but I can do no more than print captain Mick Orme’s report!.

“A new look 7s managed by Mick Orme and Martin Sidoli enjoyed mixed fortunes with some big wins and some heavy losses during the season, this mainly down to player availability. Using 11 goalkeepers and 54 outfield players in one season we were always going to struggle for consistency, the regular players battled on and wore the purple shirt with pride. There were good performances from young players Andrew Sidoli, Rob Dunnet and Danny Osborne - these players are good enough to play as high up the sides as they want and are an asset to the club. We got to the quarterfinals of both cups and after a lull midway through the season we put on a good run and finished strongly in the league to end the season 12 points clear of relegation.”

Eighth Team
League  
P18   W 14   D 2   L 1   F 68   A 27 Pts 44 Should be champions!
AFA Junior Novets Cup    Semi Finalists
SAL Junior Novets Cup     Winners!

An almost perfect season for the team run by Paul Cooper and with some promising youngsters putting in consistent performances. A disappointing AFA semi final battering by a suspiciously strong Kew Association (sectional strength rules?) 7th team did not deter the boys and they went on to win the SAL cup, this time turning the tables on Kew and stopping their quest for a cup double. The league title is still there to be won but after a defeat to a Norsemen team containing players from higher sides including the 1s and 2s and another Norsemen game to come I think the league may need to intervene (appeal outstanding).

Paul Cooper reports:
“An excellent season so far. With league games still to play and promotion already achieved we need a further three points to go up as champions. Our leading goal scorers Dharmesh Garala (26), Jim Leach (13), Jason Linton (13), Edmund Curtis (11).
 
After some exciting close games in the AFA cup we suffered an embarrassing 8 - 0 defeat in the semi final to Kew Association 7's, a team reportedly unbeaten since 2006, who went on to win the cup final at the Paulin ground. Just a few weeks later we met them again in the final of the SAL cup. With 9 of the previous starting line up but new formation and tactics we came away deserved 4 - 2 winners with goals from Dharmesh Garala, Troy Phillips, Ken Ochiabuto and captain Paul Cooper. A superb team performance.” 

Ninth Team
League    
P 20   W 9   D 4   L 7   F 41   A 37   Pts 31   Finished 3rd
AFA Junior Novets Cup   Eliminated last 16
SAL Junior Novets Cup   Eliminated last 16

A very good performance by the team in the same division as the 8s and certainly of very similar quality. I can do no more than include captain Chris Bond’s report:-

“Last season, under our former identity of the 8’s, we’d shown good potential in a higher league following promotion the year before. This year we therefore had hopes of pushing towards the top of the league. A few players departed over the summer, and one moved up the sides, and so some recruiting was necessary to fill the gaps and maintain strength.

The new players gelled well into the team and the rest of the squad returned in good shape. Despite some great performances, especially in defence, we were not scoring as highly as previous years and as a result we found ourselves mid-table following a mix of results. We hit a peak after Christmas with a purple-patch of form as we went 8 games unbeaten, and we shot up to second place as a result. We failed to recover, however, from a defeat to Broomfield and thoughts of promotion were dashed following three more defeats in the run-in. We still finished a credible third place behind strong Hill 8th and Old Finchleians 7th teams.”

Tenth Team
League   
P 20   W 10   D 3   L 7   F 67   A 57   Pts 33   Finished 5th
AFA Junior Novets Cup   Eliminated last 16
SAL Junior Novets Cup   Eliminated last 32

No report from the 10s but it was difficult to follow the first season of the 10s the year before when being unbeaten in the league and being champions. However a very creditable all round season with a much changed side more in keeping with the standard of the league. Old stalwarts Nick Dean and Vinny Fraulo were reunited on the football pitch and their combined age of 136 brought a depth of experience! Long may it continue.

Vets
Our vets continue to excel with the ‘A’ side winning the AFA closed cup and being semi finalists in the other two plus a strong performance in the league. Phil Dykins report sums it up nicely….

“Another successful season for the vets, who again brought silverware back to the club. Both sides expanded their squads, with large numbers attending training every week. The B team, led by Jim Webb, had a mixed season on the pitch, doing well in some games but losing others they should have won. The A team, led by David Flint, reached 3 semi-finals, unluckily losing one on penalties, but progressing to the final of the AFA Closed Cup, which they won with a superb 6-0 win over Polytechnic.

Final positions in the increasingly strong Garston Vets League have yet to be settled, but Hill look likely to finish just outside the top two. On their day they were capable of beating anyone, but absences for some key games meant they were not quite consistent enough to challenge for the title. For next season the vets are looking to lower their average age by signing up a couple of promising over-35s from the Saturday sides who may be capable of playing at a higher level!”

And now the thanks…….
Much of what follows is culled from last time but it remains just as important! The largest ever playing membership and long cup runs mean a healthy financial outcome once again, hopefully with an excess over our target contribution to the parent club although we do need to buy some new goalposts which were not in our budget! Our costs remain under pressure so we cannot rest or become complacent. We have to continue to generate more and more income to fund our football development and help the parent club meet its obligations. Simon Jones has done another good job as Treasurer for which I thank him.

I always thank the committee but especially those who make it possible for all to play on Saturdays – Damian Bush for his secretarial work and almost daily contact with the league and the AFA; Rob Burwood for fixtures – never a cock-up; Andy Dundon for referees – the bad ones are not his fault; and Chris Grey and Stewart Honour for their daunting job as Joint Chairmen of Selection and trying to get the captains to do things the right way! They all play a big part in our club.

And then there are the captains – their job made easier by email but made harder because we all lead our lives differently these days and reliability and continuity of availability are not necessarily the qualities of the modern club footballer  

Thanks also to Keith Rentell for all his help in organizing the duty officers who do all the unseen things on match days – also to his many helpers. Hope you will do it again next season Keith!

Thanks to Russell for the catering and to our groundsman, Martin Charters, for his excellent groundwork which give us some of the best pitches in the league.

Thanks to our many supporters who nearly always brave the elements.

And finally….. thank you Chris (Lockjaw) for the best website in the SAL

Another good season – well done everybody, whatever your contribution.