With the final 'Bank Holiday' game being played tonight when Hendon visit Wealdstone I will be uploading the weekend head to head matches, as well as the new league table. If you haven't used the Head To Head service yet you can see all the games via the link in he top menu bar. Update After being 4-2 up at half time Wealdstone went on to lose 5-4 and Hendon move off the bottom of the table.
The result of the Man Of The Match poll rom Saturday's victory over Slough Town is as follows: -
Wayne Finnie 23 Votes 33.82%
Dave Sargent 9 Votes 13.24%
Steve Butler 8 Votes 11.76%
Shane Smeltz 7 Votes 10.29%
Mark Cooper 5 Votes 7.35%
Michael Woolner 5 Votes 7.35%
Wes Daly 3 Votes 4.41%
Craig Carley 2 Votes 2.94%
Andy Little 2 Votes 2.94%
Barry Moore 2 Votes 2.94%
Richard Butler 2 Votes 2.94%
With games on both Saturday and Monday over the long weekend we currently have two Man Of The Match Polls running. First of all we have the Slough Town game this will remain open until Wednesday evening and you can vote by clicking here and to vote for the Man Of The Match for the Staines game please click here The Staines vote will remain open until saturday morning.
This afternoon we faced the Tough test we were all expecting and in the end a point will most probably be seen as a point won rather than 2 points lost.
After taking an early lead inside the first 7 minutes when Shane Smeltz hooked in a close range effort after a good knock down by Richard Butler. But once again we managed to concede a goal right on half time and neither team adding to the scoring in the second half.
With a number o injuries already this season it was a blow to have another one when Richard Butler went down with what looked like a clash of heads but turned out to be a badly twisted ankle and needed to be stretchered off in a great deal of pain, fortunately after the game he was walking around although still in discomfort. Lets hope it gets better in the week and he will be ok For Saturday's game.
Elsewhere in the league a number of draws took place and now it's only Hampton & Richmond as well as Billericay who have 100% records, although Billericay have only played 3 games.
The man Of The Match vote for this game is open by clicking here this is in a different format to the normal style due to games being so fast at present.
This afternoon the Matchday Updates will be in operation as well as Radio wdon for full match commentary as we take on staines Town at Kingsmeadow. The text updates should get under way from around 14:30 once the Team news in known.
If you are a regularly listener to Radio Wdon it may be worth pointing out that both a Broadband and Dial Up versions of the commentary are now available and full details can be found over on www.wdon.com
On Saturday Ashford Town Middx beat Whyteleafe 3-1 and therefore Ashford will visit us on Saturday 10th September 2005 in the First Qualifying Round of the FA Cup.
Last week the poll question of "Who will be our leading striker?" and the result is as follows: -
1. Richard Butler 23 (64%)
2. Shane Smeltz 10 (28%)
3. Amadou Kouman 0 (0%)
4. Matt Fowler 3 (8%)
5. Someone else 0 (0%)
The head to head pages have been updated to cover the games being played on Bank Holiday Monday and the lone game on Wednesday night. I think I have solved all the initial problems so all the fixtures and data should now be correct. If you haven't seen the Head To Head feature before it's a way of looking at the recent results of the teams playing each other. Click the Head To Head link at the top for more details.
We are midway through the Amazon reporting period and I am pleased to say it looks like the Stadium will be presented with another nice sized cheque so if you wish to purchase any items and contribute to this amount please click any of the links for Amazon prior to making a purchase.
The Man Of The Match is now open and I am sure you are aware but it normally closes just before the next game is to be played but with a game on Monday afternoon I will keep this open to Wednesday Evening so that people who vote from work can cast votes on Tuesday or Wednesday.
To vote please click below: -
This afternoon we wrapped up a 2-0 victory at Slough although the second goal didn't come until late in Injury time. We took the lead on 19 minutes when Shane Smeltz finished a nice move which had first caused slough problems when a Michael Woolner header smashed against the bar with the keeper beaten.
The rest of the game was a fair old battle but neither side really caused either keeper problems but then deep into 7 minutes of stoppage time Barry Moore (and not as i reported on the updates) headed the ball past the keeper and into the back of the net from the corner of the 6 yard box.
At the start of the day 8 teams started off on maximum points 7 who had 2 victories from 2 games and 1 Billericay who had 1 from 1 but by the time the final whistle had been blown the list was down to just 4 teams these being us, Fisher, Billericay & Hampton and Richmond With Hendon being the only team yet to pick up a point being Maldon and Hendon so the points are being well spread out across the league,
This afternoon we visit slough and the text update service will be in operation from around 14:30 once I have the team news. The service can be found by clicking the link called matchday at the top of the page.
If you wish to follow updates of a number of other teams including FC United of Manchester please visit http://matchdayupdates.com and you will have your own non-league version of the sky sports Center.
This afternoon the second lot of FA Cup qualifying games take place and it includes all the teams from Ryman division 1. The game that holds most interest for us is the Ashford Town (Middx) vs Whyteleafe game as we will play the winners at Kingsmeadow on Saturday 10 September 2005.
Richard Butler: 47 votes 73.44%
Amadou Kouman: 4 votes 6.25%
Barry Moore: 3 votes 4.69%
Dave Sargent: 3 votes 4.69%
Wayne Finnie: 3 votes 4.69%
Shane Smeltz: 2 votes 3.12%
Andy Little: 1 vote 1.56%
Matt Fowler: 1 vote 1.56%
Just a reminder the current poll question is running and it regards "ho you think will be our leading striker" if you haven't voted yet please do so by clicking the vote in current poll link on the left hand menu.
On saturday we visit Slough Town who play in Windsor trains depart Clapham Junction at 08 and 38 minutes past the hour and take 44 minutes to arrive at Windsor and Eton Riverside. It's about a 20 minute walk from the station up through the town past the castle.
Keep walking past the barracks and Hospital and then when you reach a pub called the stag the ground is down a side road on the other side of the road. A map of the area can be seen here the ground is indicated with the station to the north.
Following a post on the guest book I noticed an error on my spreadsheet design, this has now been corrected and the League Table has been amended, sorry for the wrong information and it should be ok now for the rest of the season.
The fixtures taking place at the weekend have been added to the head to head section please have a look and let me know what you think of it, via the link at the top.
The result of the first man Of The Match poll for the season is as follows: -
Shane Smeltz 69 Votes 70.41%
Amadou Kouman 7 Votes 7.14%
Wayne Finnie 7 Votes 7.14%
Richard Butler 4 Votes 4.08%
Matt York 2 Votes 2.04%
Mark Cooper 2 Votes 2.04%
Michael Woolner 2 Votes 2.04%
Steve Butler 2 Votes 2.04%
Matt Fowler 1 Vote 1.02%
Andy Little 1 Votes 1.02%
Dave Sargent 1 Votes 1.02%
The Man Of The match vote for the Malden game is now open and will remain open until Saturday morning so please click below to cast your vote: -
If anyone had offer the majority of the AFC Wimbledon fans present at Maldon last night a point at around 20:55 I think they would of taken it as it looked like only one team would win and it wasn't going to bee us but in a brilliant second half performance Richard Butler scored 2 goals to give us a 2-0 win and al three points to keep us top of the table.
The Matchday service will be in action tonight as we visit Maldon Town. The updates will get under way from around 19:30 with the teams news followed by regular text updates of all the action. you can view these via the link at the top of the page.
During half time and after full time you should find all the results on the Sky sports desktop score service by clicking here
With an expected late return from the game the Man Of The Match Poll will not start until Wednesday evening but I will update the League table after tonight's games.
The results of the two games played tonight are as follows: -
Chelmsford 0 Heybridge Swifts 2 - Both goals in the second half
Folkestone Vs Billericay - abandoned due to floodlight failure
The League Table has been updated following these results.
With the game tomorrow night and a number off updates since Saturday evening just a reminder that the Man Of The Match vote for this season has started please click below to cast your vote: -
Here is a picture that should make you smile the half time and full time scores appear on both BBC and Sky result services, in fact anywhere that receive Press Association feed and on Saturday evening a screen shot was captures when our score came up on Sky TV a couple of interesting points although they have us winning 3-0 and 4-0 they have the full time at 4-1 and they also have Redbridge under a name they used to be of Ford United.
Thanks to Vic and JC who both captured the picture.
On Tuesday we have our first away game of the season and it will be a trip we will get used to as we head east out of London and into Essex.
If your traveling by train the nearest train station is South Woodham Ferrers and this is 4 miles away from the ground, the added problem is that the train you would need to get leaves Liverpool Street at 17:54 and takes 45 minutes arriving at 18:37 the train after this leaves Liverpool Street at 18:42 and arrives at South Woodham Ferrers at 19:26 which would leave it a bit tight to make the 19:45 kick off. If you cant make the early train another route you can take it a train to Witham which should be the station after Chelmsford and the trains from Liverpool Street are more regular.
Trains take 41 minutes and leave Liverpool street 17:42, 17:52, 18:02, 18:08, 18:12 with the last one arriving at Witham at 18:56. Witham station is also the most logical for after the games as trains are every 15 minutes and take 45 minutes back to Liverpool Street.
You can view a map wit the route from both stations at the following links, from South Woodham Ferrers to the ground or from Witham Station to the GroundWith a full midweek programme taking place this week we find the games being split over Monday and Tuesday. Chelmsford host Heybridge tonight whilst Folkestone will try and get their first points of the season when Billericay make the trip down to them.
The result of the last poll question, which was, "How Do You think our pre-season has gone?" is as follows: -
1. Well - Things Look good for the season 20 Votes (45%)
2. As Expected 6 Votes (14%)
3. Not sure - Still Think We need to strengthen 16 Votes (36%)
4. Not Confident about the season. 2 (5%)
If you looking for presents for birthdays or any occasions don't forget to have a look at the amazon link on each page any items that are purchased after clicking the link result in commission being earned which is then passed on to the Stadium Fund.
The Amazon shop has good discount prices on various types of items.
League games take place on both Monday and Tuesday this week in the Ryman Premier league All the fixtures have been added to the Head to Head section of the site so click on the link at the top to quickly see how the teams got on in the first game of the season.
The Man Of The Match poll for today's game has now opened and will remain open until Tuesday night when we take on Maldon to vote please click the link on the left or the one below.
This afternoon we kick started the league in style with a 4-1 victory over Folkestone but this could of been very different, after taking an early lead on 12 minutes from Shane Smeltz and then with the last incident of the first half we gave away a free kick from which Folkestone managed to score from so the scores were level at half time.
The second half was a different story and we quickly regained our advantage When Richard butler scored his 1st goal of the season. Some really nice football was being played with the new team mates passing the ball round well with swift moves up the pitch.
Matt York looked like he had wrapped up the points on 67 minutes with a lovely curling shot but before the celebrations had finished Shane Smeltz was back on the score sheet for the 4th AFC Wimbledon goal of the afternoon.
The game was very entertaining and in the first 20 minutes you could see the difference between the Ryman 1 and premier level., and if this is an idea of what games could be like it looks like it could be an entertaining season with some close encounters.
If you have ever used the matchday updates you will know that you can view the my updates by clicking either the graphic or matchday link at the top of the page, but if you wish to follow updates of some sort from other clubs you can go to http://www.matchdayupdates.com/ and see messages from around the country the newest team to join up is Football Club United of Manchester so good luck to them as well.
If you are unable to be at the game or near a computer and wish to find out the score you can now have the scores sent direct to your phone, for full details please see the news story on the official site.
After lots off pre-season games today is the day that all that gets put together as the league season get's under way.if you are going to the game today don't forget that the tempest end is still out of action along with the turnstiles at that end of the ground, therefore it would help if people could arrive early, if your a season ticket holder don't forget to bring your new 2005/06 book rather than last years.
If you cant make the game you have the option of audio commentary via Radio Wdon or my text updates via the matchday link at the top of the page. If you want to see the other fixtures please click the head to head link where you can see what games are being played.
Once I return tonight the man of the match vote will be open for today's game, so don't forget to pop back and vote.
Last night Everstrong performed at Kingsmeadow at the latest Give and Go event and as ever went down really well, as well as the classics and the single they played a new song. Just before thee single "Take Me Home" was played Simon present a cheque to the club from sales of the single, which reached number 72 in the main chart and number 9 in the Indie chart, the cheque was for £1,100 so well done and thanks to Everstrong Cornish Blue Music and anybody who purchased the song.
Prior to watching the question and answer session on Friday night Dave spoke about the build up and preparation to the cup final, as ever he talks tactics and has use of a flip chart but I think he explains it very well, Simon Sobihy also adds some comments from what it was like in thee Walton dressing room both prior to the game and at half time. Once again I have split the programme into two.
The analysis part can be listened to by clicking here This lasts for 8 minutes 17 seconds and is 976kb
The second half and questions to the players can be found here This lasts for 10 minutes and is 1.1mb
It has been pointed out to me that the link for the third part of the Questions and Answers wasn't working this has now been corrected and you can listen to all parts at the following links: -
The First part last for 15 minutes and is 1.7mb and you can listen by clicking here.
With the season kicking off on Saturday it's time for a final reminder on the "Fantasy Betting competition" i am running this is a free contest and just for fun but also a chance for you to pick the teams you will finish in the top three places for full details and to enter please click here.
Thee kick off time for the game at East Thurrock is reported as being changed from 15:00 on 3rd September to 13:00 this is due to the England game taking place later in the afternoon.
After Saturday's first home league game we are off on our travels the following Tuesday when we visit Maldon Town, which is just south east of Chelmsford. The club is running a coach that will leave Kingsmeadow at 16:45 and cost £13 for Adults and £7 for others, including under 16's students and OAP's.
If you wish to book on the coach please phone the club or send an email to coaches@afcwimbledon.co.uk stating you name, contact number and number of places needed.
This Friday sees the sixth Give and Go at Kingsmeadow with three bands performing in the main bar. It's only £6 to listen to some good music and on the bill are "Everstrong" who as well as performing on stage will be handing over a cheque for money made from sales of the single so come along and have a great night on the eve of the new season.
As mentioned over the summer I have added a new feature where you will be able to see the form of each game that takes place in the Ryman league. The data will take a couple of weeks to populate but as a starting point you can see the layout on our game against Folkstone on Saturday.
To view the information click the head to head link at the top of the page.
A really strange day today whilst almost every other league in the country was under way we were still playing a final pre-season game and it had the feel about it that it was just a case of get through it without any problems or injuries and then move on to next weekend when the real stuff starts.
The weather summed up the game well it was Dull and Dank and although Dover scored the only goal of the game in the second half their want really a lot to make note about.
I am sure that by this time next week everyone will be well up for the season and a good performance all round will be on display as we are involved in the first real important fixture of the season.
This afternoon it's a chance to dust off the cobwebs for a final time in pre-season before the start of the season this time next week. As usual the matchday updates will be in action from around 14:30 once the team news is known and you can keep up to date with the action by clicking matchday link above, if you can listen t sound don't forget to tune into Radio Wdon for full bias match commentary.
For anyone going to the game today you will see a dramatic progress on the construction on the Tempest End and one thing that a number of people commented on yesterday was the fact that the roof is a lot higher than they expected it to be. at the rate the builders are progressing it could well be finished and opened in time for the bank holiday Monday game against staines Town.
The Question and Answer session was a brilliant evening tonight and the new third kit seemed to go down really well.
I managed to record the Audio and although maybe not as crisp as you may have liked but I have split the file into three of the main Dave Anderson question and answer session.
The First part last for 15 minutes and is 1.7mb and you can listen by clicking here.
The second part last for 17 minutes and is 2.0mb and you can listen by clicking here.
The last part last for 9 minutes and is 1.3mb and you can listen by clicking here.
On Friday night from 19:00 the club shop will be open when the new white shirt which will be our 3rd kit goes on sale, we will wear the shirt on Saturday against Dover Athletic and it could also be seen early in the season when we visit Slough as their Amber and navy kit may be seen to clash with either our Blue or Yellow kit. Once you have been in the shop Dave Anderson will be taking to the stage for his third question and answer session, this one will also be different as it will include a video look back on the Surrey Senior Cup final from thee end of last year with Dave explaining what he and the management team were thinking at the time.
The previous two have been very frank discussions and enjoyable evenings so if you can come along do so.
The club has announced that Nicky has departed and now taken up a position at Whyteleafe, would just like to wish Nicky all the best and having seen him working with last years under 18's squad I know how much the club meant to him.
Also once the score line went to 5-3 to Crawley it would of been easy to just accept the defeat but the players battled away and Barry Moore scored a nice free-kick, even if i did announce it as Ryan at the time, and if we can score 4 goals against a professional team lets hope we can keep this part up when the season starts in around 10 days time.
Tonight we take on Crawley in our last Away pre-season game and with Crawley's season starting at the weekend they will be out to impress.
If you are not making the trip down to Crawley the matchday updates will be in operation from around 19:30 once the line up is known, to keep an eye on the action click the Matchday link at the top of the page.
With a couple of bookmakers providing a full list of prices for the Champions of The Ryman Premier League I thought it would be fun to have competition where you can predict before the season a betting coupon knowing that it will just be for fun, although I may add a prize for the end of season winner: -
When you make your selection please note that if you select the "Each Way" option this doubles your amount selected although it wont change on the entry, although I will check it when it comes in.
To have a look at the prices and enter the competition please click here.
Having seen the work under way at the athletics end yesterday with all the scaffolding up it looks like the Athletics end will be really nice when it is finished, hopefully by the end of the month. The poll question last week was "Do you think the Athletics end will become the new popular terrace to stand on once the roof is finished?" and the result is as follows; -
1. Yes - Will watch Games from that end when it's covered 24 Votes (37%)
2. Yes - Will watch from the HAE like I usually do 12 Votes (18%)
3. Yes - But will stand at the end we attack 15 Votes (23%)
4. No - Like the West Bank / John Smiths terrace where I watch games from 6 Votes (9%)
5. No - I sit in the Main stand 6 Votes (9%)
6. No - Live overseas so I don't get to any/many games 2 Votes (3%)
On Tuesday night we visit Crawley so here is the train travel information if your going: -
From Clapham Junction depart at 17:27, 17:53, 17:59 and 18:27 the trains at 17:27 and 18:27 are direct the other ones you need to change at Gatwick airport. The journey takes around 40 minutes and then it's about 1 mile from the station you can see a map by clicking here.
On Saturday I handed in to The Dons Trust a cheque that included payment of £183.70 which has been raised via sales on the Amazon link on this site, so thanks to everyone who purchased items from the link.
If you are looking for Books, CD's, DVD or other items click the Amazon link on any page and any sales made result in a commission being added to the account that will then be passed onto The Dons Trust.
If before today's game someone had said we would get a 1-1 draw against a team who just missed out on League football last season I think most of us would of gone home happy. Aldershot started strongly and looked a very good team and they took the lead when a very good cross was put into the box and as Wayne Finnie tried to put it behind for a corner he deflected it pst Andy Little. If he hadn't have got a touch on it a couple of aldershot players were on stand by to maybe put the ball into the back of the net.
We seemed to settle back into the game but following an incident prior to a corner and then what looked like a similar incident at the corner. The ref awarded a penalty to Aldershot, the kick was hit low to Little's left but he got down low and blocked it before collecting at the second attempt. so at half time it was 1-0 to Aldershot.
The second half continued to be an entertaining game then on 64 minutes Ali Chaaban broke into the box and was fouled and another penalty was given this time to us. Richard Butler stepped up and fired the ball to the keepers right and although he may have got a hand to it thee power took it into the back of the net and the scores were level.
Aldershot were a physical team but we competed very well and I think that it was a very useful game with the programme announcing a return game for pre-season next season it will be interesting to see if we are facing a team about to return to League football.
Dave has two pre-season matches left to finalise the squad for the start of the season and as it seems every week it's going to be a tough job.
This afternoon we take on Aldershot who last year finished in the top 5 of the conference and lost in the play-offs to eventual winners Carlisle United, so they will be hoping to push for the conference title this season. If you cant make the game this afternoon you can either listen to Radio Wdon for full puntastic chat and some commentary thrown in for good measure and also follow the action as it happens on the Matchday updates by clicking the Matchday link at thee top of the page. The Updates should be under way from about 14:30 with team news.
In Yesterday's South London Press Jon Turner gave his view on the teams we are up against in Ryman Premier division this season. If you cant get a copy of the paper you can read Jon's Words of Wisdom by clicking here
Just a reminder of the story on the Official Site that for the game against Aldershot tomorrow the Athletics end will be closed although these Turnstiles will be used for people wishing to sit down, the two blocks nearest the West Bank will be for Aldershot fans and half the west bank will also be for Aldershot fans only.
One other quick note that you may have missed the game at home to staines has now been moved to the Bank Holiday Monday 29th august and not as previously announced on Tuesday 30th August.
Stewart Castledine who has joined the AFC Wimbledon Ladies Coaching staff was interviewed by BBC Radio London tonight, if you didn't hear the interview you can now hear a recording by clicking here.
With the season less than 3 weeks away it's a good time to put out a reminder on Season Tickets, it looks like we could well be on to set a new record for the number of Season Ticket Holders and taking into account last years half-season Tickets we had over 1,500 by thee end of the season last time round.
If you haven't applied for your yet please do so As Soon As Possible as the Season Tickets have to be produced and dispatched in time to arrive on your door mat by Friday 19th August and the post office really need at least 5 days to arrange delivery of them.
Not only do Season Tickets guarantee you admission to every home game but in the event of restricted tickets at Away League or Cup Games season ticket holders would get priority. More information including prices and application forms can be found on the official site by clicking the following link.
Two bits of fun you may want to join in and compete against other AFC Wimbledon fans, or Ryman Fans. 1st The FA Premier League site has a fantasy football competition and an AFC Wimbledon league has been set up so far 86 teams have been registered, will you be heading for the Champions League or a Relegation battle? to register go to http://www.premierleague.com/ and select fantasy football once you have registered your team and kit you will be given the option to join a league at this point enter the registration number 31666-6657 the competition starts on 13th August is free to enter and you can make transfers through the season if your selection isn't that good.
Last season 'Old Isthmian' forecasting fun for Ryman 1 was very popular a prediction of number of points a team would end up with is given and you have to say if the team will get more or less, you can buy or sell your selection each day if you want or just track one team once again all a bit of fun but something for you to see how good you are at predicting to sign up and take part go to http://afcw.foto.co.uk/ and select forecast from the top menu.
Sorry for the delay in the poll question of 69 votes 75% of people said they were attending the game against Football club United of Manchester. This weeks question is to do with the new roof that is about to be put up on the athletics end of the ground, work should start tomorrow (Monday 1st August). so the question is "Do you think the Athletics end will become the new popular terrace to stand on once the roof is finished?" to vote please use the link on the left hand menu. I have added more than 2 options that should "cover" everyone.
This afternoon we played out a 1-1 draw at Ashford Town Middlesex, Of the two half's we played better in thee first half and on my limited knowledge of football I thought, ricci Crace and Richard Butler linked up well and Amadou Kouman worked hard during the game. The goal came about when Richard Butler managed to lift the ball over the oncoming keeper and into the back of the net.
in the second half with a number of substitutions made we seemed to lose our shape a bit. Ashford should off been awarded a penalty when one of the strikers was pulled back and stopped him reaching the ball but the linesman didn't give anything. He perhaps evened things up when Ashford crossed the ball into the box and scored and at least 2 players were offside and both touched the ball, the ashford people near me agreed that it was offside but it's the match officials decision that counts and he gave the goal.
With no first team action this midweek I would imagine that Dave will be taking another look at the squad and possibly signing a few more of the players up as he tries to put his squad together before the season starts in just 3 weeks time.
This afternoon we are off to Ashford Town Middlesex in a game that could be the first of two in the next 2 months as we could well face them in the FA Cup if they beat Whyteleafe. As usual the updates will be in operation and should get under way from about 14:30 with the team news. To keep up to date with the action please use the Matchday link above.
After 335 minutes, or over 5 hours, of action in pre-season this year the reserves finally scored their first goal of the season the honour went to Leon Mcdowall who scored from close range after a great cross by Freddie Myers who was one of a number of last years under 18's squad to be involved tonight. the second goal was scored by Joe Paris who hit a lovely goal from around 30 yards to seal a nice win against Westfield.
Westfield is a lovely club and the people who went down had a great evening and were made very welcome in the bar.
If you fancy watching some football on Friday evening the reserves are in action down at Westfield Football Club with a 19:30 kick off. So far this pre-season the reserve squad has had a large contingent of the Under 18's champion winning squad of last season as well as a few players who need added match fitness.
The bar at Westfield is always very welcoming and it's only a short walk down the hill to the ground. If you cant make the game I will be posting score updates on the matchday service.
The link to amazon has just paid out the commission earned for the period ending June 2005 and I am pleased to announce that the amount earn was £183.99 this will be passed directly on to the stadium fund so a big thanks to everyone who has used the link to purchase items.
Last night we secured a 2-0 victory over Kingstonian's in the 'Trevor Jones Memorial Trophy' we took the lead on 20 minutes when Wayne finnie took a long throw from and Steve Butler got his head to it and glanced it home. The second goal was a lovely finish by Sean Hillier.
Josh Lennie in goal made a number of good saves for us in the match but the only concern was Richard Butler going off in the first half after a number of hard challenges, he hopes to be ok for Saturday's game against his old club ashford Town Middx.
Radio Five Live have just finished a report (20:15) on saturday's game including comments from fans, Sports writers including Mick Dennis of the Express and Henry Winter off the Telegraph as well as Kris stewart if you didn't catch it you can hear it now by clicking here The file is 5.7mb and over 10 minutes long.
I wouldn't normally promote something like this but already over 50 people have entered in a AFC Wimbledon supporters league, this is your chance to try and beat the best and Rob Ursell :) in picking a team throughout the season that will get the most points via a fantasy football league.
the competition is free to enter and to join all you need to do is sign up at the following link http://fantasy.premierleague.com/info.html once you have entered your team it will ask you if you wish to join a league at this point enter the following code 31666-6657 and you will be added to the list of participants, you wont be able to view other teams line up's yet but you can see the team strips people have selected.
Sky Sports news have today been showing a 2 minute feature and thanks to the Donsonline team you can view it by clicking here this includes the goal but it is 28.8mb in size, I will try and produce a lower quality version for people who may not be able to download such a large file.
Saturday was a great day, I will admit in advance I thought it was going to be very one sided game but thee FC United set-up is very strong perhaps they have even learnt from our first season and know they need to get off to a very strong start to gain promotion. The FC United fans were in excellent voice all afternoon whilst the fans who didn't make the trip listened to Radio Wdon and enjoyed every minute of it.
We played better in the second half and a well worked goal was set up by Amadou Kouman who played a lovely ball through to Ricci Crace who with the help of a deflection lofted it over the keeper and into the back of the net.
At the end of the day a good day was had by everyone present and with a nice number of journalists present some good media coverage for both teams.
If your looking to purchase items that you would usually buy on the high street, for example, books, cd's, DVD's or even electrical items don't forget that if they are sold via AMAZON you can earn commission for the Stadium fund all you need to do is click the amazon link on any page and then make your purchases and commission is added to the account before being passed on directly to the fund.
This afternoon the long awaited FC United game is taking place, and it looks like a full house is on the cards. The game is due to start at 15:00 but kick off may be delayed even though the turnstiles are being opened early, if you are coming to the game please arrive early so that everyone who volunteers can get in and what the whole game.
If you cant make the game both the text update service and Radio Wdon will be in operation, to view the text updates please click the matchday link at the top of the page or if you are able to listen to sound as well please click the Radio Wdon on the left of the screen, the Radio Wdon broadcast will be up and running from around 14:00 and the text updates from around 14:15. once the starting line ups are known.
On Tuesday evening we beat Hanwell Town 4-1 thanks to goals from, Nathan Stamp, Michael Woolner, shane smeltz and Ricki Crace. It seemed a fairly comfortable evening work out although in the second half we were tested a bit with the pace of a number of french trialists. the pick of 4 good goals was a ball down the middle that Shane Smeltz ran on to from the half way line and fired home past the keeper.
Dave Anderson has said that after tonight's game he would sit down and work out which players would remain to be considered for the start of the season, well I reckon it could be a tough choice, but best of luck to him.
Tonight we take on Hanwell Town who play just of the A40 in West London. If your planning on going to the game the suggested route is central line "Underground" to Greenford and then 1 stop on the "over ground" to South Greenford from there it looks like its about a 5 minute walk and you can see both the station on the left of the map and the ground is just below the word WEST of the big green road going down the middle of the page and can be seen here
If you cant make the game the text updates will be in operation from around 119:15
Well tonight was a good run and a chance for a bit more game time for the players picked in tonight's squad. The score line was always going to be a bit one sided but these games are more about individual performances and how players can play as a team than the over all score line.
Cobham is a nice ground but with no stand to sit in and do the updates for both here and The Official Site we had to improvise and so with the help of a strategically placed picnic table almost on the edge of the pitch I had a great view and only one moment that looked like the laptop would be in lots of bits as the ball came flying towards me. Below is a picture taken via my mobile that shows how close I was to the pitch.
The Main talking points were 2 goals for Scott forrester who then went on to have a penalty saved by the keeper. A Richard Butler goal followed by possibly one of the worse missed open goals you will have of seen in the last two games, Richard rounded the keeper was about 6 yards out and just had to tap it in but somehow he managed to put it wide. The other two goals in the second half were from Matt Yorke and Amadou Kouman.
It was nice to see a few of the Reserve players get a chance as well and Mark King almost got on the score sheet but his effort was turned away from goal just before crossing the line.
Tonight we visit Cobham in our Second pre-season game and the updates via the matchday link will be in operation from around 19:15 tonight where I will bring you all the action as it happens. If you haven't used the updates before click the Matchday link above and you can follow the game on your screen.
With us back at Kingsmeadow on Saturday the Dons Trust table will once again be collection the spare change boxes, old mobile phones and any old printer cartridges that you may have, the phones and printer cartridges (laser type) are recycled and raise funds for the stadium fund. If you do have any of these or can get any from offices you may work in bring them to the Dons Trust table in the back bar and they will be more than happy to take them off you.
At this time of year games come thick and fast and the game is on Monday night when we visit Cobham FC the nearest train station is Cobham & Stoke D'Abernon the two recommended trains from Wimbledon are either the 18:19 or the 18:49 these are due to arrive at 18:44 and 19:11 its a good 20 minutes walk from memory so it may be worth getting a cab from the station to the ground although if you get the early train and it's a sunny evening it's a very pleasant walk. A map showing the route from the station can be found here. In terms of the Journey home trains Depart Cobham & Stoke D'Abernon station at 58 and 28 minutes past the hour and arrive back in wimbledon 22 minutes later.
Just like to remind people about the benefits of ordering items from Amazon after pressing the links on this site, not only do you make some nice savings on normal high street prices but every sale sees a commission paid to me which is passed directly on to The Dons Trust stadium Fund. so if you are looking for any items, from Books,CD and DVD's through to household appliances click the link and then any subsequent purchases in that visit will earn commission.
Thanks to Stuart Deacons below are some pictures that he took at the game yesterday. By clicking on any of the pictures a new window will open with a large version of the picture 800 by 600 pixels.
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The first pre-season game and a trip to the coast was very nice, the good thing about pre-season is that all the normal rules go out the window. where subs are usually limited to 3 players from 5 in pre-season it would appear that if you bring your boots it's possible you may get a game.
Before the game started I was given a sheet of paper that listed the line up at the bottom of the sheet was the second half team this would end up being 9 new players before the two other were replaced and then just for good fun a player from the first half came back on, add in a case that one shirt number was used by two players and if you weren't confused by the start you will be now.
It's always difficult to judge pre-season games but our first goal came about on 10 minutes when Sonny Farr latched on to a Antony Howard ball up the pitch and finished nicely. We had to wait until about the 8th minute of injury time (This was very strange) when Andy Douglas scored a cracker of a goal when he curled the ball in from around 25 yards out and from almost near the touch line, it was a brilliant goal and rounded off a very good performance.
So a nice early start today with our first pre-season game away at Bognor Regis and being a lunchtime kick off (12:30 BST) the text updates will be starting early, I would guess at round about 11:45 when I will try and keep you up to date with the line up and the traditional pre-season fun of almost unlimited substitutions.
If you haven't used the matchday live service click the 'matchday' link above and that ill bring you text updates direct from the game the page should automatically refresh every 2 minutes with the most recent events at the top of the page. so even if you cant make the game you can keep an eye on the action as it happens.
As mentioned with large groups of substitutions it can be difficult but you will be able to follow all the major action as it happens.
The official site has put together a basic pen pics section of the players that will be involved over the next few games and then possibly during the season. It's worth remembering that all players have to re-register for the new season and therefore it's possible that some of the players mentioned may not be involved when the season starts on the 20th August.
saturday Morning will involve an early start for out 12:30 kick off at Bognor Regis Town. The train route from Wimbledon sends you via Clapham Junction and also requires a quick change at Barnham station. But for an arrival by 11:30 the suggested departure times from Clapham Junction the 09:08 and after a quick change of trains at Barnham should arrive in Bognor at 10:48 Once in Bognor the ground is about 1 mile from the station and here are two maps for a route the first one shows you street level and can be found here the second one is a satellite map and shows how close the ground and station with the same route is to the seaside to view click here. With the game kicking off at 12:30 it will be finished mid afternoon trains depart Bognor at 8 minutes past the hour and after another change at Barnham arrive back at clapham Junction about 1 hour 40 minutes later.
So now we have the fixture list and a chance t see the squad back in action it should be a great day out.
The suggestion was that the 2005/06 season fixtures would be announced first thing on thursday morning but following the release of the first few games and a bit of detective work the complete fixture list has been announced and has now been added to the fixture page above. For the moment I need to tidy it up but it's a start.
Just wanted to wish best of luck to a number of players that have recently departed the club the first three are Gavin Bolger, Steve Gibson & Joe Sheerin it's a great shame that they have left the club where they all played a huge part of our history, although a suggestion is going round that Gavin and Steve could be joining Joe at Croydon Athletic next season.
Next to go is Keith Ward not only scored the winning goal in our first Combined Counties game at Sandhurst, cleared the ball off the line with an overhead kick, against AFC Wallingford in the 3-2 victory when some wallingford people thought it had crossed the line. Then last season he was assistant to Nicky English and the Under 18's team it was clear to see the respect the players had for Wardy and one of the funniest moments was when a picture of Keith in his playing days was bought in and the lads had a good laugh at him. Keith is going to Raynes Park Vale next season so will still be in the area lets hope we see him down at Kingsmeadow some time, and cheers for all your help Keith.
It would appear that Chris Gell has returned to Northwood a club where he was at for 10 years. 'Gelly' has always been involved with events at Northwood and seeing him at the Charity game at the end of last season it was clear he still gets on with everyone at the club. For someone who only played 1 season with us he made a big impact and lets hope we meet Northwood in the Trophy so we can pass on our thanks.
Just to give you a plan of action for the next week, as well as updating the calendar and Fixture list one the full list is announced I will also be putting up Travel details for the games on Saturday Lunchtime, as well as Monday and Tuesday evenings. Then of course from saturday the live text updates will be starting if you haven't used them before they bring you live text updates from any game that I attend and update every 2 minutes automatically or when ever you refresh your screen so if you cant make the games you can always follow the action as it happens.
It looks like by the end of the week we will have the fixtures for the 2005/06 season. I believe one of the reasons for the delay was that the Ryman and Southern Leagues needed to check that they didn't have Northwood and Wealdstone both playing at home on the same date as they are sharing Northwood's ground this season.
The Southern League announced their fixture list on Monday Morning so hopefully Thee Ryman League are just putting any last minute changes before issuing the full fixture list.
Thanks to everyone who voted in the poll when the question was "Where do you think we will finish in the Ryman League In The 2005/06 season" The result was as follows: -
1. Champions 15 Votes (14%)
2. 2nd - 5th Promoted 45 Votes (42%)
3. 2nd - 5th Not Promoted 31 Votes (29%)
4. 6th - 10th 17 Votes (16%)
5. 11th - 15th 0 Votes (0%)
6. 16th - 19th 0 Votes (0%)
7. 20th - 22nd 0 Votes (0%)
The link to amazon on the right hand side is a good way to raise funds for the club whilst picking up a bargain or two in the process. Everything you buy from the amazon store after clicking the link raises funds for the club so click the link and have a look around, not forgetting it's not just books amazon sell.
A couple of bookmakers are offering odds on the winner of the Ryman Premier League for the 2005/06 season and they have come up with the following prices: -
AFC Wimbledon 4/1 - 3/1 --- Billericay Town 15/2 - 7/1
Braintree Town 7/1 - 6/1 --- Fisher Athletic 13/2 - 10/1
Heybridge Swifts 12/1 - 12/1 --- Leyton 16/1 - 14/1
Margate 16/1 - 16/1 --- Chelmsford City 18/1 - 14/1
Hendon 20/1 - 20/1 --- Slough 20/1 - 20/1
Hampton 25/1 - 16/1 --- Staines Town 16/1 - 25/1
Worthing 25/1 - 20/1 --- Bromley 33/1 - 33/1
Folkestone 33/1 - 33/1 --- Redbridge 33/1 - 33/1
Windsor & Eton 33/1 - 33/1 --- East Thurrock 25/1 - 40/1
Harrow Borough 41 - 34 --- Maldon Town 20/1 - 40/1
Walton & Hersham 25/1 - 50/1 --- Wealdstone 50/1 - 66/1
One of the two bookies prices shown above originally had Fisher at 25/1 and then the price came in to 14/1 and now you can see it's a lot lower.
With a week before the first pre-season game get's under way I thought it would be a good time to go down to the training ground and see how the team is settling in for the new season.
Things look like they are shaping up nicely. As well as the new boys of Andy Little, Matt Yorke and Barry Moore a number of trialists were present and it's going to be a difficult job to pick a team for the season.
The session lasted from 10:00 to about 13:30 and started off with a warm up run before a number of small sided exercises were undertaken involving 1 touch passing and headers. They were then split into three groups and as one group sat out the next exercise the other two played a game on a small pitch where the aim was to progress the ball up the pitch via different areas i.e. a defender could pass to a midfielder and the midfielder to attacker but all the time the player could only progress forward one area.
Once each team had played against the other group a full size practice game was played and then the session came to an end with a warm down session. It looked a good session that although was hard work the players seemed to enjoy.
With the first pre-season game taking place next Saturday this week will see a lot more activity on the site as we build up to the start of the 2005/06 season.
Congratulations to Matt Couper and the cast of A Fans Club who put on a brilliant show in front of approximately 500 people at Wimbledon Theatre. It was nice to see not only supporters, new players, and some old heroes as well including Roger Joseph who was well chuffed with his mention he got during the show.
The cast seemed amazed at the reception it got especially at the end when they got a well deserved standing ovation. Lets hope we get a chance to put the show on at Kingsmeadow at some time as for people who saw the original version but missed this one a fair amount of the show has changed.
Although the fixture list for the 2005/06 season was due to be announced on Thursday reports on a few message boards suggest that they have been delayed and they now hope to get them announced by Thursday 14th July. As soon as I am aware of them various parts of the site will be updated.
This Friday sees the show "A Fans Club" performed in the main Wimbledon Theatre in a one off performance so lets pack the theatre out and support this brilliant show more information can be found by clicking here. Ticket prices are £10 and £15 for the show.
At the end of last month another Amazon reporting period came to an end and therefore shortly commission will be paid to me and then passed on directly to the stadium fund. Early indications are that around £175.00 has been raised which is a new record and even beats the christmas sales from the end of last year. So a big thanks to everyone who has used the store and don't forget that every purchases after clicking the amazon link earns money.
With the preparations for the new season about to go into full swing I thought I would post a new poll question. So first of all the result of the poll that has been running.
The question was "Are you pleased with the Signings so far?" and the results were: -
1. Yes - Good signings. 39 Votes (64%)
2. Not Sure Don't know the players 14 Votes (23%)
3. OK But need more signings. 7 Votes (11%)
4. No - Not Good enough players. 1 Vote (2%)
The new question is "Where do you think we will finish in the Ryman League In The 2005/06 season" the options are: -
1) Champions
2) 2nd - 5th Promoted
3) 2nd 5th Not Promoted
4) 6th - 10th
5) 11th - 15th
6) 16th - 19th
7) 20th - 22nd
To vote in the poll please click the link on the left hand menu or click here.
A potential 7 cup games were announced today in FA Competitions for the first team and Youth side so lets try and break these down starting with the easy ones first.
THE FA Cup This year we enter at the First Qualifying round where we will get a chance to play a team we play only a month earlier in a pre-season game, in Ashford Town (Middx) or our friends from Whyteleafe Football Club, either way it should bee a good day at Kingsmeadow.
The FA Trophy In the FA trophy we have had the first two rounds announced in the first qualifying round we have been drawn at home to Kings Lynn, who for a large part of the end of last season was suggested that they could be in the Ryman Premier division for the 2005/06 season, The winners of that are then away to the Winners of either Northwood or Ramsgate.
The FA Youth Cup Right this is where it get confusing as all the rounds up to the 1st Round Proper have been drawn and the route we would need to take to get that far is a complicated one.
To start with a game away to Camberley Town The winners then progress I am sure someone will work out the total number of different permutations that we could face if we progress all the way through.
By this time next week we should have the league fixtures to work out as well. The confirmed games have been added to the Calendar section of the site.
And play Erith & Belvedere if we were to win the first two games we the progress and play Sandhurst Town or Thatcham Town
