Happy New Year

Happy New Year to all fans, players and officials of BTFC.

I have been pleased to see see a good reaction from the boys after the 1-1 draw with Rothwell Town (Under 16s!!) Lets be honest, we created enough chances to win 2 games that day!

A good win against Chenecks away, an absolute mauling of Bourne at home and a good win against Olney's bogey team Wootton yesterday stand the team in good stead for 2012. Bugbrooke aren't all that but I didn't see the game personally.

I still miss the job at BTFC like you wouldn't believe but Mrs K reads this website so I have to be careful (Love you dear x). The next fixture throws up some interest for a number of reasons, I've openly criticised their Manager Neil Griffiths in the past but underneath it all he is just a passionate football person doing what he knows best which has led to former Robins flying the nest but we shouldn't hate him for that. I can only speak from experience but Geoff Baffo and Jared Cunniff both gave me their all for the last 12 games of last season and were a credit to themselves during that period, I believe that if I had been stronger and stuck to my guns they both would still be wearing the red of BTFC tomorrow but thats another story.

Olney are not title contenders, they are not even promotion contenders any more and if I was taking the field against them tomorrow I would fancy my chances of 3 points, puff your chests out boys, give it your all and you'll win comfortably.

See you soon

5-star Robins destroy Bourne

Rob Bannister grabbed a brace on his home debut for Buckingham Town as the Robins romped to a 5-1 victory against Bourne Town in the Chroma Sports & Trophies, Division 1 clash. Bannister, a recent new addition to the Robins' ranks, opened the scoring after 7 minutes with a brilliant left foot volley from a Nick Bines Cross.
The second came after 26 minutes when Bines cut in from the left and shot hard and low into the bottom corner. Ben Shepherd scored a 25 yard cracker after 28 minutes for the second home game running to make it 3-0 at the break.
The second half Bourne had nothing to lose and pushed men forward to try and get back into the game, but it was Bannister who grabbed the fourth on 53 minutes after Shepherds low cross.
Bourne got one back on 58 minutes after a superb move down the right and clinical finishing.
Buckingham were not finished and James Wardell defended from the front and ran down the Bourne keeper who lost the ball and then brought Wardell down in the box and was given a red card.
Wardell unselfishly offered the ball to Chris Robson who put away the penalty with ease to make it 5-1

Bell, Cross, Stimpson, Diamond, Phillips, Shepherd (Barker), Robson, Lee, N.Bines Bannister (Hull) Wardell.

On the Day!
With Graham Sands & Jakub missing we still had a strong team for the days duties, but the morning of the game got off to a bad start and I had Mark Gale, Joel McCormick and Ieuan Riley all pull out, this gave me a head ache and thanks to Sam Barker and Paul Hull for stepping in when they were needed.
We adapted the team to the best of our ability with Stimpson slotting in at centre back and what a outstanding game he had, Chris Robson was asked to play in the centre of midfield with Cory lee and both players showed a work ethic and togetherness that kept the team ticking over when we needed it most.
Rob Bannister who has signed in recent weeks was asked to play up front with James Wardell and showed that he is a goal poacher by scoring his brace.
Ben Shepherd and Nick Bines are now being noticed not only by myself as a manager for their goals and technical ability but also for the work rate they are now offering for the team.
Daryl Phillips who has been out for 2 weeks with his ankle injury had an outstanding game at left back and offered an in site to players wanting to play for their position!
Pat Diamond will always put 100% in what ever position he plays and showed a desire to work with his back four, Daley Cross who has stepped up from the development team has showed maturity in his position and is enjoying the challenge at right back and the players have embraced that.
Mike Bell our goal keeper who came back to the club when we needed him most has impressed me with some outstanding saves and is taking his opportunity to show us all how good he can be in goal.
Finally James Wardell, although he has not scored in the last two games he has given the team that added extra up front and was a credit to himself with his desire to work for the team.
Well done lads.

Eddie

So I was sat in the Ford Meadow Club early in 2010 being interviewed for the First Team Manager's job by the Chairman and another committee member. I'.m outlining my plans should I be the successful applicant and taking in the surroundings, wow! I could feel the history in there, what a football venue- how could you not fall in love with the old place? Anyway, as I'm searching for the right words to impress my interviewers I suddenly became aware of a colourful looking gent who appeared out of nowhere, cleaning tabletops and generally finding tasks to do within ear shot of the meeting!

I soon realised that the colourful gent showing a big interest in my meeting was in fact Eddie Cole, the best supporter and volunteer any football club could wish for. Eddie was not looking for perfection on the pitch, his only wish was that for anyone who pulled on the Robins shirt to give their absolute all for the Buckingham Town cause, something which Eddie did every week come rain or shine.

Managers and players come and go but fans and volunteers are the essence of any football club, Eddie- I salute you.

Bines & Stimpson ON target in Town win

After last weeks draw Buckingham changed their fortunes and put in a honest team display against ON Chenecks F.C
BTFC welcomed Nick Bines and James wardell back in attacking roles but were missing Ieuan Riley ( suspended) and Chris Robson.
The first 10 minutes was not the best viewing and it took some time for Buckingham to get going, but as the half progressed the players became more relaxed and got into their stride.
Kyle Stimpson and James Wardell were using their pace to open up the defence and this gave more opportunities for the midfield to create chances and shots on goal.
The Chenecks keeper pulled off a reaction save from Ben Shepherd who hit the ball with some venom from 20 yards and Wardell Came close from short range.
Cory Lee and Graham Sands were working well in the centre of midfield, showing that not only technically good on the ball they can work hard in their respective positions and graft for the team.
The defence of Cross, Gale, Diamond and Jakub were working well on their shape with Mike bell only having to make a couple of half chance saves during the half.

The team came out after the break with more desire and a willingness to up their work rate for each other, for 20 minutes in the second half dominated the hosts.
Wardell again came close with a left foot shot, and with Stimpson and Bines adding to the chances it was only going to be time before BTFC would get the important first goal.
The goal came on 62 minutes, with Nick Bines crossing deep from a corner and Kyle Stimpson reacting to put the ball in the back of the net.
Chenecks came at Buckingham again and Mike Bell pulled off a fantastic save from a free kick to keep the score at 0-1.
BTFC were digging deep and really started to open the game up and Bines again came close on 78 minutes with a side foot shot after a superb counter attack.
The final goal came on 88 minutes when Nick Bines picked the ball up 25 yrds from the Chenecks goal, rounded 2 defenders and as the ball bobbled up, he created a superb chance for himself buy lobbing the keeper with the outside of his left boot! an outstanding individual goal and was appreciated by every BTFC player.

Final Score ON Chenecks 0 - 2 BTFC (Stimpson, Bines)

The players performed well on the day, and I could see that they wanted to prove a point, the work ethic in the second half especially was 100%.
I will always make players aware that upping their work rate in games will sometime get you more rewards that ability and if the players want to keep progressing they can take this game as a stepping stone showing that we can get our hands dirty and will always have the individual ability in the team to create chances.
It was also nice to see the team throwing their bodies in the way of the balls and backing each other up.
a clean sheet is also important for the team as a whole and Mike Bell our Goal keeper.
Well done lads!

Eddie Coles, some very sad news.

Good Evening everyone. It is with great sadness that I must let you all know of the passing of Eddie Coles. Eddie was one of the great Buckingham Town characters and had been associated with the Robins for many, many years and was unmistakable thanks to his colourful appearance!

You could always rely on Eddie, ask him to help with something and it was as good as done and he could often be found at Ford Meadow helping with the upkeep of the place. I wouldnt like to guess how many hours he put into Buckingham Town over the years.

We at Buckingham Town wish to offer our heartfelt condolances to Eddies family and friends, we share your loss. A good friend, good man and a Robin through and through. He will be greatly missed.

FA Vase Coach

Saturday 19th November 2011
Pick up at Total Garage Buckingham, Leave 10.30am
Pick Up at TBA in Milton Keynes, Leave 11.00am

£10.00 each we have a short supply and it will be on a strictly first come basis.

Please contact Darren to book tickets.

Buckingham Charity Cup QF Second leg.

Buckingham Town 4-0 Stony Stratford Town
Buckingham Town progressed through to the Semi Final of the Buckingham Charity Cup with a comprehensive victory at Stony Stratford. Leading 3-1 from the 1st leg, James Wardell, the Robins Skipper on the night, put his side In front after 10 minutes with a pint point header from a Nick Bines Corner, this in effect killed the tie and it was only going to get worse for Stony.

Cory Lee, who came on at half time took 3 minutes to score his comeback goal with a near post header, to increased Town's lead.
Kyle Stimpson got the 3rd on the night, receiving the ball in the box and calmly lifted it over the home 'keeper before rolling the ball into the back of the net. Stimpson was then fouled on the edge of the area and it was Graham Sands who converted from the spot, to make it 4-0 nil on the night and 7-1 on Agg.
Buckingham will now play Banbury United in the Semi Final, who lead Winslow United 7-0 from the 1st leg.
M.Bines, Phillips, Menday, Diamond, Hull, Shepherd, Sands, Riley, N.Bines, Wardell, Stimpson. Subs all used -Whitmore, Baldwin and Lee.

A pleasing result on the night and the team performed very well over the 2 legs. Scoring 7 goals and only conceding 1
Having some of the defence back for this tie was important but we still have some long term injuries and will need to shuffle things about again over the next few weeks.

Robins win local derby in the FA Vase

Sat 22nd Oct: Buckingham Town came away from Elmfields Gate with a place in the next round of the FA Vase after defeating Winslow United 5-2 this afternoon in front of a large crowd. On a bright sunny but cold October afternoon it was the home side who drew first blood when a defensive error saw Phil Martin gifted the ball only to be brought crashing to the ground by Robins keeper Matt Bines. Referee David Jarrett had no hesitation in pointing to the spot. Martin picked himself up and calmly slotted home after 16 minutes. Winslow's lead lasted just three minutes as a long cross-field pass by Kyle Stimpson found James Wardell, who ran through to shoot past Paul Bowley.

Leo Brooks came off for the home side with injury to be replaced by Mark Holman. The game finished level at the break. In the 50th minute, Stimpson latched on to a ball with the Winslow defence exposed and unleashed a powerful shot to put the visitors into the lead.

The Robins Club Captain Chris Robson battled through the United defence on 62 minutes and lobbed the advancing Bowley to net Kit Bamber's side's third. United battled back five minutes later as Mark Holman was on hand to side foot home after Simon King battled hard to win the ball in the visitor's box before crossing. As United pushed for an equaliser it was the visitors who increased their two-goal advantage when Wardell netted his second in the 83rd minute before Ben Shepherd's long range shot ended up in the back of the net in the 89th minute.

Winslow Utd: Bowley, Tarrant, Wiffin, Ainger, Heywood, Brown (Setterfield), Butler, L.Brooks (Holman), King, Martin, Dawson (M.Brooks).
Buckingham Town: M.Bines, Menday, Phillips (Shepherd), Gale, Kasprzyk, Sands, Wardell, Diamond, Robson (Ross), Stimpson, N.Bines (Riley).

The FA Vase 1st Round Proper

Winslow United F.C. 2 - 5 Buckingham Town F.C.

The build up for the game over the last few weeks was noticed and both clubs were looking forward to this mouth watering tie.
An impressive crowd of over 200 watched a very entertaining derby game and would have been thoroughly entertained.

I'm not going to right a full match report on this game as I believe we had every Robins fan watching and I was really pleased with the support you all offered to the club on the day.
I have kept quiet over the way Winslow have conducted themselves off the pitch and that is not my concern, the concern for myself and this team was to put a professional performance on and show maturity and responsibility on the pitch.
The players did not need any incentive to win this game, and the way they went about their duties as a team was justified, the confidence was within the players and it showed when James Wardell walked into the changing room before the game and told me he will get a brace today!!
I can start picking players out with individual performances and wanted to make a point about Mark Gale our centre back, he played through the pain barrier for this game due to his achilles problems and we would all like to thank him for that.

The victory was sweet and lets say worth it!! .
Well done to all involved in the club,the players,supporters and the management team.


The BTFC goals came from Wardell (18) Stimpson (53) Robbo (64) Wardell (85) Shepherd (89)

Buckingham Town: M.Bines, Menday, Phillips (Ross), Gale, Kasprzyk Sands, Wardell
Diamond, Robson (Shepherd), Stimpson, N.Bines(Riley).

Gt Linford vs BTFC Development

Click the link below for Great Linford FC's take on their game against our development side last Saturday.

I particularly like the last paragraph

http://www.clubwebsite.co.uk/greatlinfordadultsfc/221189/Matches/report

Buckingham Town Support

I was at the Stony Stratford match last night and looking around the ground was impressed by the diversity of support there for Buckingham Town. It was good to see Lucy there along with a few of the other stalwarts from the clubs past. At the other end of the scale there was a good turnout of young players from this seasons development team, taking an interest in their future and checking out the standard to aim for! In between we had current committee members, sponsors and old as well as new supporters. All there in a common cause.

Buckingham Town Football Club was, as always, well supported and with the players doing the business on the pitch consistantly, a positive future is achievable.

Bucks Charity Cup First Leg QF

Stony Stratford 1-3 BTFC
The players are more than aware that we are not just in this competition to make the numbers up, we are in competitions to win, and last nights performance showed that.
The squad was used, and it gave us the opportunity to rest 3 players due to injuries, so in came Daryl Phillips and Daley Cross from the development team.
BTFC got off to an impressive start with James Wardell

finding the back of the net after 3 minutes, and then Kyle Stimpson made it 0-2 after 8 minutes with what could be described as a wonder goal!!
Stony to their credit got a goal back after 15 minutes with a Strike from outside the box, but BTFC had more than enough possession and should have found the back of the net a further 2-3 times.
The second half showed more ball retention by Buckingham and they were moving the ball quicker and creating more space for the attacking players.
It also gave me the opportunity to move players around and use all 3 substitutes, and to me that is important to the squad.
The third goal came after Kyle Stimpson reacted well, and latched onto a sloppy back pass from a Stony defender, Stimpson went to round the keeper who brought him down in the box for a BTFC penalty. yellow card for the keeper and Graham Sands

slotted home the perfect penalty.
Another turning point in this game was when Stony were given a penalty 5 minutes from time but Matt Bines again helped his team mates out and pulled of a fantastic save.

The players and squad are developing well and I can not praise them enough for the work ethic and football they are playing.
lets all keep our feet on the ground and take each game as it comes and continue this unbeaten streak.

Development team vs Marsh Gibbon.

Just a reminder to anyone going to Marsh Gibbon to watch the development team this coming weekend in the interdivisional cup, kick off is at 2-00 pm. Extra time and penalties if required!

FA Vase First Round Proper

Well, I guess it was inevitible really. The Winslow Derby in the first round proper of the FA Vase.

We will make the 0.5 mile, 1 minute journey from our Winslow Centre base to Winslow United's ground for what is sure to be a thrilling cup tie. Could this be the shortest distance ever travelled for a Vase tie?

I personally have a huge amount of respect for Winslow Utd's setup. Damian Wiffin and Spike Marsden are great guys and are doing a great job trying to get Winslow Utd back up there in South Mids football.

The pair of them have both been adversaries of mine in the past, I have interesting memories of a very combative Spike Marsden in his Padbury Utd days and two of my greatest victories at Deanshanger Athletic came against Damian Wiffin's all conquering Steeple Claydon side.

It will be a great occasion and we need to get the whole town involved.

See you there.

A Great Day

What a great day for BTFC today a rare reward in what has been a difficult time. Well done to Kit, Neil, the rest of the management team and of course the players for an outstanding result.

I can't wait to see who we get next!

It feels like things are on the up again with positive reports coming back from the development side too. One of many positives from the development side was the performance of 16 year old Zac Wade in goal, a player recommended to me by Pete Riches- Thanks Pete, sounds like young Zac will be a real find for us.

Thanks to Ross Baldwin for taking the development side and of course big thanks to Eddie for getting the facility at Brackley Leisure Centre ready (amid some hostilities from the locals!)

Onwards and upwards.

See you soon.

Development Side

For anyone who can't make the trip to Ascot tomorrow, the Development Side are playing at Brackley Leisure Centre- 3pm kick off vs Southcott.

Although the hunt for a manager goes on we will see the side at its strongest so far tomorrow. The squad is a work in progress and tomorrow represents a difficult game against a good side from Leighton Buzzard who are 3rd in the league. There are 13 players available tomorrow including a number of new recruits. As well as the new recruits we are lucky to have Daley Cross, a first team regular last season who will be looking for fitness after a couple of weeks away, Scott Whitmore who played well in pre season continues to gather experience of mens football which will help his development in the long term and I don't feel he is far off a chance in the first team.

Jamie Hyde who filled in well for the first team at the back end of last season will be there along with David Pollard who also made a couple of sub appearances in the senior side last term. Josh Whitehead who was also a regular in the senior squad most of last season will continue and hopefully benefit from the extra game time. Darryl Phillips who joined our ranks in the summer will be pushing for a spot in the first team squad also, I watched him in training last night and he looked very sharp. These players are all between 18-21 which is exactly what the development side is all about and although it has been a struggle so far it is coming together more each week.

The Development Squad will be mentored by first team squad member Ross Baldwin tomorrow, Ross is a Level 2 coach already and currently coaches a youth team. However, he wants to concentrate on playing when he fully recovers from the injury he sustained earlier in pre season so I really appreciate him stepping in tomorrow and I know he'll do a fantastic job for Buckingham Town FC, great attitude.

Mike Burnham will be attending the game also and I was pleased he got back in touch with me about returning to the fold, I'm glad he was able to take his place on the current management team setup, welcome back Mike.

Good luck to the First Team tomorrow, lets hope our name is in the hat for the next round.

Ascot United

Ascot play at Step 5 (we are Step 6) in the football pyramid system.

They are 13th out of 21 in the Hellenic Premier League after 10 games. Their record in the league this season is won 3, drawn 1, lost 6 They have scored 14 goals, 7 of them were scored by Jon Bennett. Bennett has netted in 7 different games, usually when they have been comprehensively beaten but his goal against Ardley Utd did earn them a point. Ascot have conceded 22 goals in their ten league games.

They lost 4-2 on Saturday against Holyport who were recently knocked out of the FA Vase by our neighbours Winslow Utd (Step 7).

Their Manager and his assistant both play for the first team too which obviously leaves a third person in charge from the sidelines which is not ideal.

They started the season playing 4-4-2 but have switched to a 4-3-3 in the last two games with top scorer Bennett playing on the right of three up top.

They are susceptible to quick breaks and pacy players in general.

They are a step above but it is a winnable game.

STATEMENT

I would like to give my thanks to Dan for all his hard work, he leaves the team in a much better place than when he found it and I can genuinely say he has turned the team around in a short space of time.

The season has started well with four points from two games and today we got through to the next round of the County Cup.

Whilst Dan has been juggling his new job and family, Kit has stepped up and shouldered the responsibility for training and match day preparations and on occasions he has taken the team match days, this has not gone un-noticed by my self, he has a vast experience in managing and coaching and following a meeting this week he has agreed to take over as first team manager. Kit has brought in Neil Quinn as his assistant.

I along with the committee wish them all the best in the future with Buckingham Town FC.

ANNOUNCEMENT

It is with a heavy heart that I have to announce my decision to step down as First Team Manager after today's victory over Great Linford.

I started a new job on June 9th this year and it became painfully obvious a few weeks in to it that the extra demands were hampering my ability to do what needed to be done as Manager of this great club and it was all putting too much strain on my family life. Despite knowing since mid June that I couldn't carry on I wanted to make sure that I stayed until the season had started because there had been more than enough upheaval over the summer and I felt it would destabilise the club further if I left before our league campaign got underway.

We have had a reasonable start to this campaign and are currently unbeaten in 5 league games going back to the end of last season so I feel I leave the side in much healthier shape than when I arrived in March. There is no reason why this group of players can't push on and finish in the top 3 of the division this season.

I really enjoyed the back end of last season and nothing gave me greater pleasure than helping to put pride back into this club even if only for a short while. A few things changed within the setup this summer and it hasn't felt the same for some reason but I have massive respect for the Chairman, Vince looked at ways I could remain as Manager but whatever suggestions were made just weren't right for the club and as I've said on here before no one person is bigger than Buckingham Town football club, least of all me.

We have spent most of the last month talking to potential replacements to continue taking the club in the right direction because whoever takes over needs to follow the vision, I'd hate to think I was handing over the reigns to someone who can't see past the next game and doesn't act in the best interests of the club as a whole.

On a more positive note, I have decided to stay on at Buckingham Town FC in a "Football Development" role, I will be working closely with Vince on the new ground project and pushing forward with the plan to get a full youth setup as well as player recruitment for all BTFC sides among other duties. There will be regular updates on my progress in match day programmes so make sure you attend home games and buy one.

Reserves/Development/Dads Army

Well , Well, Well

I see the second team is still causing debate- nothing wrong with that, shows people care. I can see all sides of the problem but I must say that I think it is a bit early to be writing it off. I believe it is the first time in well over a year that BTFC has been able to field two sides on the same day albeit with a lot of last minute rallying around by the Chairman and I think we should be applauded for that.

Vince's question about where do the players come from to cover those away or injured raises more interesting questions like where do the players coming back from injury or holidays go? straight back in the first team? if so where do the players who filled in go?. We need to remember that unfortunately we don't have a premier ground this season, from what I saw last term and the feedback from one or two players who have left us this season it is fairly obvious that Ford Meadow and the opportunity to play there was a major factor in people staying through bad times and coming back even when not selected for a few weeks. I feel fairly confident that players who don't regularly get in our first team would not keep coming back to the Winslow Centre (no disrespect intended) without the opportunity to prove themselves in the second 11.

Last Saturday was the beginning of the development team, not a signal for it to end and I echo the Chairman's thanks to those who gave help.

The development side is a concept drawn up and decided upon by the committee before we lost our ground and there are a number of reasons for the difficulties we have faced culminating in saturdays events.

The essence of the concept was for last years under 18s players who are now too old to play at that level to come together with fringe first teamers and a few of the current under 18s and form "The development squad". We want the side to play in the same style as the first team with short passing and ball retention the key elements regardless of what sort of opposition they encounter.

Not everybody in the meeting was comfortable with going into the North Bucks league for reasons which have become fairly obvious, certainly to those who attended the first game but it was chosen for the logistical side and ease of administration etc. I spent a long time in the North Bucks leagues myself so I don't like openly criticising the standard, you should never forget where you came from.

The major blow to the development squad came when Steve Mercer and Steve Fisher were forced to find an alternative club for our/their U18s to play because of losing Ford Meadow and so the natural flow and pull through of players was lost. I'm still hopeful of resurrecting our tie up with the two Steves but I do feel that the decision to play north bucks football may have a bearing on their willingness to send players our way.

Another factor in the development squads problems is the fact that with everything going on I let players from last years U18s like Chris Foster, Joe Townsend, Josh Fagan, Harry Brock, Mark Edwards, Craig Knox and Kyle Bateman (to name a few) slip through the net. Some of these lads will probably be going to University but some have been lost to other clubs and I hold my hand up and fully accept responsibility for this failure.

As the Chairman says, the easy option would be to fold the reserves/development side but taking the easy option is what I'm afraid has cost this club time and time again down the years so we will continue and we will get it right.

Referee's Assistant Volunteer

In the North Bucks and District Football League, clubs are expected to provide a "Referee's Assistant" or linesman for every game, home and away. We will be fined every week if a substitute has to do it.

Is there anyone out there who would be kind enough to volunteer to do this for us either permanently or at least for the first league game tomorrow night?

Your help would be greatly appreciated.

Anyone interested can contact me on 07743 898365.

Thanks

NEXT SEASON

Following a meeting today I can confirm that Buckingham Town FC will play our home fixtures at The Winslow Centre , the league have gone the extra mile to preserve our club in the league and they should be commended for this.

We have some small necessary changes to the pitch and therefore our first home game will be 10^th September.

Now I can concentrate my efforts towards a permanent home in Buckingham which meets the required grading for next season and future promotions.

 I would also like to thank North Marston and Twyford who both offered to help but we could not meet all the league requirements at their grounds.

Club Shop

For all your Buckingham Town Products.

Official Online Store http://www.footballkit.co.uk/clubs/buckingham

Work In Progress

I am very conscious that there has been no news over the past couple of weeks but I can assure all of you I am spending every moment work for the club.

I had a very positive meeting today with Aylesbury Vale Council and we are looking at several possibilities within Buckingham and I hope to have some news in a couple of weeks.

I have been overwhelmed with the support shown by Buckingham Council and Aylesbury Vale along with John Bercow and his office.

With all the hard work and effort we are putting in and a genuine desire from the authorities to help  our future looks very good for this great club.

Open Letter

Attached is the open letter that John Bercow has sent to the landlord.

Buckingham Town Football Club

I am writing to you with respect to the situation at Buckingham FC, both in my capacity as local Member of Parliament, and as one of the clubs Vice Presidents.

On Saturday, I met with the Club chairman, Mr Vincent Hyde, with respect to the future of the Club. I was concerned to learn that you, the landlord, have summarily decided- having given no prior indication of your future actions – that you would not renew the lease on the land used by Buckingham FC, and informed Mr Hyde that he has until 10^th June to vacate the premises and return the keys.

I need not tell you the concern that this has provoked both within the Club and in Buckingham as a whole, not least because of what is perceived a somewhat callous manner in which they feel this matter has been negotiated. When Mr Hyde took over as chairman last October, there was no suggestion that the lease would not be renewed in May 2011, as it has been for many years previously.

Furthermore, as your purchase agreement for the land is consequent upon the understanding that Buckingham FC is allowed to remain the tenant, I would be interested in your reasons for breaking this covenant.

Finally, as the pitch is constructed on a floodplain with no hope of ever gaining approval for either business or residential dwellings, it is hard to see what the land could conceivably be used. In spite of this, the Club have offered a number of compromises, including the Club hiring only the pitch from you instead of the pitch and the clubhouse, and paying you an increased fee for the new lease period. These have been refused.

You will appreciate that there is a lot of affection for Buckingham Football Club and that many people are finding your attitude to what is both a historic and community organisation somewhat baffling and unpalatable. You will appreciate that my concern is for the club and my constituents who support it. I should be grateful if, therefore, you would reconsider your decision on renewing the lease, and commit to discussing further prospect of compromise with Mr Hyde and Buckingham FC.

Naturally I would like to write to my constituents again and therefore should appreciate an early reply. I thank you in advance of your consideration of this letter.

Rt. Hon John Bercow MP

Buckingham

Club Information

Background and update

As you may know we defaulted on our original 25 year lease which gave us a new ground to the same standard as Ford Meadow within 6 miles of our current location.

Tony Rosenberg renegotiated a new lease last year which ended today 31 May 2011. When I became Chairman in October I spoke to the landlords solicitor to ascertain what would happen at the end of the lease he thought it would be renewed but suggested I email the landlord for clarification which I did on 28^th October I also offered a higher rent for a longer time period or if was not going to renew the lease to let us know so we would have time to relocate.

I have chased him on a few occasions but have been told that he is very busy and never gets back to people. I sent him another email on 20 May to say although the lease will have ended I would pay the Rates, Insurance etc. and send him Junes rent whilst we wait for the new lease to be drawn up which he did finally reply to saying he would not be renewing the lease and he wanted vacant possession.

I have since had several emails and conversations with him to try to save the situation. I have asked for a small extension or that we just have the pitch and they have Ford Meadow club and car park area as you cant build on the pitch part and over the weekend we offered him £6,000 in advance to clear what the previous committee had defaulted by followed by 11 months at £1,100 which is a total of £18,100 rent against our original rent of £12,000 which I think is very reasonable but would still only be for one year but it would give us time to relocate. However the landlord wants £22,000 for one year in advance which we simply don’t have.

Anyone wishing to pay this will be more than welcome. This is a real shame because we had turned a big corner with all the bills paid and money in the bank unfortunately not £22,000.

I Have kept Phil Smith at Padbury informed as this also affects them and to their credit he had offered to double their rent and pay us the whole £2,500 in advance to go towards the deposit which he didnt have to do.

I have been speaking today to our league and they will be very supportive towards us while we look for a new home which in the long run will benefit the club as we cant continue to be held to ransom every year and always have the ground being sold over our heads.

I have also been speaking to John Bercows office today and although John is away until Thursday he is going to join the fight to save the club and help in any way he can.

As soon as I get any news I will let everyone know.

Vince

The Great Escape

Time to take stock, and think how far we have come as a club to be disappointed with a draw on the last game and not finishing bottom of the league, which a few weeks ago would have been a pipe dream.

Well they did, and in doing so Dan and his team have achieved the same points in two months as the last two managers combined last season and nearly three times more points than we had picked up in the seven months before Dan joined.

Sixteen points in April is the second highest equal with Kempston and 19 goals which is also second highest behind Kempston the league winners to put that in perspective we had scored 22 league goals in the seven months before Dan joined.

We could put the last result down to several things but thats football, who would have thought after putting eight goals past Rushden and taking 6 points off them in a week they would beat Thrapston, but thats football and thats why we love it.

 

lets be fair we dominated the game and possession we just lacked a little something which could be down to tiredness playing ten games in four weeks and four games in ten days takes its toll, playing with knocks and injures and U18s playing for both teams with the young lads helped and supported by the captain Jared.

This was a great achievement and I would like to thank all concerned with this result and the previous results which made this possible and the fans who travel home and away throughout the season, its very easy to support BTFC over the last two months on championship form but the previous months and seasons could not have been easy so thank you. also a special mention to Joel and his family who have attended all the games home and away since his injury and he contributed seven goals in ten games for Dan which was only eclipsed by Ash who had 8 in twelve games but Ash is a quiet and shy lad and would not mention that to Joel.

When you look at the table it is hard to believe when Dan took charge we were 16 points behind Harborough and finished a point above them and Chenecks had 15 points on us and two games in hand and we reduced that to 2 points and even at the top half of the table we were 31 points behind Olney and reduced the gap to 16 in two months, with the exception of the top three teams we reduced the points deficit by a considerable margin.

Once again a massive thank you to Dan and all the players for an unbelievable end to the season and thanks to the fans for sticking with us.

Vince     

A Good Day

It was a fantastic day at Ford Meadow yesterday, one for everyone there to savour from club volunteers and officials to fans, players and the management team. The fans were brilliant and the players deserve a huge amount of credit for what was a scintillating display against the 3rd placed side in the league, I thought the lads showed a maturity above their ages yesterday and a big glimpse of exactly what they are capable of. It was Buckingham Town's day and no-one can take that away from us.

Now, feet back on the ground time and off to Wellingborough Whitworth FC next Saturday for the last act of the season and a tough game. There are several potential outcomes depending on other results on the day but we'll look to get at them and win the game from the first whistle, we can't leave anything to chance.

Thanks for your continued support and hopefully see you at Whitworths, always nice to see you Robins fans at away games!

Chairmans Report

Hello everyone, this will be my last chairman’s report of the season and what a season it has been, overall we have moved forward both on and off the pitch.

The committee has tried to improve all aspects of the club, the first thing was our appearance  with new kits and training tops we then looked at the programme to add more content and sponsors and articles from club captain, chairman, players and fans will follow, this is down mainly to Odette who has been a revelation in the publishing world. The new website took a little longer than I had hoped and is still evolving but it is cleaner with up dated pages and up to the minute reports. Also the little touches around the club house mainly from Eddie most you will not notice other than the painting around the ground but they make a real difference.    

Our newly formed U16 team has acquitted themselves well in the Midland Junior Premier league and will finish a respectable mid table, I know Steve and the players have really enjoyed the experience of playing teams in Bristol, Wales and across the midlands. Steve will take his team and half of the current eligible U18 players next year and further develop them in the Allied Counties league next season.

On to the current U18 team they have had a mixed season and had a couple of teams not withdrawn from the league they would have also finished in a respectable mid table and they are still in the cup but unfortunately the league once again will not finish the competition which is a shame. Marc is stepping down at the end of the season to spend more time with his family (mainly his son at Goodison Park) I would personally like to thank him for all his hard work and dedication he has given the team and I know my own son has greatly benefited working with him and has improved, I know the players think the world of him so Thank You Marc.

The first team is a work in progress at the moment but I hope you can all see an improvement in the results. It has been a few years since we won three games in a row and scored five in a game added to that the March and April form table we are 6^th from ten games and we already have six points more than last year and have scored seven more goals with games still to play so it has been a fantastic turnaround for Dan and the players and with some new faces in the summer I genuinely feel very positive for next season.

Once again I would like to thank all our fans for their patients and support

Vince Hyde

The Magnificent Seven Days

Last Wednesday the first team played hosts to Rushden & Higham at Ford Meadow and dispatched them  5-1 in a comprehensive victory, then three days later the young U16 Robins made the long trip to Droitwich where another three points were put in the bang with a thrilling 2-3 win.

Later that afternoon the first team travelled to Rushden where the home side were hoping to exact some revenge and put some pride back in the team for their last home game of the season, but it was not  to be and Buckingham took all three points with a convincing 3- 0 win.

On to Monday night when the Rushden U18 came to Ford Meadow to show the first team the way but once again Buckingham took the points with another three goals and only conceding one.

On the seventh day some people rested but not BTFC on Tuesday evening when the first team made the trip to Sileby for another mid-week game  and showed great fight and spirit coming from behind twice to finish eventual and deserved 3-2 winners.

Carlsberg don’t do weeks in football but if they did they would probably be like this one.

Please come along on Saturday as the action continues when the U16 take on Winterbourne United at Ford Meadow 10.30 KO and later that afternoon the first team host Potton United

Match Report: BTFC First Team vs Huntingdon Town TC

Last time out at Ford Meadow saw my first game in charge of Buckingham Town against Wootton Blue Cross and despite conceding an injury time equaliser to finish 1-1 there were many more positives than negatives.  We played well as a team and everybody contributed, I was delighted for Matt Bines who at 17 years of age stepped in to fill the goalkeeping void left by injury to Mike Bell and the departure of Paul Warnecki and was magnificent on his debut, I believe Matt turned 18 last week so a belated Happy Birthday is in order.

The match against Wootton also saw a debut for my first signing, 23 year old Sam Barker who joins us from Deanshanger Athletic, Sam acquitted himself well and I'm sure everyone will join me in welcoming him to BTFC.  The game itself was scrappy in places but I felt we were the better side for 75 minutes and had we been more ruthless and more confident we would have recorded a vital three points. To give credit where it is due because we didn't put the game to bed Wootton put us under a lot of pressure in the last 15 minutes and but for young Mr Bines in goal and a brilliant goal line block tackle by Pat Diamond things could have been worse.

Although I was impressed by all of the players in red I reserve a special mention for Kyle Stimpson for his fantastic and selfless attitude towards the team and the club. Anyone who has watched the Robins this season will know that Kyle has played as a striker in 95% of our games and is still our top goalscorer.  I asked Kyle to play centre back against Wootton and he did so without a single complaint, this is the sort of attitude that all the players need to show and I'm sure in the coming weeks they will.

I arrived at the club on my own without any backroom staff, which may have been a daunting prospect were it not for the warm and generous welcome afforded to me from everyone at the club, so a short acknowledgement to Vince, James, Marc, Odette, Graham, Robin, Rocky, Steve and everyone else who works behind the scenes at BTFC.  A special thanks to Mike Burnham and Jason Liscum, these two guys were here just before me and have agreed to join me in the dugout until the end of the season at least, Mike as First Team Coach and Jason as Club Physio and they have both been a massive help to me already.

We travelled to Burton Latimer Saturday 12th March to face a Burton Park Wanderers side who beat us 4-0 at Ford Meadow only last month.  I started with the same 11 players from the 1-1 draw last week against Wootton Blue Cross as I felt that they had performed well. We were also delighted to welcome back Ash Farmer after a shorter injury lay off than expected and Chris Robson who missed the Wootton game due to work commitments.

We started the game confidently and were slightly brighter than the hosts in the first exchanges, trying to play our short passing game and get at our opponents.  Credit to Burton, they are a hard working side and they started to close down quickly and come into the game more. I thought Burton carried more threat than us at times in the first half, using direct 30/40 yard passes into the channels and their movement up front created a few openings but we held our own and saw it through to half time 0-0.The second half saw much of the same, at times it was backs to the wall defending and Matt Bines pulled off more brilliant saves to keep Burton at bay but we battled well and used the ball wisely when we had it.

With about 25 minutes left we introduced Ash Farmer to the game and he immediately injected a different kind of attacking threat. In the 72nd minute Ash took his and our 5th corner in a row putting the ball in exactly the right place for Kyle Stimpson to rise and head BTFC into a 1-0 lead.  It was a nervy last 15 minutes or so but we did the hard yards well today and held on for a long overdue win.

The thing that impressed me today was that Burton didn't really allow us to play our own game and although there was a brief period where we looked a little out of sorts the players adapted their style and really dug in to give a steely display and they deserve a lot of credit for that.

I'll finish by thanking the supporters who travelled to Burton with us, it was nice to hear so much noise when the goal went in! Hopefully there will be plenty more to cheer about before the season ends. And a message for the fans, after today there are five home league games left this season. I can't promise that we'll get off the bottom of the table but what I do know is that it's going to be one heck of a ride with excitement, attacking football, goals and goalmouth incidents galore, so if you can spare your hard-earned cash get yourselves down to Ford Meadow and tell your friends about it!

Thanking you in advance for your continued support.

Dan Kingston