Way Down West

All the talk since promotion has been about the away trip to Truro in Cornwall. For regionalised football it is a mammoth journey - some 286 miles each way - and one that is costly to get to (it's so easy to forget these things when you are not actually having to deal with it). Of course, you know it is coming so you allow for it in the budget planning and there is no ideal time to have to make the journey. Avoiding midweek is first priority. Avoiding winter is also another desire, the last thing you want to do is get all the way down there and find the game is called off.

So when the fixtures came out on Wednesday morning the first game we all looked for was Truro City away. We didn't have to look far. First game of the season...can you believe it?

For anyone that has ever had a summer holiday in the West Country (or even went to Taunton for the first game of the season a few years back) you will be well aware of what a nightmare the traffic can be on a Saturday in the school summer holidays.

One kind supporter had done some research into getting all the players down there and back by train on the same day. Probably the most cost-effective, and one we certainly looked into, but you are also taking a gamble on the reliability of the train times and, heaven forbid, the players being able to get to Reading train station for 7.30am on a Saturday morning. What do you do if the train arrives and a couple of your star players have not arrived?

Brian McCarthy spent all day Wednesday searching for hotels that are reasonably priced and could accommodate the number of rooms needed (remember, we're talking mid summer holidays). I made some enquiries about flying down to Newquay - it was great for me on my own a couple of years ago, but totally out of our price range for transporting a whole team down!!

By Thursday morning Brian had secured an excellent coach price to take us down on Friday, stop off overnight at Exeter, before completing the journey to the game Saturday morning; returning all the way home after the game. The train would have remained the cheaper option, but in recent years we have tried to install a level of professionalism in the way we run the club. This is a new era for Chesham United and the last thing anyone wants (I hope) is for the new era to start with arriving late at a game or having players missing because of travel arrangements.

I know that Andy and the players really appreciate the gesture made in providing the overnight stop, and have been decent enough to pass on that appreciation. An indication of the type of mentality that has evolved through some consistency on the field, something we should all be proud of.

On a personal note, Weymouth away on Easter weekend could not be more perfect!