Battling Against Expectations

Bank Holiday weekend and we have two games in 72 hours, as it happens against the bottom two teams, early season. After the tough start we have had, they are looked upon as games we should win, six points are expected...and it is that level of expectation that we are going to be battling against this season. And that's how it should be.

Halfway through those two games and we have three points after a very tough match with Swindon Supermarine at The Meadow, eventually winning 2-1 after trailing at the break.

There's no denying it, Saturday's game was not pretty and there were a number of players not playing to their full potential, but Swindon came to make life difficult, hoping to snatch a point; once they got their early goal it was always going to become difficult to break down a strong defence and get back into the game. The fact that we did turn it around and pick up the three points, at a time when we were not at our best, is another great step in the right direction. A statistic not missed by myself or Andy Leese, think back, when was the last time you can recall us going a goal behind and then coming back to win all three points?

The crowd was good also good, particularly in comparison to others in our league for an August Bank Holiday weekend, and with very little of that being added by the visiting supporters. If we can get those crowds creeping up over the 300, and even, dare I say it, start knocking on the 400's, that would be a fantastic achievement that will boost the players on the pitch, and the coffers in the bank.

Football is a wonderful game that attracts all different levels of surprises and opinions (I've just watched Man United put eight past Arsenal and watched Paul Merson's reaction - priceless). We all see the game differently and that is what makes it so great, but I confess, sometimes I find it increasingly difficult listening to the negative, and often abusive, comments I hear on the terraces; sometimes I have to double check whether I am a) watching the same game or b) been teleported to the Nou Camp!

One area where I do agree with criticism is when it comes to discipline, if we are going to big the players up as representatives of the community of Chesham  then they need to behave in the appropriate manner. In a passionate game of football that can often slip, understandable, but still regrettable. However, yesterday I was mightily proud and impressed when Steve Wales came up to me before the match to explain that he had written to Cambridge City apologising and explaining his reactions and also acknowledging that he had been frustrated since the ridiculous Brackley Town red card, but he was determined not to pick up another card this side of Christmas. Whether he does or not, that says a hell of a lot about the player, the way he feels about the club, and the general attitude of our current squad.

Our squad has been established for a while now and we are definitely seeing the benefit of that, this current squad is one that we should be bloody proud of, both on and off the pitch.

After the match yesterday I met with one of the manager's from the Mini-League who was very quick to acknowledge how good our First XI players and management are when they run sessions with the kids and meet them when they are mascots on a matchday. You may or may not be aware of the history here, but if you just roll back 18-24 months ago and the whole relationship with the younger teams was very different as history had driven a huge wedge between the mini set-up and the main club, at the time it felt irrepairable. Further meetings will take place to take this relationship to the next stage where the club's become much closer, even so close that we are one... The kids are in the same kit as the first team this year, what a difference that makes. The parent manager I was speaking to post-match was almost embarrassed when he told me that his son liked to call himself a Chesham United player; my response was one of simple surprise, "Well he is, so he should!".

A lot of this has come about by applying what seems commonsense to me, by having fantastic people at the club that spend many hours making sure facilities are available, and because our First XI management and a number of our players - Captain Danny Talbot leading by example, Steve Wales and Dave Fotheringham's names also being noted - go out of their way to get involved, way beyond just turning up, playing the 90 minutes and taking their money... Which is what I imagine a number of people on the terraces, particular those who make comments that make me cringe, with despair, think must happen.

On Monday we travel down to Cirencester Town, this fixture last year was one of the low points of the season as we lost in front of a crowd of lesss than 60. I remember having a long chat with Andy Leese and Jon Meakes in the bar after the game, discussing the fact that the project is longer term and we must not let these results and performaces distract from what we set out to achieve (at the time, despite a disappointing result, we were massively over-achieving and our aim of establishing our place in the Premier Division within year one had been achieved within 3 months of promotion)... At least I think that is how the conversation went! Last year's midweek trip to Cirencester was another game I attended with Acorn Press (sponsor's of Tuesday night's game v Cambridge City) who kindly put me up in a nearby hotel as we once again enjoyed a few pre- and post-match beers.

No such joivaility tomorrow, especially as I want to get back from the game as quick as possible to meet my returning kids that have spent the last nine days at the in-laws in Skegness. As much as the peace and quiet is nice for a couple of days, you do start to miss the little blighters after a while; probably the reason why I found myself watching videos of Slipknot from Knebworth on You Tube, remembering the weekend I spent camping with my eldest son at Sonisphere back in July. My wife, Heather, went to Skegness on Thursday to pick the kids up and spend a couple of days with her parents, so I've been a bit home alone... making sure I get a couple of household tasks done in-between watching hours of footy on television and getting on with a few football tasks that might otherwise get frowned upon, particularly on a Sunday...

...One thing I did get done this afternoon was re-framing the photographs from a fundraising car rally that four of us did back in 1999, some twelve years ago (frightening). The idea was that myself, Heather (my girlfriend - sounds weird - at the time, now wife of course, and that's coming up to twelve years too), Craig Knowles (Nobby) and Rob King would set off from The Meadow on the Friday morning in a car and get back to the ground in time for the 3.00pm game on Saturday (v Bishops Stortford off the top of my head), having visited as many Isthmian (Ryman) League grounds as we could; taking a photograph outside every ground.

We covered 62 grounds in total before we got so completely pee'd off with it; somewhere in darkest Essex I think it was when we had to make the decision whether to go on to Wivenhoe or head home. This was back in the days before Sat Nav and you would be amazed by some of the pickles we got into trying to find grounds. Getting to Windsor's ground proved a particular struggle (If I heard Nobby say "it is around here somewhere" once, I heard it a million times), which delayed our planned time to head down South to tick off Bognor Regis and Worthing. I remember around Worthing we stopped to ask some kids if they knew where the ground was, it was approaching midnight, they asked "is there a game on?".

The idea of the rally was to raise funds for the club, it was a fairly unique idea at the time, I know from time to time (usually after ten pints!) Nobby has mentioned doing it again...I'm not sure Heather would be up for it again (well, actually, I'm sure she will not!), but who knows, if we could get a local company to loan us a car and sponsor the petrol? All the Southern League grounds in, say, 48 hours? Any takers?

I digress again. I will be driving down to Cirencester, despite the rising petrol costs, I still prefer to do that as I can get home much quicker to spend the evening with my family. Some people may criticise that, but that won't change. Before the coach leaves The Meadow the players will once again be organising their own breakfast at the club ahead of getting on the coach. This has been something that has gone on for a few years now, though I confess the circumstances have changed. Before I became Chairman it was something the club funded, but was a luxury that we could not sustain. However, the players made their own arrangements with the Harts family and carried on with the breakfasts, paying for it themselves. This year, for whatever reason, I genuinely don't know, they are in a position of having to even make their own breakfast in the kitchen!! Another stark reminder of the amazing attitude the squad has and a demonstration of their commitment to the club.

Next Saturday we travel to Stourbridge, another very tough game, and one I am going to have to miss. I've always said that the family will come first and that is exactly what will be happening next weekend as I'm off to Twickenham with my 7 year old son and Camelot Rugby Club as they participate in a tag team tournament in Richmond in the morning, with the finals being played (as I understand it) on the pitch at Twickenham at some point during the Premiership double-header of London Irish v Harlequins and Saracens v London Wasps... Now I know this is Non-League Day which is such a good idea, encouraging people who normally watch Premiership football to go along to try their local non-league club), because there are no top level games as England play Bulgaria on Friday. I guess I know how good non-league is so I'm taking the opportunity to try rugby instead!!

All joking aside, this coming season I see my Friday night's and Sunday morning's dominated by watching tag rugby with Camelot. No bad thing, indeed there is a lot we can learn from the way other clubs, like Camelot, operate... in particular the way there younger teams fit into, and are made to feel, a part of the club.

Right, that's enough for tonight. I've seen this episode of Only Fools & Horses so many times and it's time to flick to Dragon's Den and a chance to shout at the television - "Why don't you know your costs? Why don't you know your margin? How can you not know how much you pay out in wages?"...I tell you what, if Mike Warrick and I ever got a chance to go on that programme we would have all the answers as to what things cost, where income is generated and how any investment would be spent... now there's an idea!