Season 2003/4
29 Jul 2006

2003-2004 SEASON

After last season’s promotion to the Premier League, we knew we were in for a tough season and so it proved. Not only were we now in the Premiership, we also had to adjust to the 11-a-side game and all that entails.

We started in fine style with two of our new signings, George Davies and John Chapman, recording hat tricks in our opening games.

Two narrow defeats by Thames Ditton 0-1 and AFC Wimbledon 1-2, quickly brought us down to earth.

The highlight of the first half of the season was our progress in the League Cup Competition, where solid victories over Guildford Saints and local rivals, Horsley, saw us progress to the Semi-Final where we unluckily lost to Claygate in a hard fought game.

In the League we became the draw specialists, recording six draws in our 20 games. Notable wins included 10-1 and 7-2 victories over Milford but a run of five defeats in six games ended our hopes of glory, although we finished in a credible Mid Table position.

We ended the season with an impressive goal tally of 49, equalling last season.

In terms of individual highlights, Jack Leighton again headed our goal scoring charts with 17 goals, ably supported by David Naismith (7) and two of our new signings John Chapman (10) and George Davies (9).

The latter part of the season was hampered by long-term injuries to our keeper Craig Stephenson and Ryan Anderson but our strength in depth was highlighted by impressive performances by mid-season

signing Mark Varey who performed admirably between the sticks and Sam Gunaydin who put in some impressive performances.

It is impossible to give every player a mention but Luke Green and Elliott Woolmer continued their impressive form of last year, Ben Jackson starred as an attacking left back and Sam Hepburn and Alex Fuller were reliable as ever.

It would also be remiss not to mention some fine performances by another new signing, Jack Caso, and Jack Butler who never let us down when called upon.

The talent within the team did not go unnoticed in the wider field, with George Davies, Jack Leighton and Elliott Woolmer, becoming an integral part of the Woking District Squad and Jack and Elliott, along with tenacious midfielder, Luke Green, made numerous appearances for the Guildford and Shere Representative Side.

I must also thank our Assistant Manager, Billy Green, for his solid and dependable support and, in particular, Lee Davies and Mal Leighton who were always on hand to assist and encourage.

In summary, I think we can deem the year to have been a successful one, enjoyed by the boys and their very well behaved bunch of supporters and parents alike.

Season 2004/5
29 Jul 2006

Under 12s

Looking back on the 2004/2005 season, it is pleasing to see many highs and very few lows. This was our second year in the
Premiership and we recorded a very creditable 4th place showing good improvement on last year’s 7th spot.

We started the season in stunning fashion with a 21-0 Surrey Cup victory over Richmond Mohawks, with 8 different players getting on the score sheet and 4 lads recording hat-tricks. Indeed, prior to Christmas we played 11 league and cup games, recording 7 wins, 3 draws and only 1 defeat, a narrow 3-2 home loss to Claygate.

The second half of the Season saw a further 12 competitive games with the team recording 6 wins, 1 draw and 5 defeats. Our league ambitions were brought to a halt by a shock 3-2 defeat at Milford, followed by a 4-2 defeat against eventual league champions,
Molesey. It is worth noting that in the 4th minute of the Molesey game we conceded a goal AND lost our goalkeeper, a double blow we could not recover from.

Apart from our strong league form we performed well in both cup Competitions, losing 3-2 to Sunbury Celtic in the Semi-Final of the league cup and surviving 3 rounds of the Surrey cup with victories over Richmond Mohawks, Camberley Town and Corinthian Casuals before agonisingly going out on penalties to Barnes Eagles.

81 goals were scored in cup and league competitions and our tidy defence conceded only 34, 27 in the league and 7 in the two cups.

On the goal scoring front Jack Leighton again headed the goal scoring charts with 27 goals although his partner up front, David
Naismith, weighed in with an impressive 17. They were ably supported by our midfield who all added to the goal scoring charts - George Davies (8), Luke Green (7), John Chapman (7) and Matt Duckham (5) all scoring important goals.

It would, however, be fair to say that our success was built, as are all good teams, on a solid defence who conceded only 34 goals in 23 games. Elliott Woolmer and Sam Hepburn both had an excellent season and were ably assisted by Ryan Anderson, Jack Butler and Ben Jackson in keeping opposing forwards at bay and, in particular, Mark Varey and Craig Stephenson who largely shared the goal keeping duties to good effect. Mention must also be made of our utility players, Alex Fuller and Jack Caso, who played in a number of different positions. Indeed, Jack also weighed in with 3 goals.

I must make special mention of Billy Green, Assistant Manager and thank him for all his support and encouragement.

Finally the season finished on a high as the boys reached the final of the prestigious Mayford 6-a-side tournament with a run of 7
unbeaten matches only to lose by 1-0 to winners Thames Valley Juniors in the final.

All in all a hugely successful year enjoyed by players, supporters and parents.

Season 2005/6
29 Jul 2006

The 2005/2006 season proved to be an exceptional one for the talented under 13 squad. With the addition of two new signings, the under 13s started life in the 1st Division of the Surrey Primary League with great confidence. The two new signings both made significant contributions with Oscar Richards, our new keeper, only conceding 20 goals in 18 League matches and Frazer Page adding bite to the forward line with 26 League goals and a further 3 in Cup games and deservedly ending up as Top Scorer.

The League campaign commenced with 8 straight victories, with only 6 goals conceded and with the forwards scoring 40 goals at an average of 5 goals a game.

Indeed, the results would have looked even more impressive had not the 14-2 victory over Molesey not been struck from the record books due to Molesey dropping out of the League.

Cup success, however, eluded the team with a heavy defeat in the Surrey Cup by Whytleafe, after an impressive first round victory over Sutton United.

In the League Cup Byfleet fell at the first hurdle in both the main Cup and the Plate, following defeats against Walton (0-2) the eventual Premier League Champions and to Staines Lammas (2-3) another Premier League outfit.

At Christmas a 1-1 draw to local rivals Horsley saw the 100% record go but this was followed by another sensational run of 8 straight victories, scoring 38 goals and conceding just 9, which secured the Divisional title with games to spare. Despite a last game hiccup in which the unbeaten record fell, Byfleet secured the title with a margin of 15 points. (Even Chelsea couldn’t manage that.)

Inspired by Captain Matt Duckham, the squad performed brilliantly at all levels, with Oscar Richards being well protected by a magnificent defence in which Sam Hepburn, Mark Varey and Jack Caso starred. Up front Frazer Page (29), David Naismith (19), Jack Leighton (10) and George Davies (11), made life a misery for opposing defences, whilst in midfield Matt Duckham and Luke Green ran their hearts out. Good contributions were also made by John Chapman, Jordan Croall and Dominic Williams. Finally, special mention of Jack Butler who, no fan of training, never let the team down when called upon.

In such a fine season it is ‘almost’ impossible to single out any specific players but with Elliott Woolmer only managing 9 matches due to other commitments, George Davies’ performances as stand-in defensive kingpin were worthy of great praise in a season where he also managed to score 11 goals when released to his favourite midfield role.

A fantastic year. Special mention must also go to Billy Green who gave 100% support through the year as Coach, Trainer, Goal Post Erector and Linesman, and Jonathan Richards whose appearances as our regular Home Referee were highly appreciated, albeit he never gave us a thing.

Finally, as ever, I must thank our supporters and parents who were always there to give the team their encouragement and support.

Roll on the Premier League 2006/2007.

Season 2006/2007
18 Aug 2007

Under 14’s Season 2006/2007

Following promotion at the end of last season the squad entered the new season in the SPL Premier Division as a voyage into the unknown. With very little change in personnel could the team live with the increased skills and intensity of Premiership Football?

It was rather a shock to lose our two opening away matches to Meadowsports and Woking Town. Things were not helped by first choice keeper, Oscar Richards, breaking his arm in the week the season started leading him to miss the first five competitive fixtures. However, Mark Varey stepped up and, as ever, gave a very solid performance. A County Cup exit in the first round did not help confidence and a tough year looked to be looming. As the team have shown in the past they are always ready for a challenge and three consecutive league victories against Rowledge Raiders, Staines Lammas and St Francis Sport restored confidence.

On the playing front new signing Sam Roberts was starting to make a real impact in the centre of defence and whilst last season’s top goalscorer, Frazer Page, was finding Premier League defences hard to crack David Naismith was in sparkling early season form hitting 10 goals in our first five league outings. As Christmas approached hopes of silverware took a real knock with defeats against Walton & Hersham and Meadowsports, the eventual League champions.

However, the Reds were progressing nicely in the League Cup with impressive victories against Rowledge Raiders and Onslow with David Naismith again leading the line with 6 goals in the two cup fixtures. The season hit a low point in late January with a comprehensive 3-0 defeat away to Onslow where nothing seemed to go right and it looked like we would have to fight hard to stay in the Premiership. This team are made of strong stuff and this defeat seemed to spark the squad to renewed life.

In the next game with Woking Meteors we played some excellent football and they somehow managed to hold on for a draw but the signs were there. In attack George Davies and Frazer Page started to dominate and the midfield duo of Captain Matt Duckham and ever competitive Luke Green were growing in confidence. In fact this was the start of an impressive spell which saw seven victories in eight games and the Reds rocket up the table eventually securing a 3rd place finish. The run started with two victories, one against Rowledge Raiders (6-0) and one against Farnham Town Jets (4-0) both inspired by Jack Leighton who seemed to improve game after game as we moved through the season. This was followed by arguably one of our best wins of the season, where a weakened team earned a tremendous fighting 2-1 victory away at Staines Lammas. Two defeats by Staines Town, one a comprehensive Cup defeat and the other a narrow League defeat, did little to stunt the enthusiasm. The team upped a gear winning the last four League matches including victories against Walton & Hersham and Staines Town. In reviewing the season the boys far exceeded initial expectations and indeed one could look back at defeats by Onslow and Woking Town and think “if only………” We proved we were a team to be reckoned with. There was only one team we failed to take points from and that was the eventual Premiership Champions Meadowsports, so things are looking good for a serious challenge next year.

On the playing front the addition of Sam Roberts added steel to the defence and compensated for the loss of Elliott Woolmer who only managed 10 league fixtures due to other commitments. The late signing of Paul Raleigh certainly helped our end of season form adding extra strength to a defence in which Jack Caso, Mark Varey, Sam Hepburn and Jack Dungay performed admirably. Oscar Richards presented a formidable barrier in goal, when fit, and John Creagh-Chapman did everything that was asked of him in various positions in the team whilst Matt Duckham captained the team most ably. George Davies again proved what a stylish player he is whilst David Naismith deservedly led the goalscoring charts albeit Frazer Page and Jack Leighton made good contributions.

Off the field we were always well supported and in turn provided great entertainment throughout the season.

I would like to say a few thanks. Firstly to Russell Page who quickly became resident linesman at our home and away fixtures. Secondly, Jonathan Richards who not only refereed all of our home fixtures but also donated his match fees to the Club.

Finally, a huge thank you to Billy Green who gave me 100% support all season both at training and matches and was always there to support, encourage and motivate the boys and, on occasions, me.

Looking forward to next season already.

CHRIS WOOLMER