| December 2003 | ||||||||||||||||
|
"Hinckley support is pathetic" Most of us saw the headline in the Non League Paper, and whilst the paper chose to sensationalise the headline, the sentiments of the article were quite clear. The old chestnut of the Football Club complaining that not enough fans turn up for the games. Why? A postage stamp size advert at the back of the Hinckley Times is not sufficient for a match advert. The only people who know it is there are the people who come to the games anyway. Was there even an advert anywhere for the Rugby Trophy replay that they are moaning about so much? I never saw one. There are some old boys that still don't come down, but the club must reach the people in the area that don't know about us. I spoke to one of the directors the other week about this and he said to me "the club cannot do anymore." Well I think they can: For a start how about a bigger, more prominent advert in the HT. OK the HT dislike us at the best of times, in the last few editions there's been a 2 page spread inside the back page on Barwell, then a 2 page spread on the rugby, then Hinckley United article squeezed in the corner. Then when Hinckley played Weymouth the Bosworth v Hinckley rugby match got a 2 page spread before the United report. Even Mitch's Match gets bigger photos than United. It is obvious the HT are not going to help us so we have to help ourselves. How about a half page advert for the coming match, or matches? Also a map to the ground for people who don't know where it is. Not at the back either, somewhere in the paper where it'll get seen by different people. This week through my door I've had a leaflet for Chef's Pizzas, Safeway's half price offers and Iceland's two for one offers. So this weekend I'll be buying from Safeway and Iceland before ordering a takeaway pizza. Advertising works, else why would so much money be spent on it? Why don't the club organise some sort of leaflet drop? Especially in the new estate areas of the town. If people don't know about us how can the club expect them to turn up? At work we have the local radio on all day, and so do a lot of other factories I know. Why don't the club look into an advert on the radio? I'm not sure of the cost but still worth looking into. Does any one remember the old posters the Atho' used to make? You'd see them in the shops and chippies around the town, on pub notice boards and even at some factories. This is the cheap option for advertising, but even that doesn't get done anymore. Now we own land adjacent to a major road, namely the A47 perimeter road. Surely this is a brilliant opportunity not just to raise money with sponsor billboards along the perimeter road, but also a billboard to advertise coming matches and even social club events. We all know the club have a long way to go with their attitude to the Media. We are a Premier Division club and we don't even have a press officer! I'm afraid just another example of how much further we must come off the pitch, to match where we are on the pitch... I'd just like to say always bloody Tiverton. Thank Jebus we don't go there again. Harrisons, West Midlands Police, Willenhall, Brereton Social, Oldswinford, GKN Sankey, Shifnal, Chasetown, and Tipton Town. Just some of the teams that Hinckley played against in the league in the year that Nuneaton Borough last played a competitive match at Middlefield Lane. The 1985/86 season it was and the match was a 3rd round FA Cup replay. 1200 odd people (including me) turned up to see Hinckley Athletic lose 0-1. Athletic at the time were in the Banks Brewery West Midland League and Borough were in the Gola League (Conference to you young 'uns), a difference of 3 leagues, but a whole world apart. Playing for Borough that day was a certain Eddie McGoldrick who went on to play for Arsenal & Manchester City, while playing for Hinckley was Wayne Lineker (Gary's brother) who went on to manage a bar in Spain. Sums up the difference between the clubs nicely. In the same season Hinckley Athletic played Leicestershire Senior League Hinckley Town in an epic FA Vase match. I think today's match is a measure of how far Hinckley have come in the last few years. How many times I stood on the grass banks at Oldswinford or on the dusty gravel at Tipton and dreamed of playing Nuneaton in the league. Unfortunately for me these were my high school days and many of the other kids dads took them to see Boro'. Oh the endless days of mickey taking as I had to defend bad results in lower leagues while they basked in the glory (?) of games against the likes of Wealdstone, Wycombe, Cheltenham, Maidstone and, er, Weymouth (whoever they are?). It was another 10 years before both Hinckley teams began to move upwards. Athletic were founder members of the Midland Alliance with some high finishes and runners up, while Town were promoted through the seasons up to the Southern Midland league. The rest of the Hinckley story is, as they say, er, history as the teams merged to form United in 1997. It would be cruel to say Nuneaton have been treading water since then as they have been relegated twice from the Conference, down to the Southern Midland then promoted back up to the Conference after a Southern League Premier Championship, only to be relegated again. This time, however we have risen up to the Southern Premier also. So this season would see Hinckley play Nuneaton in the league for the first time since 1963/64. That year was also the last time both clubs met in the Southern League Premier. Earlier this season Hinckley lost 2-0 at Manor Park, in the 1963/64 season Hinckley also lost at Manor Park. In 1963/64 Hinckley won the Middlefield Lane match, which obviously wasn't an omen of the Boxing Day game. One thing that was different from 1963/64 is the prices. A measure that surely won't get more people through the turnstiles is to increase admission prices for just one match, only three weeks before that match is due to take place. Yet this is exactly what the football club did for the Nuneaton game at Middlefield Lane. Already high on my list of moans is the cost for kids to get in. For whatever reason the football club increased admission prices for the Nuneaton game by �1. Allegedly it was to cover the costs of stewards, but even so, why did it have to be passed on to the kids. Why not just increase adult charges? That would generate an extra �500-800 at least, surely enough to cover the extra cost. |
||||||||||||||||
| December Results | ||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||
| Newport having done us big time at Middy were on the receiving end at the Valley's Bowl. That was a great comeback after the previous disappointments of last month. Then a very tricky league cup match against Histon who were unbeaten in the league, but quite frankly were never in the match. Tiverton was the usual dire game them and 3-0 on the day was right, thankfully though we won't have to go there for some time. Then the big one at home to Nuneaton, a draw a fair result on the day with Nuneaton commanding the first half and Hinckley bossing the second. Though if the ref had seen the clear penalty against Chris Smith it might have been a different story... | ||||||||||||||||
| In out, Shake it all about | ||||||||||||||||
|
Hinckley United matched their transfer record and paid �5000 for striker Matt
Lewis from Kidderminster Harriers. Lewis has played seven games for Harriers
this season taking his career total to 14 at Aggborough. The striker spent a
month on loan at Hinckley at the start of the season where he had a spell of 6
games scoring 5 goals, before being recalled to the League club. With the
arrival of Jan Molby as manager a cut in the playing staff was required and
Matt was a casualty of Harriers poor start to the season. The 19 year old
forward has signed a 2� year contract. Unfortunately, as is always the case at this level, a player had to be released to make way for Lewis. A nominal fee was been agreed with DM Western division Redditch United for striker Scott Voice. The Wolverhampton based forward was then involved in a bidding war between Halesowen Town, Redditch United, Hednesford Town and an unnamed Conference club. (so it's not just me who sees the value of a Voice type player?) Eventually Scott agreed terms and signed a contract with Redditch United. Also during this month our temporary goalkeeper (unless it's a trophy match!) Chris Taylor moved on to Worcester where they had their own golakeeping crisis. |
||||||||||||||||
| World of Football Stuff | ||||||||||||||||
|
Here we are at Christmas time and it's naff pressies all round. So what do you
buy for the football connoisseur? A new strip, a scarf, Millwall shares? Well
no, not if you're a Norwich fan. The Division One league leaders, for the small
sum of $95, were offering a place on a 'Pasta and Wine' workshop with 'F list'
celebrity director Delia Smith. ($95 to boil some pasta, jebus it's only
about 50p for a bag in Asda, and you can always boil the kettle first to save
time!) So let's do the maths - Weymouth's first team eleven plus Steve Claridge
equals a $1140 bill for Ian Ridley's staff christmas presents budget! Boy band (boy? Since when does nearly 30 years of age equal boy?) Westlife could come to the rescue of Coventry City. Bryan Mcfadden (the fat one married to the bird with big tits that used to be in the other girl band, or something) says he is putting together a consortium to buy his beloved Shy Blues, who are in debt up to $15million. Gary McAllister (let's face it who can blame him) confused McFadden with fellow band member Nicky Byrne (well they do all look the same - pop idol template mark one) He joked: "I'd need to get Westlife names sorted before anything could happen." Sky Blues Chairman Mike McGinty added: "Big Issue, Big Issue, buy Big Issue here, 10p for a cuppa mister" Queens Park Rangers are taking Ballet lessons with the English National Ballet in a bid to help their promotion push. (Well they're living up to the Queens part of their name anyway.) Rangers fitness coach Scott Rushton said: "The National Ballet approached us because they were interested in our techniques for building stamina. I realised there was a lot they could teach us about fitness so I arranged a session with them." Skipper Steve Palmer said: "There were a few reservations when we walked through the door, but it was more of a stretching and flexibility exercises." Manager Ian Holloway was more cautious and added: "Does my bum look big in this tutu?" QPR fans also had their say, a supporter's club spokesman said: "Oooh hark at her with her claws out." |
||||||||||||||||
| Coming next Month: the annual away trip to hell, commonly known as Grantham. Chelmsford City both home and away! Then Stafford and Cambridge to finish the month. Oh yeah, and a LCC match away at Doleville Town. | ||||||||||||||||
| return to top | ||||||||||||||||