Good afternoon everybody and welcome to Champion Hill. I would like to extend a very warm welcome to all our visitors from Kingstonian and hope they enjoy their stay with us.
Whilst I know that we are not always “flavour of the month” with Ks fans, I feel that both clubs have some things in common. They are both very well established and respected names in Non League football and they are both having to face the consequences of decisions made by previous owners that have had a negative impact on their clubs.
I wish KIngstonian FC, and everybody associated with it, the best of luck in securing a permanent home from which they can once again grow through great community work and good football on the pitch.

I know everybody at Ks is very aware of what it’s like to be a tenant in your own stadium; a situation of which we are becoming more aware. We also have no security of tenure beyond the end of the season and a stadium owner who will not tell us anything about their plans.

Anyway, everything and the claims that the club is “unsustainable” and would not survive without an injection of cash from Meadow Residential, here we are on 1st January 2018 with all players having been paid and all the relevant authorities that can cause problems for a club also up to date. All this with the support of our fans just coming through the turnstiles and making donations to the 12th Man. I thank you all for your generosity.
However, I feel it is still very important that pressure continues to be put on the stadium owners to relinquish their option on 98% of the club’s shares so that these can be acquired by people who have an interest in our football club. On top of this, I call again for Meadow Residential to start to share their plans for the stadium if it is , as they advised a recent bidder, not for sale. We can move forward together but we need some honesty which has so far been in short supply.

When this current situation was first forced upon us, I genuinely feared that we may not be able to continue without making drastic changes that would have seen players leave, and even Gavin Rose feel his position was untenable. However, with each passing week my confidence that we can make this year’s misguided budget work become stronger. We were left with a budget constructed by a company looking to show the club made losses and was unsustainable, but with your support we are starting to show that with just a few tweaks it is actually something we can deliver now and in the future. Of course, it relies on your continued support of the club through the turnstiles, 50/50 and other raffles and donations to the 12th Man. However, I believe our fans are really passionate about our club and its survival; in fact I think they all want it to continue to thrive. This is a series of battles that with each passing week we continue to win and eventually we shall win the war.

Due to early printing deadlines I am writing this before our visit to Billericay Town but hope we have given a good account of ourselves on and off the pitch. Whatever they may achieve, it is being done in a way that I would not feel comfortable about if it was happening at our club. We will continue to do things our way and trust in the business model that we have built, which is based on ethics and values that reflect our place in the community.

The last home game saw probably one of the most complete performances of the season against a very good Leiston side. WE were strong in defence and solid in midfield, whilst Reise Allassani and Nyren Clunis dovetailed in attack to take the game away from our visitors.

At Tooting on Boxing Day the team turned in another professional display to all but secure the points by half time. Their game management of the second half was excellent and a credit to the quality players and management that we have at the club. The derby games mean a lot to the fans and so it is always good to get the full six points from our two games against Tooting & Mitcham.

As this is the first game of 2018 may I wish you a happy and successful New Year from all of the Committee of the club. You are what makes this club so special, and whether you’re a hardcore fan going home and away, an occasional visitor, or a first time fan you are all equally as important.

Finally, if you have anything you want to ask, suggestions for improvements or even complaints then feel free to email liamhickey1893@gmail.com and I will be happy to answer your emails as honestly as I am able to.

Thank you for your support

Liam Hickey, Chair of the Football Committee.