The first frost of the winter descended on Champion Hill this week sending a literal and metaphorical chill down the spine of our erstwhile community of staff and volunteers as the prospect of Failing To Fulfil A Fixture (© National League 2021) stirred up painful memories of points deductions and fines running to thousands of pounds.

Would this league look more kindly on a club fighting the elements than the last one did on a club fighting to survive the pandemic? Would this league also kick us for not kicking a ball when we are already on our knees?

So many unknowns but one thing I do know is that whenever this club is in need we see the love our community has for its club and so a team of inspirational fans spent a long and tiring Thursday covering every inch of the pitch to give today’s game the best chance possible of going ahead. Not for the first time there are not enough words to express my gratitude for that love and those efforts.

Should those efforts have proven successful then I am pleased to welcome you all back to Champion Hill and to have with us the friends and family of Kimm Connett who was sadly lost to us in August. Like his father before him Kimm was a player whose close association with the club continued beyond his playing career, he was the heart and soul of the Old Boys network and there is always a special vibe when they return and it is an honour to host so many of them today to remember Kimm.

We often talk about this club being a family and we show that firstly by supporting each other through the good times and the sad and secondly by offering that support equally and unconditionally to everyone and today also marks our first home game during the Rainbow Laces campaign. I confess to having mixed feelings about days or campaigns that highlight particular causes as on one hand I worry some people use that one gesture to tick the box and move on while handily avoiding real change but on the other hand any initiatives that promote tolerance and inclusion deserve our support and hopefully campaigns can inspire more clubs to see that support for LGBTQ+ inclusion in sport can grow from being a piece of fabric running through a football boot once a year to one day become part of the fabric of the game.