Sunday 7th January

Total frustration is the only way to describe the postponement of the County Cup quarter-final against Delaneys today.

To my mind there is nothing worse than having a reasonably bright day and a pitch that is unplayable. When it is pelting down with rain the idea of calling a match off and staying indoors is quite attractive. But when the conditions are fine but the pitch is waterlogged frustration sets in.

There was almost continuous rain yesterday and so an early morning pitch inspection was necessary. I met player manager Ross Potter at the ground and it didn't take us very long to agree that the pitch was unfit. A third opinion by one of the Easton College staff confirmed this.

There was no standing water but the goalmouths were a bog and playing on the pitch would have destroyed it for future games.

It was very frustrating because Ross rarely has a full squad to chose from. Today he had 21 players available and no injury worries. It mean the game takes precedence over league matches and will now be played next week - weather permitting.

I understand from the forecasters that some bad weather is expected shortly. So we could well be struggling with a fixture backlog. It's also a shame because we promoted the game well and were expecting quite a number of supporters. Oh well such is life!

Monday January 8th

Without kicking a ball, Sunday will go down as a bad day for us. Our cup game was called off leading to frustration and in the league Norman beat Eaton Beehive 2-1 to take over at the top again. That shouldn't cause us too many sleepless nights, however, as we have four games in hand on them and are only three points behind. We are more concerned about Marlborough who have a game in hand and are only a point behind us. We have to play them twice, however, so the destiny of the title is in our hands as they say.

I do hope we can get the cup match played this Sunday. I need to know whether to roll that club scarf out ready for another Carrow Road appearance.

Meanwhile congratulations to the Ladies team who beat Lakenheath 12-0 to stay at the top of their league. Two wins in their remaining three league games will give them the title and promotion to the Premier Division of the East Anglian Women's League.

Nicola Bray is making a determined challenge for the club's golden boot competition with 16 goals in her six games for the club. The top three in that competition are all from the women's side. So the battle for top spot is very much on.

Monday January 15th

It didn't quite go according to plan. The weather was decent, the pitch playable and over 100 people were there to watch our County Cup quarter-final against Delaneys. The only problem was we went down 1-0 and that means we have failed to score in over three hours of football this season against Delaneys. So thinking caps will have to go on to find a way through their defence when we meet them in the league later in the season.

We made great efforts to ensure the game would go ahead - switching it from Easton College as they were giving their pitches "a rest" to the Memorial Park and then going down early on Sunday morning to drain standing water from one of the goalmouths!

Again we had our chances, particularly in the first half. Ironically Delaneys are the only team to stop us scoring this season and they have done it twice!

So there will be no dream appearance at Carrow Road this season, but we still have the league and league cup to go for.

This Sunday the Ladies have their own county cup quarter-final to look forward to and we wish them all the luck in the world.

Wednesday January 17th

Every week, usually on a Monday, I send copy to two or three newspapers. It's usually promotional stuff and also team photos etc. On Monday I chatted with my old newspaper colleague Milton Lindsay who writes a local football column in the Evening News on Wednesdays.

We talked about the disappointment of losing to Delaneys in the county cup, but the fact that we are now looking forward to battling for a league and league cup double. I also made a point of wishing Delaneys good luck in the final. When the article came out the headline was We can win the league title - Hethersett chief. Makes me feel very important!!!!

Friday January 19th

We received good coverage in the Wymondham Mercury newspaper with a bright picture of the first team squad and a story about the new sponsorship deal with Park Farm Hotel and the Queen's Head.

Saturday January 20th

Had a chat with the general manager of Park Farm Hotel today and thanked him for sponsoring the club. We now have a number of sponsors and we are very grateful to them all. Richard Bond is an honorary vice-president and very good supporter of the club. I think we are really going somewhere in the football world and it is good to take our sponsors on the journey.

Sunday January 21st

Some days you just have to grind out results. Even Hethersett Athletic can't play open attacking football all the time. Even we have to dig in and certainly the result at Aylsham today was more about the three points than the class.

It was one of those days when emotions kept changing. After last week's highly disappointing defeat at the hands of Delaneys it was vital that we recorded a victory, particularly as we knew our closest rivals for the title - Delaneys and Marlborough - were playing each other and either both or one of them would be dropping vital points.

It was also important to win to get back some confidence after last week. At half-time things looked bad. We were 1-0 down, had missed numerous chances and the players were rather low. They were tending to look at what had gone on in the past 45 minutes rather than focusing on how to put it right in the next. This is a negative attitude that was going to give us nothing. Why worry about something you can't do anything about - better concentrate on something you can change?

And thankfully they turned it round with two second half goals and then held on for all three points which became even more important when we heard that Delaneys had beaten Marlborough 5-3 and that means we are now top of the league with half the season still to play. It's all in our own hands. All we have to do now is match the record of the best team in our remaining matches and the title will be ours. But there's still plenty of games to go. We have to play Delaneys at home and Marlborough home and away and there are any number of other banana skins on the way as well. We have to remember last season when we were in with a chance of the title right to the end, only to slip up and finish third.

A special mention for Sam Wenham who was absolutely outstanding. He scored one goal, made the other and covered every blade of grass. Even more memorable than his goal was a surging run in the first half that took him past three defenders before his shot was turned round the post by the Aylsham 'keeper - a fact that the referee didn't see as he awarded a goal kick!

I had to hurry away from Aylsham to get to Easton College to take some promotional photos ahead of the Ladies county cup quarter-final against Ipswich Town Under-16s. I motored across country and managed to make it in time to hastily eat a couple of sandwiches in the car (no glamorous board room meals with wine for this soccer chairman) before taking a photo of a sponsorship cheque being presented to the Under-11 girls and then a team photo of the Ladies side.

I must offer a vote of thanks at this point to Stuart Dracup who is chairman of Norfolk FA, one of our club vice-presidents and a big supporter of the club and ladies soccer in general.

The match was a strange one. Hethersett dominated but struggled to turn their superiority into goals until the very end. Once again, however, it was a victory and we are now into the semi-finals. With both the men's and ladies team also top of the league, the future looks very bright. So many congratulations to Sue Milne and Toasty for getting us this far and let's hope we still have a way to go as well.

It was interesting at the end to hear the reaction of the two coaches. The Ipswich coach was full of praise for his girls and the effort they put in. "You have really done yourself proud and we are proud of you. Don't forget that today you have stepped up a class and this time (i.e Hethersett) usually score double figures. So you have done very well."

I found this interesting for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that Hethersett now seems to be accepted as a major force in East Anglian women's football and no longer simply a village team. We are now one of the leaders and not one of the followers.

I thoroughly enjoyed my Sunday's football, although I have to say I was glad to get home to thaw out after spending the best part of six hours in the freezing cold. I was nicely wrapped up in a fleece bought in Alaska last year. It is is bright yellow and black and I thought it appropriate as it matched the club's colours. Both men's and ladies teams now play in a much brighter orange strip, so maybe a return trip to Alaska is called for to get another coat!!!!

Whilst I am writing this blog I must mention Saturday soccer. The club would love to start a Saturday senior men's team and we feel it is the next logical move for the club. I know a number of our talented players would play for the club, but we need to be in a top flight local league which means the Anglian Combination. We have contacted that league but at the present time they are insisting we would have to go through the usual feeder leagues. So we have a difficult situation. Without entry to the Anglian Combination we would not be able to attract the Sunday players. It is something the club will continue to discuss over the coming weeks and months.

Monday 29th January

First team manager Ross Potter suggested yesterday that I should write a column entitled "great cup comebacks" and fill it with reports of this year's exploits from various cup competitions.

Which in a nutshell means we pulled another one out of the bag this weekend in coming back from 2-0 down to the Grove at half-time to win 4-3 in the League Cup. It was another heart-stopping performance. It was vitally important that we stayed in the competition, otherwise we would be pinning all our hopes on winning the league - i.e putting all our eggs into one basket!

It didn't look good at half-time, however. We were 2-0 down and it could have been three or even four. The Grove came at us like an express train and all we could do at times was hold on. Maybe I saw something about the match that others didn't. Ross berated the players at half-time for their poor performance. I felt it might be down to the conditions, however. There was a strong swirling wind which seemed to be blowing across the pitch, but I felt it made it easier to attack one end.

Thankfully that proved the case as we mounted attack after attack in the second half as Grove began to tire. We are as fit as any team in the Norwich Sunday League and I'm sure this has allowed us to pull many matches round this season that seemed lost.

Mark Appleton made it 14 for the season when he ran across the pitch before driving forward to score with an unstoppable shot. Then man of the match Chris Arnold popped up to head home a corner for what, I think, was his first goal for the club. Chris filled in in central defence and had an absolute stormer. I thought Sam Wenham's display last week was the best of the season, but I think this one matched it.

Danny Self was then hauled down in the penalty area and Scotty Woodcock coolly put the penalty away. And that should have been that, except we forgot to read the "keep it tight" script and allowed Grove to run through and equalise.

Cue Danny Self and one of his specialist extra-time free kicks which he bent round the wall and into the top corner for the winner and a place in the quarter-finals. We expected a hard and physical match but it has to be said that The Grove tried their hardest and gave us a pulsating game.

Congratulations to the ladies team who beat Lakenheath 6-0 and now need just one win from their two games against Chelmsford to make sure of the league title. In fact a draw would probably be good enough but I know the team is looking for two wins to end their league campaign in style. Then they can concentrate on the league cup (ironically where they are also playing Chelmsford) and the Two Counties Cup Semi Final in March. So there's certainly plenty to look forward to in their season.

In Sue Milne's ladies team blog she talks about the club looking into the possibility of starting a team fro youngsters with learning disabilities. I think this is an admirable idea and will ensure it goes on the agenda for the next club meeting. I also spoke to somebody this last week who asked if we had ever considered having a veterans' team - sounds like another good idea.

The club is certainly getting plenty of coverage in the Media at the present time and some good headlines as well. The Pink-Un football paper declared "Appleton and Wenham keep Hethersett on top" after last week's win at Aylsham and also carried a large team photograph. Today Milton Lindsay, an old colleague of mine from the Evening News, rang up to chat about yesterday's cup win and I'm sure will include some comments in his column that comes out on Wednesday. He also took a great interest in the exploits of the women's team and will be doing something on them ahead of their two crucial league games against Chelmsford in February.

Anyway must close now as I have all the week's publicity and the February newsletter to put together.

Monday 5th February

Don't you just love the wit and wisdom of the people in charge of our professional football teams?

On Saturday Norwich managed to hack a 2-1 win against a very very poor Leeds team that are destined for the drop. Thankfully the appalling ability of teams like this Yorkshire outfit will mean it should be easier for us to stay up.

Anyway another good day for Hethersett and the team that 1/ does know how to win and 2/ does put effort in. I have to say that none of our players have pony tails and wear gloves like a certain Norwich player who shall remain nameless.

We beat Prince of Denmark 2-0 in a delightfully spirited game. We weren't at our best again but that's three wins in a row and we are still firmly at the top of the league.

Now it really is all up to us. If we keep winning none of our nearest challengers can do a thing about it. The great thing at the moment is we had three key players out through injury, but still won because our squad has enough ability in it to bring people in without seriously weakening the side.

Monday 12th February

Yesterday was a mixture of a frustrating and good day, if that's possible. The first team drove all the way to the other side of Norwich to play Quebec only to have the match called off by the referee for a waterlogged pitch.

It was very frustrating as one look at the pitch told us the match was very unlikely to go ahead. A decision could have been taken by the home team much earlier and even on Saturday as rain fell constantly over the best part of a day.

There is nothing more annoying than getting up early on a Sunday, travelling to a match and then having it called off. I have to say that we do things differently at Hethersett. If there is any doubt about the state of a pitch we tell the opposition not to travel until we have checked things out. Then, once we have, we  inform them of the decision. That prevents them incurring the cost of travelling on a futile mission.

The weather wiped out all but five of the club matches, but it was quality rather than quantity. Firstly congratulations once again to the ladies team who beat Chelmsford 6-1 at home in the League Cup. There was some doubt about the Easton pitch but eventually the match went ahead. It was a significant result in more ways than one. It keeps the team in with a chance of a remarkable treble but it also augers well for the two coming matches against the same team when just one point is needed to win the Eastern Region Women's League Division One East and with it promotion to the Premier Division.

Sunday will be a very significant day for the club at Easton (weather permitting). In the morning the men take on Marlborough in the quarter-finals of the League Cup. Once again a case of the two strongest sides in the competition meeting. It will be a tough game for us, but we are hopeful of having a full squad available and fit. That was one good thing about the Quebec game being called off as we had a number of injuries and really only 11 fit players.

The Marlborough match at 10.30 a.m is followed by the women's league match against Chelmsford. In reality the side have effectively won the league as they would have to lose their last two games by about five goals and then see Chelmsford score similar victories in their other remaining games. Technically we still need a point. That's why we hope the weather doesn't intervene as we would like to win the title at home rather than away.

Ironically as I woke up this morning the sun was streaming through the window. How many times this season have we had to call games off on Sunday only to find wonderful weather on Monday. Certainly the men's team now have a rather nasty fixture pile-up and the season will certainly go on until well into May. We have nine league games to go and anything from one to three League Cup games meaning we have a minimum of 10 matches and maximum of 12 to go.

I understand our reserve team has been awarded the three points for the farce of a match at Bayer a few weeks ago when Bayer walked off the pitch and refused to play on after receiving a number of yellow and red cards. I'm glad we got all three points - any other decision would have been ridiculous. Just one small comment. The league have ordered a scoreline of 0-0. At the time we were winning 1-0 so why was that result not allowed to stand? I know it's a very small point but I'm always very aware that at the end of the day goal difference can be vital if you are in  a relegation fight as out team seem to be.

Saturday 17th February

Having decided not to go to Chelsea to see Norwich on the grounds that I don't like futile journeys or blood sports, I found myself unexpectedly left with two tickets for the game at Stamford Bridge. So decided, like so many other Norwich supporters, to simply have a day out.

It is a measure of how bad we are nowadays that a cup match in the capital is viewed simply as a good day out. We knew, just like the bookies, that we had absolutely no chance whatsoever.

A measure of how far football has gone to cleaning up its act was evident as we approached the ground. Supporters from both sides were eating and drinking in the same bars and restaurants - a far cry from the days of hooligans when fans would be herded and segregated. We were left to go where we wanted. Obviously the Chelsea fans saw us as no threats but there was good banter with a number in blue and white. Fans from both teams mingled without incident.

After the game all agreed (both Norwich and Chelsea fans) that it had been a good match and the 4-0 scoreline flattered Chelsea and was hugely unfair to the Canaries. Of course it's easy to be magnanimous to the opposition when you have just comfortably beaten them.

Now I understand the concept that virtually any one of the Chelsea players is worth more on the transfer market than our entire team, but we must remember that just a couple of seasons ago we were trying to play teams like Chelsea on a level playing field in the Premiership. It really does show how far we have gone downhill that all is left for us this season is to ensure we don't get relegated to League One (or the third division as I prefer to call it).

And yes Norwich did play well and yes they did hit the woodwork twice and yes Chelsea did score twice in injury time at the end of the match. But you still can't ignore the fact that we were beaten 4-0. I don't understand this concept of being good losers. Losing hurts. Yes you can congratulate the opposition, you can praise your team, you can accept that we can play Chelsea 50 times and probably only win once but at the end of the day a defeat is a defeat. Taken to extremes teams can get used to losing, they can become losers and we all know where that leads. Let's hope we Canaries are not becoming a bunch of losers.

I was very impressed by the Metropolitan Police Officer using a megaphone to direct Norwich fans to the coach park after the match. She had a broad Scottish accent - obviously another of Peter Grant's recruits!!!!!

Sunday 18th February

It didn't quite go according to plan. Or rather the afternoon did but the morning didn't.

I refer of course to the double header at Easton today which saw the men take on Marlborough in the quarter-finals of the League Cup in the morning and the women take on Chelmsford City Ladies in the afternoon.

The morning game was one of those cut and thrust matches where it looked as if we would have either an avalanche of goals or a single goal would decide it. In the end we had too many players carrying injuries and so it was no great surprise that we went down to the only goal of the game in extra-time. Somehow I suppose that's better than losing on penalties as it is less of a lottery.

Now we have just the league title to aim at, having been knocked out of the two cup competitions. With nine games to go there's everything to play for. There is no doubt that the title will go to either ourselves, Delaneys or Marlborough.

At present we are deservedly on top of the league but we still have to play Marlborough home and away and Delaneys at home and the results of those games will go a long way to deciding where the title ends up. We are hoping the cups will be spread around and the league championship will end in our laps but we can't afford a single slip up between now and May.

Thinking caps will have to go on as we not only try to work out a way to beat Delaneys and Marlborough but also how to score against them. We have played three league and cup games against the two sides this season and lost all three and failed to score a single goal. The law of averages says that this set of circumstances cannot go on and, after all, unlike a certain team in green and yellow, we are winners and not losers.

Many many congratulations to the ladies team who followed their script in the afternoon much better. They only needed a point against Chelmsford to make sure of the Eastern Women's League Division One East title. Having beaten Chelmsford 6-1 in the cup the previous week they could have been forgiven for approaching this match as a foregone conclusion. Not a bit of it. They attacked from the start and piled on the pressure to secure a 7-0 win.

I felt quite sorry for the Chelmsford players as they aren't a bad side. Problem is we don't know just how good we are or what is our level of ability. Perhaps next season in the Premier Division we will find out. Perhaps, however, we might get an idea sooner than that. The team may have won the league, but they still have massive challenges ahead this season with cup games against opposition from higher leagues.

On March 11th they have a mouth-watering League Cup quarter-final against Cambridge City who are top of the Eastern Region League Premier Division. This will be some test of where exactly we are as a force in women's football. The following week they take on Norwich City Racers in the semi-finals of the Two Counties Cup.

Again this will be a supreme test of our ability - but as I've already said here at Hethersett Athletic we are winners.

Monday 26th February

Here we are virtually at the end of February and some things don't change - like waterlogged pitches.

Waterlogged pitches wiped out the majority of Hethersett games on Sunday. I can't remember such a wet winter as this. Only the Girls Under-11s, the Men's A, the under-16s, the Under-12s and Under-9A team saw action and the Under-16s were the only team to record a victory.

But it wasn't all bad news. The first team's position at the top of the Premier Division was strengthened when one of our main rivals - Delaneys - lost to Quebec. As the saying goes the title really is in our own hands now. If we keep winning the others can do nothing about it.

Monday 5th March

Sometimes, just sometimes, you have to abandon pretty football to grind out results and so it was on Sunday as we beat Coltishall 3-1 in the first of what are nine cup finals for us if we are going to win the league title.

Marlborough won 4-3 but Delaneys dropped more points in only drawing with good old Prince of Denmark. It now looks as if the title will go to either us or Marlborough, but there's plenty of football to play that could change that. We are in the box seat, however. Delaneys and Marlborough have to beat us if they want that title.

The next few weeks will go a long way to deciding matters as we take on Norman Wanderers, Delaneys and Marlborough!!! On Sunday the team seemed to be really out of sorts and the defence looked fragile. Just put it down to one of those days and an excellent match in goal from Chris Bolderstone.

It was good to welcome Chris Steele into the team. His solid tackling and distribution added greatly to the win and I'm sure he will improve even more as he gets used to playing for the club.

I am particularly pleased to see Chris playing as he lives in the village. That means we have six local village players regularly featuring in the first team.

Elesewhere the Reserves eased their promotion problems with a thumping 15-0 win over AFC Rompers. Chris Holl scored seven. One of the things I will be doing over the close season is updating all the club records. I think Chris' seven will be high on the list of most goals in a game.

We continue to suffer from the wet weather with numerous club games being called off.

This Sunday it will be a double header for me. The morning at Slowbottom Park watching the firsts and the afternoon at Easton College to see the Ladies play their League Cup quarter-final against Cambridge City.

Monday 12th March

Funny old game - football. It's quite difficult to explain how things went wrong yesterday. Sometimes things just happen and you have to accept that.

The men's first team received a title jolt when we went to Norman Wanderers and were soundly beaten 5-1. We missed chances and the defence (the best in the league) looked paper thin.

We are hoping it was a one-off but, with Delaneys and Marlborough both winning, we have to get back on track immediately if we are to stay in the title race. We have now dropped to fourth place and cannot afford to lose to either Delaneys or Marlborough in our next two games.

It is strange how we always struggle on open park pitches such as Slowbottom just outside Norwich. It was certainly the case against Norman. We play better on large pitches where we have the space to utilise our pace.

So now we have to work out a way of scoring against two teams we have only fired blanks against so far this season.

The afternoon Ladies match was exciting to say the least. Taking on Cambridge City from the top of the division above them, the team gave everything and it was heart-breaking to go out on penalties 5-4 after extra-time had failed to divide the teams.

The players will have learnt a considerable amount from the defeat. They now know they can compete against teams from higher divisions and they also know the importance of putting away chances when they come. When you come up against stronger opposition chances have to be taken.

This Sunday we hope to turn Black Sunday into a Red Letter Day. The men need to get back on track against Delaneys and the women have another mouth-watering cup match - the semi-final of the Two Counties Cup against Norwich City Ladies. Both matches take place at Easton College (men at 10.30 a.m and ladies at 2 p.m). Support at either or both will be very much appreciated.

Monday 19th March

If last week was disappointing, this Sunday was frustrating. At Easton we had two pitches in perfect condition, it was a relatively bright day, but there was a new factor - wind.

We had a vital men's first team match against Delaneys. With last week's defeat against Norman it is vitally important that we take a minimum of four points from the games against Delaneys and Marlborough.

When we arrived at Easton it was literally blowing a gale. We pegged the nets down but it was obvious in the pre-match kick around that the conditions were going to be virtually impossible. Any clearances kicked into the wind went like a boomerang and just swirled and ended up behind the person that had kicked the ball. In other words the match would descend into farce.

We decided that if we won the toss we would take wind advantage in the first half in the hope it would drop during the match. After a few minutes it became obvious that virtually no football would be possible.

The referee Mr Raven was excellent. He consulted with both teams and then asked the players whether they wanted to continue. The general opinion was to call it off and so the match was abandoned after just eight minutes. Delaneys felt that it would be wrong for either team to lose the match purely due to the conditions. They were quite right. Both teams are in with a chance of the title and if this match is going to knock one of them out it should at least be done through football.

The problem is our fixture backlog continues to grow. The women's team were hopeful of playing their Two Counties Cup match against Norwich City Ladies in the afternoon, but soon realised that it would be an impossibility. The game will now be played next Sunday which turns that into a vital day for the club. The men are away to Marlborough in the morning.

If the Ladies win the cup final they will play Ipswich in the final - a real Norfolk v Suffolk battle.

It really is ironic that the weather has been bad on so many Sundays when we have had a relatively mild winter. On so many occasions the day before and the day after have been fine. Oh well that's life I suppose.

Monday 26th March

The wisdom of football managers continues to know no bounds. At the weekend we had England's manager telling us that the only thing missing from England's awful 0-0 draw against Israel was goals!!!!! Then the Scottish manager came out with the revelation that each match starts with 11 v 11. Stunning.

I have to say I was guilty of negativity yesterday. Before the first team's match against Marlborough I would have settled for a draw and a point. It was imperative that we didn't lose the match. Twenty minutes from the end when we were reduced to 10 men and the score was 2-2 I would have settled for a draw. But I had forgotten the battling qualities of the team. We ended up winning 3-2 - three all so vital points and a tremendous display. The league title is now in our own hands. The other teams can't do a thing about it if we keep winning.

Sadly the afternoon game was a disappointing result with the ladies going down 1-0 to Norwich City Ladies in the Norfolk and Suffolk County Cup Semi-Final. Once the disappointment has subsided I am sure the team will reflect on the experiences they have had in the two cup competitions this season and learn from them.

Last Monday I attended a very good Norfolk FA workshop with other club members and gained plenty of ideas for club development. We still have plenty to achieve at Hethersett Athletic. This week we are going to look further into starting a disabled team - and that would be a marvellous addition. We are also looking at the possibility of starting some form of Saturday team - watch this space.

Monday 2nd April

The finger nails have all but gone!!

It's okay for the players - they are living the dream. Think about us poor souls on the sideline who are being put through every bit of agony available as we move ever nearer to the Premier Division table.

Last week we scored the winner around the 86th minute. This week it was closer to 88 minutes and against nine men.

The match against Eaton Beehive was never going to be an easy one as might have been suggested by the relative places in the league. Eaton were playing their final game of the season and knew that only a win would be good enough if they were to stand any chance of avoiding relegation. Added to this they are one of only three teams to have beaten us in the league this season.

The match started like an express train which was more to the liking of the visitors. We desperately needed to slow things down and it was not surprise that the first half was goalless. When we took the lead in the second half and Eaton were reduced to 10 when a player was sent off for a professional soul, it began to look much brighter. Then we conceded a silly goal on the break before Eaton had a striker sent off. An interesting specimen of humanity. This player could have been booked four times for foul and abusive language and generally kicking anything that moved. In the end the referee quite rightly decided he had had enough and off he went.

That should have made it easier, but we still struggled to score. Last week against Marlborough a draw would have been an acceptable result and a good point. On Sunday it could have been disastrous.

But we somehow managed to turn it round yet again. Now the next three matches are absolutely vital. Wins against Quebec and Poringland over the next two Sundays would mean a victory over Marlborough the following Sunday would virtually make sure of the title. But we must take each game as it comes!!!!

Today I spent an enjoyable session with eight of our ladies team running through the ideas of sports psychology with them. Hopefully the session will help their motivation in the future.

Monday 16th April

Phew what a scorcher. Yesterday was hot in every sense of the word. The temperatures soared and one member of the club was heard to say: "Bring on the global warming, it's lengthening our summer by two months."

It was pretty hot on the pitch as well. Now I know we still have three games to go but with Marlborough only drawing (thank you Coltishall) and us winning at Poringland, we are now top of the league, two points ahead of Marlborough and still have a game in hand. It really is beginning to look very very good indeed. Who could have dreamed of this when we slouched off after losing our first game of the season to newly promoted and now relegated Eaton Beehive.

This season has been a remarkable one in many ways - not the least of which is that we are top of the league with one of the worst goals for records in the division. They pays tribute to the solidity of our defence which is the best in the league. As they always say, build your team on a solid defence and you can't go wrong.

There's still plenty to do but we will be watching the result of the Acle v Marlborough game with great interest next week. We have the luxury of a spare Sunday when we can just sit back and watch what happens. If Marlborough draw or lose we will be all but there and the following week when we play Marlborough could bring cause for tremendous celebrations.

The game at Poringland was a bit of a nail-biter, particularly when they pulled a goal back in injury time, but we always looked reasonably comfortable which is more than could be said for the previous week when we somehow managed a point at Quebec when we were two down with just five minutes to go. How many times have we come back this season after looking down and out. That's the mark of a good team and not as the Pink Un newspaper suggested one that is having wobbles. We should soon know how vital Dean Fitzgerald's equaliser turns out to be.

This is turning into the club's best ever season. Whilst a number of the youth sides are struggling, we have achieved a number of remarkable successes. No fewer than seven of our players have played for the county, the women's team have won their league by a country mile, the first team are, hopefully, on the brink of winning the title, the Under-11 girls need to win their last match to win their league and the Under-9s have reached a plate cup final. The club is really going places!!!

Monday 23rd April

Phew what a week it's been. The trophy count increases. Last Wednesday I popped over to Easton to see our Under-11 girls play Wendene knowing that a draw would be good enough to take the league title.

In the early stages they shot wide and then hit the bar, but eventually it all came right and they won 4-0 to make it two league titles for the club so far with the Under-11 girls joining the women's team.

The first team were without a game on Sunday but the result of the Acle v Marlborough game was as important as if we had been playing ourselves. We desperately wanted Acle to take points off Marlborough, but it wasn't to be as the visitors won 3-2 to go back on top.

It does mean numerous permutations are possible next Sunday when we are home to Marlborough. If we win the title is ours. If we draw we need two points from our remaining games against Acle and Deleneys but if we lose we would have to win our last two games. It's certainly an intriguing end to the season and it should be an exciting encounter at Easton College. So if you are reading this, please come and support. We are within touching distance of the title but there is still plenty of work to do.

Monday 7th May

Well in the end it sadly all went wrong. We lost 1-0 to Marlborough which left us needing to win our final two games to take the title. We lost 2-1 to Acle which makes the coming week's game against Delaneys irrelevant. We have in effect handed the title to Marlborough and everyone at the club is extremely disappointed.

Once again against both Marlbrough and Acle we missed our chances and paid the price. Now the building starts for next season. There is plenty to do to ensure that we have a solid set-up.

Now we have the two presentation events to look forward to - the adults on May 11th and the Youth Funday on 20th. Hope to see everyone at one of those.