THE EDMONTON ROVERS FORUM
As a result of the good turnout at training last night and the apparent interest of quite a few players in joining us (which we certainly didn't expect when things looked a bit bleak a few weeks ago), I am now going to step up my efforts to arrange Pre-Season Friendlies for the last four Sundays in August.
However, I must have more feedback on availability for these as soon as possible. I suspect a lot of players have arranged holidays or are due to be attending wedding receptions, etc. but have not informed me yet.
We will also now definitely be having a Pre-Season Training session at 10.30.a.m. on the first Sunday in August at Enfield Playing Fields (Ladysmith Road car park), so here is the current plans for Sundays for the whole of the month...
Sunday 1st August ...Pre-Season Training (as mentioned above).
Sunday 8th August ...I have arranged to play Premier Division side LARSENS and they are currently trying to find a pitch in the Waltham Abbey area for a 10.30.a.m. kick-off.
Sunday 15th August ...A team called SPORTING ENFIELD (from Division Three of the Edmonton Sunday League) have texted me asking for a Pre-Season Friendly. I don't know anything about them, but I have texted them back to see if they can get a pitch at Firs Farm (if the goalposts are going to be put up by then...they sometimes are for PSF's, but normally only for Edmonton Sunday League teams to play each other.
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Sunday 22nd August ...We are playing a team called BELFRY from the London City Airport Sunday League. This is a 10.30.a.m. kick-off at Warren School, Whalebone Lane North, Romford RM6 6SB. Very easy to get to for most of our players from the A406/A12 or the M25/A12.
It will be on one of the grass pitches there...I have to say that the centre-circle on this one is an absolute classic 'pissed groundsman' job ! 
Myself and a freelance cameraman filmed Belfry in a couple of Cup Finals recently. Highlights of the one I filmed are here. Highlights of the other one are here.
They are a good footballing side, although the League they play in is obviously not as good as ours.
Sunday 29th August ...A newly-formed team calling themselves WOOD GREEN want to play us on this date on the 3G Astroturf at the New River (Wood Green), but they can only get the pitch for a 1.30.p.m. kick-off.
Fortunately, both Spurs and Arsenal are playing on the Saturday, although obviously we are going to have problems with players who play cricket on Sundays, while Bank Holiday Weekend family/social commitments will also no doubt rule players out.
Basically, I need a minimum of 14 players to advise me asap that they are definitely available for this game so that I can get it confirmed.
Wood Green are in the 'London Football League Sunday AM Division' and are nothing to do with Wood Green Old Boys who we play in the Summer 7-a-side League.
That's the situation at the moment. 
There have been one or two alterations to our Pre-Season Friendlies and they are now as follows:
Sunday 8th August ...We are still playing LARSENS, but the venue has now been confirmed as the grass pitch at the Southgate Hockey Centre (10.30.a.m. kick-off).
Sunday 15th August ...We are now playing CETINKAYA CINAR, who are one of the top teams in the Cypriot (KOPA) League and who (like us) go in the London F.A. Sunday Intermediate Cup. (I am taking a gamble that we will not get drawn against them in the First Round !). This game will also be played on the grass pitch at the Southgate Hockey Centre. (10.30.a.m. kick-off).
Sunday 22nd August ...We are still playing BELFRY from the London City Airport Sunday League. (10.30.a.m. kick-off at Warren School, Whalebone Lane North, Romford RM6 6SB).
The above three matches are all definitely arranged.
The following game has yet to be confirmed though. (It is about 75% definite).
Sunday 29th August ...Now against SPORTING ENFIELD (from Division Three of the Edmonton Sunday League) at Firs Farm. (10.30.a.m. kick-off).
Please do not arrange to do anything in the afternoon just yet though, as there is a 25% chance we could still be playing WOOD GREEN at the 3G Astroturf at the New River (Wood Green) instead with a 1.30.p.m. kick-off.
It is not easy to arrange things for the 29th August at the moment because people I need to speak to are on holiday, so I may not be able to confirm this fixture for another week or so yet.
Full details of each Pre-Season Friendly and the squad for each match will be posted on here and also e-mailed to players on the Monday before the game.
I can't update the website at the moment as I am re-designing it with new software.
Please continue to let me know on here or by text or e-mail if you are unavailable for any of these Pre-Season Friendlies. (If you tell me at training/7-a-side when I don't have a pen & paper handy, I will forget ! 
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The BELFRY match on Sunday 22nd August is now OFF as they have just realised that their players are all going to a Wedding Reception the night before ! 
There is no way that we are going to find a pitch ourselves, so if anybody knows a team who has a grass or 3G Astroturf pitch available for a morning kick-off on that date, please point them in my direction.
At the moment though, it is more likely that we will have to have Pre-Season Training instead...which means half our squad will take the opportunity to earn brownie points and the other half will go out and get pissed the night before...so we might as well not bother ?!
We have now been able to book the grass pitch at the Southgate Hockey Centre for Sunday 22nd August as well as this coming Sunday (15th August) (10.30.a.m. kick-off), so all we need now is some opponents to play !
At the moment, we have more or less everybody available for this date, including Stuart Dorward, Conor McGovern, Steve Cokell & Rob Brown, although no doubt at least one of those four will drop out before then !?
However, I would like us to play another top Premier Division side either from our League or another, as I think we need to see if new players are capable enough against that sort of quality...which is what we will be facing in League and London F.A. Cup matches of course.
I have already tried some teams from other Leagues that I have filmed in Cup Finals (like our original opponents Belfry), but they are proving to be very hard to get hold of at the moment or already have matches arranged.
I am therefore thinking of trying Premier Division teams from our League who we are not due to be playing in the League Cups or have not played for a few years, namely Enfield Rangers, I.M.L., Lea Valley Royals, Percival or Upshire.
Does anybody have any preferences regarding those five, or does anybody know a top-quality team from another League who would be able to get to the Southgate Hockey Centre easily enough for a 10.30.a.m. kick-off on the 22nd ?
Please let me know asap...otherwise we might end up having a training session instead...which presumably nobody wants on a Sunday morning ?
Sunday 22nd August is sorted.
We are now playing Continental (from the Premier Division of our League) at the Southgate Hockey Centre. (10.30.a.m. kick-off)
More details about them will follow when I name the squad on here on Monday.
