I know we have abandoned this idea a couple of times already, but this coming Thursday night we will DEFINITELY be having a Pre-Season Training session before our 7-a-side League match (against All Blacks a.k.a. Enfield Bullets) at the Southgate Hockey Centre.

This is because we appear to have nobody on holiday this week whatsoever, we have a lot of prospective new players lined up to attend, and the 7-a-side match is once again a 9.00.p.m. kick-off, so we can therefore train at an ideal time beforehand for players to be able to get there after work.
We do NOT want anybody crying off this Thursday because they are 'working late' or have to babysit. I'm sorry, but that is complete bollocks. If you seriously want to play for the club this season, then you find someone to cover for you at work or you find a babysitter just for this one occasion.
We also do NOT want players dropping out because they have got a slight niggling injury. You MUST still turn up and do some sort of training, even if it's just a bit of light jogging. This session is all about getting everybody together at the same time and building a team spirit...which will then encourage good players to join.
All other Sunday clubs and Saturday Semi-Pro clubs are currently having Pre-Season Training sessions like this where everybody must attend...and they do ! Why should we be any different ?

All players who are interested in playing for us next season must turn up at 7.45.p.m. and meet on the grass field behind the furthest 7-a-side Astroturf pitch ready to start at 8.00.p.m. at the latest.
If anybody is late and pulls a muscle because they are not ready for the warm-up, then that's their fault. We will not be waiting for them.

The squad for the 7-a-side match at 9.00.p.m. will be picked during training depending on fitness, subs owed and various other factors at Manager Trevor Hughes' discretion.
Those not picked for the match will carry on training until it gets too dark (or whenever).

All players must bring the following:
1) Their own kit. (i.e. Shirts, shorts, socks, shinpads, sock tape, boots for training on the grass and Astroturf boots in case they are picked for the 7-a-side match).

2) £5.00 in case they play in the 7-a-side match plus any subs owed (including Annual Subs for next season). I will do a separate thread on this Forum regarding Annual Subs.

3) A passport-size photo for their registration (if they did not sign the League Multi-Registration Form).

4) Their own water/fluid.

Please note that even if you don't play in the 7-a-side match, you will still be able to use the changing rooms, showers & bar afterwards...which is something you won't get for Pre-Season Training on a Sunday morning (if we ever manage to arrange it).

If anybody definitely cannot attend on Thursday but still wants to play for us next season, they MUST let us know as soon as possible.
(Conor McGovern and Steve Cokell should be the only ones with legitimate excuses as far as I am concerned, but if they could make an attempt to attend and at least sign up for next season, then that would be excellent).

If Lee King, Dean Assiamah and Julian Carvey (and any other prospective new players who have played 7-a-side recently or are coming training this Thursday) have e-mail addresses, can they send an e-mail to me at laurence_hughes@yahoo.co.uk please ?

I can then forward on further details to them regarding training and payment of subs, etc. that I can't put on here.

I have sent some of them Friend Requests on Facebook, so that can get in touch that way as well.

I'll be there.

Cheers
Barney

I will be there.

...and Andy McGovern ?

I am back in the office tomorrow so will check with him and put something on here.

I'll be there

Will be there with olie scott lewis n hopefully another mate called sean

Andy Mcgovern will be there.

It's not looking too bad so far. Here's the current situation:

SHOULD BE'S (Have confirmed on here or by text/e-mail)
Dean Assiamah
Alan Barnard
Daniel Daley
Danny Hagan
Simon Jackson (GK)
Lee King
Tony King
Scott Lewis
Martin Loveday
Andy McGovern
Terry Moore
Olie Tedder
Myself & Trevor

MIGHT BE'S (These are people who have been contacted but not replied yet)
Tem Adil
Foysol Ahmed
Rob Brown
Julian Carvey
Derek Dorward
Darryl Johnson (GK)
Gavin Mardell
Jamie Martin
Ozel Ozerman (GK)
Danny Smith
Joe Ansell
John Scoullar (Posted on here asking to join...so now's his chance !)
Robin Pryke (Trev said he would phone him)
Lexton Harrison (Trev said he would phone him)
'Sean' (Danny Hagan's mate)
'Shen Plum' (Or whatever his name is ? Mate of Tem's who had trials with Luton ?)
Mates of Lee King's ?

WON'T BE'S
Jim Arrowsmith (Organising a work Golf Day)
Terry Brown (On holiday...from what I am reading on Facebook ? Not sure he is interested anyway)
Steve Cokell (Plays 5-a-side for another team on Thursday nights and has done for years)
Stuart Dorward (Work meeting with clients. A slight possibility he might be able to get out of it, but unlikely)
Conor McGovern (Still injured from end of last season)
Vernon 'Kizza' Nxumalo (Training with a Ryman League club..I don't know which one)

I know the weather forecast for Thursday night at the moment is heavy rain and gale-force winds, but we will make sure we are not standing around and don't forget there are changing rooms and showers we can use afterwards.
There is no reason why we cannot get at least 15-20 over there and have a really good session.

I'll be there. Joe told me on Sunday that he would come over. I think Jamie will come with me if his back is ok. Tel isn't on holiday at the moment but I think he may be out on Thurday night anyway. I think Smithy might be coming over as well.

Sounds good to me.

I'll try and make it. I'm working on my own at the moment which means i do not get home until after 8pm from a 6am start. I will try to make it.

The idea at the moment is that between 8.00 & 9.00.p.m. we will be doing a lot of ballwork for outfield players, particularly passing and one/two-touch small-sided stuff.
At 9.00.p.m. when 8 players go off to play in the 7-a-side match, we will then concentrate more on shooting and crossing practice until it gets dark...which will be of more benefit to goalkeepers, especially as it will be on grass as opposed to astroturf. (We are hoping that Jacko will prefer this to playing in the 7-a-side match as it will benefit him a lot more, and the same will apply to you Deej, if you can get there in time for that).
We need Oz to be there to play in the 7-a-side match though.

The only problem is that we won't have any goalposts/nets to use on the grass and we will just have to use corner flag posts. Don't know if anybody has got any ideas how we can get round that ?

Nick the hockey goals?

Just an update on some of the 'Might Be's'.

Trev phoned and spoke to Lexton and he is dead keen because all his old mates from Edmonton Cricket Club now play for us. (Barney, Loveday, Jim, etc.)
He will get off work early to be there tomorrow

Trev also tried phoning Robin but it went onto voicemail.

John Scoullar (prospective new player) just phoned me and said he is playing in a match this Thursday so he will now come along if we have training the following week.

All I am getting from Tem is a load of spam/virus e-mails where it looks as if his Hotmail account has been hacked !

Tem & Oz have confirmed they will be there tonight.
Robin will try and come along at some stage after work.