The squad for the AFC Cheshunt match next Sunday is as follows:

[Simon Jackson (GK)
Ozel Ozerman (GK)
Jim Arrowsmith
Alan Barnard
Terry Brown
Steve Cokell
Stuart Dorward
Danny Hagan
Lexton Harrison
Lee King
Jamie Martin
Terry Moore
Vernon ‘Kizza’ Nxumalo
Rory Richards
Danny Smith
Olie Tedder]

This is a full 16 man squad including a sub keeper.

Lee King is returning from holiday and Steve Cokell, Lexton Harrison and Rory Richards will all be registered and available.

I have left out Martin Loveday and Rob Brown who are carrying injuries but both have said that they will be coming to watch and would play if needed. I have also left out Tony King and Dean Assiamah because they dropped out at short notice this week. I hope they will also turn up like Martin and Rob as they would be a better option as late replacements as they will not be injured.

The other registered players who are not yet available are Conor McGovern and Tem Adil (both injured), Darryl Johnson (holiday) and Andrew Warmerdam (family commitments).

I am away next Sunday and Martin Loveday has agreed to be manager for the day. Please support him and accept his decisions regarding the starting line up, formation and substitutions.

We normally win when I am on holiday so I am looking forward to the match report and highlights on Youtube.

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Just to fill you all in with a few more details about this match...

This is our first HOME League game of the season (at Hazelwood), and it is another very tough match.
We had to play AFC Cheshunt in a Double-Header last season at their ground and we lost both matches 1-0 without mustering a single worthwhile shot on target in either game...from what I can remember.
We fielded a decent squad of 14 but they were just too big, strong and fit for us.
You Tube 'highlights' of the First Game are here.
You Tube 'highlights' of the Second Game are here.
AFC Cheshunt predictably started their season with a 2-0 win Away to Broxbourne Rangers Old Boys, so they are obviously going to be a hard side to beat (again).
The results from all Division One matches can be viewed here.
Click on the score to see details of team line-ups and goalscorers (when they appear at some stage this week).

This season at Hazelwood, Enfield Council are moving four teams from Enfield Playing Fields over there because of the re-development of the Donkey Lane changing rooms.
This Sunday, we are likely to find the kids' pitch behind the far goal on our pitch being re-used after an absence of 3 or 4 years, but widened so that it can be used for mens' football...in which case our pitch will be shorter.
The game on that pitch (according to this) is a KOPA Cypriot Sunday League game between Pendayia (formerly A.C. Varosi/Trent Park (Arkay)) and Cetinkaya Cinar (who we played in a Pre-Season Friendly), while on the other mens' pitch (that has not been used much over the last 10 years because of severe waterlogging) we have another Division One match from our League being played between McKenzie Rangers (including our ex-players Leon McKenzie-McKay, Daniel Cascoe & Daniel Daley) and Hop Poles.

From what I am hearing though, it appears that the Enfield Council person responsible for the deployment of groundsmen to open up, clean up and lock up changing rooms...and to issue keys for clubs to do that themselves (in our case) is refusing to give keys to Pendayia, McKenzie Rangers and whoever the other two Home teams are at Hazelwood this season because he knows there are going to be arguments about who cleans out the showers and who locks up afterwards. As far as he is concerned, only ourselves (as key-holders) and our opponents can use the changing rooms because they 'cannot afford' to employ a Council groundsman over there to supervise everything !

As far as I am concerned though, we let the other four teams use the changing rooms and showers if they have not been given their own keys. There will be a 'riot' if we don't !
However, we will NOT be cleaning out the showers and we will only be cleaning out the two changing rooms for our pitch, not the other four.
There is also going to be a 'fight' for the best changing room (i.e. the one we have been using over there for the past 25 years), especially as one of the six changing rooms is now used as an equipment store, thereby leaving one team to get changed in the foyer or out on the pitch !

As far as locking up afterwards is concerned, if teams from the other two pitches are still in the changing rooms when we are ready to lock up and go, then we go home without locking up and I then phone the Council bloke responsible and get him to come and lock up. (I have his number)
It is not in the Terms & Conditions that we clean up and lock up for the other pitches.

Because of all this, I advise all our players to make sure they are at the venue by 9.30.a.m., otherwise they are going to have no chance of getting a parking space anywehere with three matches going on instead of one. We know that Pendayia, Cetinkaya Cinar and McKenzies always turn up an hour before the kick-off, and Hop Poles will probably do that as well.
I will be getting there shortly after 9.00.a.m. to claim our pitch and our normal changing room, as I can certainly see the Cypriot teams trying to get on it when they realise they have been put on a kids' pitch !
Can Terry Moore help me open up/do the nets this Sunday bearing in mind Loveday is Manager, Barney is washing and bringing the kit, and Tony King has been 'dropped' ?

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And who's going to volunteer to do that ?
Not me, as I'll be out on the pitch putting the camera up.

Just stick an official looking sign on our changing room door saying "Edmonton Rovers only, everbody else just fuck off"

Not entirely sure that Broomfield will be too happy with this Rob!

Fuck me let's stop being wet blankets and just fucking well tell them 'not that changing room that's ours' jesus I'll tell em!

WRT Broomfield.

We can use their Car Park and use the bar after the match, cheap beer.

Although they have asked that we all become social members to do that, which would be £8 per year.....

Thoughts?

Excellent idea, broadway is a shit hole. hopefully if we go for a beer there Hagan might put his hand in his pocket and be sociable for a change!

Does the £8.00 per person need to be paid this Sunday otherwise 'Your not coming in' ?

The club won't be able to pay it this Sunday if players don't bring that money with them, as Trev is in Cyprus.

Otherwise...good idea, and I say we use their bar this Sunday.
What's the betting that most of our players will not be able to stay for a drink on Sunday because they are playing cricket (Barney) or going for dinner with the in-laws again though (I think we know who that will be ).

I am certainly thinking of knocking up some sort of velcro-stickable sign saying 'Edmonton Rovers F.C.' to stick on our usual changing room door whenever we play over there. (We take it down after each match).
St. Mary's can then do their own velcro sign if they want, as I know they use the same changing room when they are at Home.

I will be going over Hazelwood tomorrow to see how the pitches have been marked out.
This Google satellite map photo was taken the last time that kids pitch (Pitch 3) was marked out behind the far goal (about 3 years ago).
If you zoom in a bit, you will see what I mean about them probably shortening the length of our pitch if Pitch 3 is now going to be used for mens' football.

We will all need to be paid up before we go, I suggest that we chat on Sunday with a view to using it after the next home game.......

Plus I need final confirmation.

No worries cokell I will be there, would be nice if you could make it out of the oppositions full backs pocket and join us too

Keep our fooking door locked then. ffs. It ain't hard is!!!! Finger my spider... Also, does Cockell get that far forward these days? I will gladly pay £8 if Danny gets a drink in. Will he qualify for a old mans discount being over 40 an' all?

Haha well I know your all envious of my boyish good looks and talent that I posses, you never know deej they may even give free membership to reserve players so you would be quids in!

Dan, being a reserve player, i could nip in there early and save you the "old mans corner" while you are showing everyone your "talent" on the pitch. Could even get a game of dominos started for ya too! What dya reckon? lol

It's normally Trev's job to make sure everything is locked up once we have all got changed (including the oppo and Referee's changing rooms), so Loveday (as Manager for the day) will therefore have to have the keys this time and do that.

What we need to do is lock our door and AFC Cheshunt's. We do not lock McKenzies, Hop Poles, Pendayia's & Cetinkaya Cinar's doors. If they haven't been given keys by Enfield Council, then that's tough. It's not our fault.

The problem is the Referees' room. Denis Coventry (our Ref) will have to put his valuables in our room or leave them with us on the touchline, as the Refs from the other two pitches will be in the same room.

It's not really a problem is it, looking after the ref's valuables. May save us a couple of bookings per season hehee

Yes, this is what we always do anyway before we start putting the nets up.
Our room will be locked and the other five (or four if there is still groundsmen's equipment in one of them) will be left open for the other teams to go in whatever one they like.

When myself & Terry have finished putting the nets up, we then unlock our changing room once our players have arrived and are ready to go in and get changed.
We will only lose our changing room if McKenzies or Pendayia have been given keys and they get to the ground to open up before myself & Terry.

Where we might have a problem though is if Enfield Council decide to number the changing rooms when they mark out the pitches this week. That's why I am going over there tomorrow. I might be able to catch them in the act and 'have words'.

Just been over Hazelwood. They were marking out the pitches and putting the goalposts up at the time.

Our pitch is still the same size, but they have moved it away from the Connaught Gardens fence by a couple of yards to create a new goalmouth at the cowshed end more towards Pitch Two (as the old one was so worn out from 'asylum seekers' kicking about on it during the Summer).
The Broomfield Manager (who was tending the pitch as usual) requested that when we warm up before matches, we do not use the goalmouth for 'willy-nilly' shooting at Jacko as they have stopped their players from doing that in order to protect the pitch...and to be honest, I agree with him, especially if the pitch is wet.
Whenever I film Non-League matches, the goalkeepers never warm-up in the goalmouth.
If our opponents get out onto the pitch before us, can one of our Management Committee please ask them to go down to the far end and explain why ?

The pitch was not in great condition compared to other recent seasons at this time of year, but it is still better than most.
They were marking out Pitch Three (at the far end of our pitch) with the penalty areas a yard away from the touchline. The Cypriot teams are definitely not going to be happy with that !

Unfortunately, the Council person responsible for the changing rooms/keys was not over there. There is no point in phoning him before Sunday. We'll just have to wait and see what happens on the day.
The Broomfield Manager agreed that it is a farcial situation to have no Council groundsman opening and closing the changing rooms when there are three different Home clubs over there.
Broomfield don't have that problem on Saturdays, as the pitches are all being used by the same club.
He said McKenzies are sharing Pitch Two on alternate weeks with Broomfield-Percival Youth, so that presumably means St. Mary's will not have to worry about them next week as Youth teams are not allowed to use the changing rooms.
He didn't know who was sharing Pitch 3 with Pendayia though, so it may well be another Cypriot team.

Reading this and looking at google maps of the pitches i'm concerned about the lack of corner taking space what with the new pitch behind us. It may create confusion....

I tell you where we are going to have a problem...putting the net up at that far end.
They've marked the touchline for Pitch Three out just 2 feet away from the goal-line on our pitch. That means Jacko is going to get well tangled up in the net !
Also, the goal-line from Pitch Two is less than 2 feet away from the touchline on our pitch, so the pegs from McKenzie Rangers nets will be right on our touchline ! Going to be fun taking a throw-in over there !