It has just been announced that we will be Away to Mardan at Wormley Playing Fields in our first match of the New Year this coming Sunday (6th January).

Training has therefore been booked for this coming Wednesday night (2nd January) at the Southgate Hockey Centre, starting at 8.30.p.m. and Trevor has just confirmed to me that players who make an effort to attend will stand more of a chance of getting in the starting line-up this coming Sunday where there is competition for places in certain positions.
As always, if you have a genuine reason why you cannot attend, please let us know before Wednesday night as that is when the squad will be picked.
You will all get an automated Teamer message by tomorrow morning (New Years Eve), so please reply to that if you can. I will probably text everyone myself as well bearing in mind a lot of you may not be at work and have access to your e-mails.

We don't yet know who we are playing on Sunday 13th January, but my guess is that we will probably be Away to Turnford Geese in the League Senior Cup match that was postponed before Christmas.
We are definitely Away to London Maccabi Lions 'B' in the London Cup on Sunday 20th January and that game has now been confirmed as a 10.30.a.m. Kick-Off (in Boreham Wood).

Full details of these fixtures will be on the Forthcoming Fixtures Page by tomorrow (Monday...New Years Eve) morning.

Training tonight...As usual, most players are not using Teamer and have not told me they are not coming training tonight, so I suspect in most cases they will just turn up anyway or text me just after 8.00.p.m. with an excuse to drop out because (in reality) they are in Sofa Mode at that time.

The only players who are not coming training at the moment are George (presumably working ?), Hagan (who doesn't have a car at the moment) & Tim Beeden.

Those who have said they are attending are Jacko, Barney, Terry, Gavin, Younes, Lexton & Frankie.
That leaves Riaz, Jack, Raf, Cascoe, Krishan, Ben, TJ, Tony King, Scouller, Martin, Garry Cover, Evon, Daley & Loveday as other possibles, so if some of them make an effort, we can have a good session. Maybe even Frazer, Ivan Bass and the prospective new Left-Back who was going to join us just before Xmas might even turn up as well ?

Ignore the rain at the moment. That is supposed to stop well before we start training tonight !

Just a reminder that if any player mentioned above simply fails to turn up without informing us first, then we will assume they are either on holiday or have lost interest and they will be left out of the squad for this Sunday's match (if we have got enough players without them).
'Didn't know we had training' will NOT be a valid excuse as everybody has been texted.

We had 10 players turn up to training tonight including me. The others were Barney, Terry, Younes, Riaz, Jack, Raf, Lexton, Garry Cover & Scouller.
Jacko, Gavin, Ben & Evon all dropped out at the 'last minute' with excuses, but Cascoe, Frankie, TJ, Krishan, Tony King, Martin & Daley didn't turn up and didn't tell us why.
Daley is suspended for this Sunday anyway and Gavin is also unavailable, while I think Riaz said Evon is ill ? Jacko also dropped out of training because of illness, so we are just going to have to hope that he has recovered by Sunday as we don't have anybody else to go in goal...as far as I know, as Loveday seems to have completely disappeared !

The squad (of 16) is therefore as follows:
Simon Jackson (GK)
Alan Barnard
Terry Moore
Lexton Harrison
George Stahlmann
Ali 'TJ' Sowe
Danny Hagan
Daniel Cascoe
Younes Jouied
Riaz Daniels
Ben Keating
Rafiel Johnson
Jack Bangs
Krishan Singh
John Scouller
Garry Cover

Frankie Karemo, Tony King, Evon Williams & Martin Cruickshank have all been left out for the time being, but if they are available, they can come into the squad if anybody drops out.
Needless to say, if Martin Loveday and/or Tim Beeden are available, then they will need to be on standby as well to replace Jacko in goal.

As for lifts to Wormley Playing Fields, Terry said he will pick up Lexton & Ben.
I can pick up Hagan (who hasn't got a car at the moment).
If TJ isn't playing/driving and Raf isn't driving, I can also pick Raf up at Silver Street on the way to pick up Hagan.
George will need to phone Riaz for a lift from Oakwood Station (as normal).

If Krishan isn't playing (and driving), then Younes will have to get a train from Hackney Downs and somebody will have to pick him up. (John Scouller said he can do from Cheshunt Station). Problem is...there are engineering works this Sunday, so the trains are not running on the Tottenham Hale/Brimsdown/Waltham Cross line. They are all being re-routed to Cheshunt via Seven Sisters and Edmonton Green and arriving at really awkward times that will result in Younes having either a long wait for a lift before the match or turning up (with the person giving him a lift) well after 10.00.a.m.
For example, he can either get the 08:59 from Hackney Downs (arrives at Cheshunt at 09:20) or he can get the 09:29 from Hackney Downs (which arrives at Cheshunt at 09:52). Unfortunately there is nothing in-between.
It takes about 10 minutes to drive to Wormley Playing Fields from Cheshunt station, but the pitch we are playing on is a 10-minute walk from the changing rooms ! (Yes, really !).

Also...I am hopefully picking up our new kit tomorrow morning so that we can wear it this Sunday.

An update on this...

Jacko is still ill, but Loveday is available to play in goal instead, so that's that sorted.

I have heard nothing from Cascoe, TJ or Krishan though, so I don't know whether they are playing or not.
I therefore have no idea what Younes is doing as Krishan normally brings Younes and then drives to Cascoes's in Brimsdown, with Krishan & Younes following Cascoe to wherever we are playing (or they jump in his car).

Meanwhile, George wanted a lift from me at Edmonton Green, but I am having to go to Chingford to pick up Hagan, so I can't. I told George this afternoon to phone Riaz for a lift (from Oakwood Station). Hopefully he has.

The other problem is Raf if he is not driving and TJ is not coming. He would then need a lift as well (from Lidl's at Silver Street in Upper Edmonton).

Yes I am slightly concerned, because if George, Younes, Raf, Cascoe, TJ & Krishan all don't turn up because they are either away, ill or can't get there, then we will only have 10 men including Scouller & Garry Cover (unless Evon is there with his boots).

I trust the players in question will sort out the necessary arrangements at some stage this evening instead of leaving it until 9.30 tomorrow morning ?!