Wormley Rovers FC vs. Dunstable Town FC

Spartan South Midlands Football League, Premier Division

Date: 21 December 2024

Kickoff: 15:00

View from the chair

Welcome everyone to The Lane for todays SSML Premier division league encounter against Dunstable Town our first game against them this season and a particular warm welcome to the players, officials and supporters of Dunstable Town.

Last weekend saw us drop two points at home to a 92nd minute equaliser against a very good Potton United side and whilst there is always disappointment at losing such a late goal to deny the lads a win there were so many positives to take out of the game and it’s important to focus on those. Congratulations to Declan Enche on a stellar debut which saw him awarded Man of the Match. A couple of missed chances at 1-0 up really cost us in the end but the boys are determined to bounce back today.

Prior to that we managed to win 7-2 against Kempston Rovers with seven different scorers a new club record this after a few games where we struggled to find the back of the net, we have also played step 4 Kings Langley in the Herts Senior Cup and ran out deserved 2-0 winners seventeen days ago and then as is the way with this league no fixture the following weekend. Our reward for beating Kings Langley is a home tie against Boreham Wood which will be a huge game for the squad but a great opportunity to test themselves against some of the very best non-league players around.

It’s been a tough few months with injuries taking its toll on the squad which has disrupted our early season rhythm but that’s where our young squad must learn lessons quickly and adapt to the challenges in front of them so in some respects having the odd Saturday off allows some recovery time for some of the players, having two off in a row is certainly not ideal though.

I get to see how incredibly hard Ryan and his management team are working to improve the squad, to improve players both individually and as a unit and there is something incredibly pleasing about watching young players develop and thrive in an environment where we want them to enjoy their football but also improve. There is certainly a togetherness amongst the whole squad that has carried over from last year that should help us through the inevitable tough times that every team goes through.

The clubhouse is finally on the very last small touches of its refurbishment, and we are very proud of it. I must also pay tribute to our Bar manager Andy and his team behind the bar who work incredibly hard and play a huge part in the clubs success. Thanks also to Adam and the young ladies in the cafe who also contribute so much to our club.

I really hope you enjoy your visit to the club and today’s game and hopefully you will get to see some good football at The Lane.

Lastly on behalf of everyone can I wish you a very Happy Christmas and Healthy New Year

Enjoy the game!

Nigel Scully

Welcome to our opponents

Dunstable Town FC began life back in 1871 and have been playing at Creasey Park for the past 60 years.

The Club has a rich alumni with the legendary names of George Best, Jeff Astle and Kerry Dixon having played for the Club.

More recently, Peter Kioso helped perfect his trade in the Premier Division of the Southern League back in the 2017 – 18 season.

The Club has a proud record of producing young players who have gone onto play at much higher levels. Axel Piesold our former U18s Captain is now at Luton Town & former U18s player Sam Tabares signed professional terms at Fulham and made his professional debut on the 20^th August 2024. Sam following in the footsteps of Eric Ameyaw in 2020 who left the Club to sign terms with Fulham.

In 2021 the Club restructured and became a Community Benefit Society (CBS) and now operates as a social enterprise.

This means that between Monday and Friday the Club concentrates its efforts on the community groups and at weekends we return to being a more conventional football club and get behind all our teams at every level.

Proud members of the Football Supporters’ Association network of Community Owned Clubs, the Club has pioneered a positive approach to mental health through the mental health & physical well-being programme, Improving the Lives of Others.

This is our fourth season as a CBS. The Club now operates eleven groups every week which offer support for up to 150 people.

As a Community Benefit Society our community groups have equal importance and weighting as our success on the football field. The aim is to provide a long-term sustainable future for the Club.

It’s a radical approach to running a football club. The Club is run on democratic lines with supporters able to hold a maximum of one share in the Club and in so doing become co-owners, with no individual financial liability associated with their share ownership.

Our co-owners elect the Club’s Board of Directors and vote on issues such as the kit design for the First Team, matchday admission & season ticket prices and even the players’ walk-out music.

The Club’s positive impact in supporting local people with such a wide variety of physical & mental health conditions was rewarded by the Non-League Paper making the Club their Community Club of the Year 2024.