Biggleswade Town FC

Beds FA Senior Cup

Tuesday night's match against Luton Town was abandoned after 55 minutes due to floodlight failure. At the time of the floodlight failure the Waders were winning 5 - 1 against a rather youthful looking Hatters side who were down to ten men following the dismissal of their left back one minute before half time.

Waders goals came from Jamie Steele 16, Aaran Cavill 22, Bobby Dance 30 p, Craig Radcliffe 45 and the goal of the match from Liam Folds on 50 minutes. The Hatters goal was scored by Ryan Desilver on 36 minutes.

At the time of writing we are awaiting news on when a replay will take place. The good news is that the power failure which caused the floodlight failure has been repaired.

New players arriving and a big thank you to their former clubs.

Chris Nunn has been busy over the last few days adding a further two players to the squad. Firstly, Lee Wilson has joined the Waders after transferring from Barton Rovers and next was Craig Radcliffe who has transferred from Bury Town. In both cases their former clubs were exemplary in their attitude and assistance so we would like to offer our deepest gratitude to Malcolm Aubrey of Barton Rovers and to Russell Ward of Bury Town who really could not have been better to deal with.

Lee and Craig join fellow newcomers Aaran Cavill and Ivan Rodriguez Nunez who arrived at Biggleswade Town via Bedford Town, again our thanks to Dave Swallow at Bedford for his assistance and Jerry Lyons whose previous club was Romford.

Get Well Ben

Ben Skidmore who has been the team mascot on a number of occasions has recently undergone an operation which will keep him in a wheellchair for a little while. When the players heard about this they got Ben a football which all the team signed and presented to Ben as a get well soon present before the home match against Burnham. Click here for picture

Ben's day got even better as the Waders went onto win this tough fixture 2-1.

Waders move into semi finals of North Beds Charity Cup - Tuesday 19th January 2010

The Waders recorded a comfortable 10 - 0 away win at Cranfield United on Tuesday evening to move into the semi finals of this years competition.

Last year the Waders were unable to field a strong team due to an upcoming FA Vase match but this year the Waders were able to field a first team and the impact was clear. Although it is a small competition the North Beds Charity Cup is a competition that has the full support of Bggleswade Town as it benefits local causes each year.

Below is the draw for the competition and as you will see the Waders first round success sets up an away tie with the winner of the Biggleswade United vs. Langford match.

First Round

Match A = Biggleswade United v Langford

Match B = Arlesey Town v Stotfold

Match C = Wootton Blue Cross v Potton United

Match D = Cranfield United v Biggleswade Town

Semi Finals

Winners of match B v Winners of match C

Winners of match A v Biggleswade Town

New recruit for Waders Youth Academy

There was some concern on Tuesday evening when the highly reliable Club Captain was not at training. As expected Liam Folds had a very plausible explanation as his wife had given birth to a baby boy early on Tuesday morning and Liam quite rightly was at home helping out.

So congratulations to Mr and Mrs Folds and welcome to Ollie James Folds who weighed in at 7lb 3oz.

Wader selected for England duty

Congratulations to James Freshwater who, after a successful trial at Lilleshall National Sport Centre in December, has been selected to be a member of the England Colleges Football squad for 2009/10.  Although we will miss out on James' prescence when he is away on England duty everyone at the club wishes him success with his England duties.

Friday 8th January - Barton Rovers match.

Following new instructions from the League an inspection of the pitch was carried out this afternoon and as expected the recent freezing temperatures have made the pitch frozen despite some sunlight today. Along with the frozen playing surface the mixture of snow and ice surrounding the pitch has made conditions hazardous. Therefore, the decision has been made to postpone tomorrow's match against Barton Rovers. A new date for this fixture will be announced in due course.

Arlesey Town match re-scheduled

Following the postponement on 2nd January due to the weather the Arlesey Town vs. Biggleswade Town match will now be played on Tuesday 19th January at the aRMadillo Stadium. This means that the Hinchingbrooke Cup fixture against Yaxley at the Carlsberg Stadium has had to be re-arranged and will now be played on Tuesday 26th January at the Carlsberg Stadium.

Bedfordshire FA Senior Challenge Cup - Quarter final

The quarter final match between Biggleswade Town and Luton Town will be played at the Carlsberg Stadium on Tuesday 2nd February with a 7:45 pm kick off.

Boxing Day

After some early morning efforts the match against Soham Town Rangers went ahead. Those efforts by the groundsmen and Committee members were repaid as the Waders went on to win 1-0. There were only three other games played in the league today with Atherstone Town beating Rothwell Town 4-2, Bury Town beating AFC Sudbury 3-1 and Hitchin Town beating Arlesey Town 4-1. The three points gained lifted the Waders into sixth place in the league. A match report will appear later.

Saturday 2nd January sees the short trip to Arlesey Town to face one of the teams that the Waders leap frogged after today's match.

Robert “Bob” Dorrington

It is with the deepest sadness that Biggleswade Town announces the passing of our President Robert “Bob” Dorrington who passed away peacefully on the evening of Thursday 10th December 2009 at the age of 82. As many of you will know Bob had been seriously ill in hospital for some time and had fought illness with a determination that amazed the hospital staff.

Those who knew Bob will remember a man who was passionate about his football, often getting quite annoyed when he felt the team was not performing as they should but equally full of praise when the team performed well. Behind the scenes he was always a source of great support to our Chairman and his son Maurice, regularly attending matches before ill health stopped him from getting out so regularly. Another passion of course was his family and our thoughts are with his children Janet and Maurice and of course his grandchildren and great grandchildren at this very difficult time.

Saturday 12th December

Due to the recent wet weather it may be necessary for a pitch inspection prior to Saturday's match. Please check the web page before setting off, we will update the web page as soon as we know if the game is being played or postponed.

Tuesday 15th December

In conjunction with Cozy's Travel the Waders are able to offer a return journey to the Hitchin Town game for the cost of £1 on Tuesday 15th December. If you are interested in using the coach for the game contact Mick Jarvis.

Saturday 5th December

With the match referee deciding that the playing surface was unfit the Waders game against Beaconsfield SYCOB was postponed and will now take place in the New Year.

TUESDAY 1st DECEMBER 2009

Bedfordshire FA Senior Cup

Dunstable Town vs. Biggleswade Town

Unfortunately, Dunstable Town have been unable to repair their floodlights so the fixture will now take place at the Carlsberg Stadium on Tuesday 1st December with a 7.45 pm kick off.

Re-arranged fixtures

The following fixture dates have been re-arranged.

The Beds FA Senior Cup versus Dunstable Town will now be played on Tuesday 1st December, the original date was 24th November but due to a collapsed floodlight column at Creasey Park the Beds FA have given Dunstable Town time to effect a repair. If the situation is not resiolved the tie will be played at the Carlsberg Stadium on Tuesday 1st December.

Hitchin Town away is now on Tuesday 15th December, originally scheduled for Saturday 31st October the match was postponed due to Hitchin Town's involement in the FA Trophy.  

Finally, the New Years Day match at Arlesey Town has been put back 24 hours and will now be played on Saturday 2nd January, 3:00 pm kick off.

Horace Dilley

Biggleswade Town Football Club was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Horace Dilley on Tuesday 10th November. Father of Biggleswade Town stalwart Chris, Horace led a very full and busy life serving on numerous Committees that generally enhanced the quality of life for many people in Biggleswade and the surrounding area.

It was perhaps Horace’s involvement with the North Beds Charity Cup, a commitment that spanned over half a century, which brought him to the Club’s attention most regularly and everyone who met with Horace knew that they had met with a true Gentleman who cared deeply about the community in which he lived. As many people have said in the Biggleswade Chronicle this week he will be sorely missed and very hard to replace. The Club’s thoughts are with Horace’s sons Chris and Michael at this very difficult time.

Waders make the grade!

Biggleswade Town are pleased to announce that following a visit by the FA ground grading team the Carlsberg Stadium has received a D grade. We formerly held an E grade but due to promotion it was necessary to achieve the higher grading to play at Step 4.

The ground graders were impressed with what they saw on their inspection and have indicated that the facility is not too far from being graded at C.  This is good news for the Club and reward to the people who have worked towards helping attain this achievement.

Saturday 31st October

The match scheduled for this date away to Hitchin Town has been postponed due to Hitchin Town's continued interest in the FA Trophy.

Thursday 29th October

The Capital League match scheduled against Canvey Island has been postponed.

Saturday 17th October

Biggleswade Town 2 - 2 Chipstead

An exciting game but frustration for the Waders as Chipstead turned on the style which you would not expect from their league position. Reggie Savage put the visitors ahead on 23 minutes. As the Waders fought to get back in the game a cross from James Freshwater was turned into the visitors goal by their defender Nathan Campbel who beat Dan Heron to the ball. Half time 1-1.

The second half saw chances at both ends but on 68 minutes Reggie Savage popped up again to put Chipstead ahead. Two minutes later some good play between Dance and Coulson led to a James Freshwater volley to keep the Waders in the competition. Try as they might neither side could find a winner so with the scores even the Waders face a long trip on Tuesday night to Chipstead. Replay at Chipstead FC, High Road, Chipstead, Surrey CR5 3SF at 7.45 pm

Wednesday 14th October

Hinchingbrooke Cup

Biggleswade Town 3 - 1 Cranfield United

With the first team playing the night before and with a FA Trophy fixture on Saturday it was left to the Waders Capital League side to play this fixture. Whilst some may see this as a weakened team the players of the Capital League side have grown up quick this season having faced sides containing a number of Conference South players in their team.

The home side took the lead on 26 minutes through Kieran Bishop and looked fairly comfortable in the first half.

Twenty minutes from time they doubled their lead through Lee Samways and six minutes later Sam Yalley added a third. Cranfield scored a consolation goal through Jamie Doyle five minutes from the end but the young Waders side looked comfortable and maybe should have had one or two more goals. A bit of a wait now until we know who we will face in the next round.

October preview

The month of October has started on a good note with a win at Tilbury in the FA Trophy setting up a First Round Qualifying tie with Chipstead FC on Saturday 17th October at the Carlsberg Stadium. October would appear to be a “meet the neighbours month” as the Waders face their four local rivals in League and Cup action.

Saturday 10th October sees the Waders travelling to Barton Rovers in the league. Tuesday 13th is one of the longer trips this month with an away league match at Burnham in deepest Buckinghamshire. The following Saturday is the FA Trophy tie with Chipstead. The following midweek is free in case of a replay in the FA Trophy, which if necessary is scheduled for Tuesday 20th. On Saturday 24th the Waders host Leighton Town in the league. Then on Tuesday 27th is a trip to our closest league rivals when we visit Arlesey Town for the Red Insure Cup(Southern League Cup) first Round. The month ends with a trip to Hitchin Town in the league on Saturday 31st.

 

Saturday 3rd October FA Trophy

Tilbury 1 - 2 Biggleswade Town

Despite going a goal behind in the 17th minute, the Waders staged a second half comeback with Bobby Dance scoring on the hour mark and Dan Heron coming on as a substitute and scoring the winner thirteen minutes later.

The sets up up a first round home tie against Chipstead FC of Ryman Division One South on the 17th October.

Saturday 3rd October - FA Trophy, away to Tilbury

The Waders are travelling to Tilbury to play in the FA Trophy, anyone interested in travelling by coach please contact Mick Jarvis on 07770628595.

Forthcoming Fixtures at the Carlsberg Stadium:

Tuesday 15th September - South Midlands Floodlight Cup versus Broxbourne Borough - 7:45 pm kick off.

Admission- £5 adults, £3 concessions, under 13 free with adult

Thursday 17th September - Capital Football League versus Concord Rangers - 7:45 pm kick off

Admission - £3 adults, £2 concessions, under 13 free with adult

Saturday 19th September - ZAMARETTO League

versus Marlow FC - 3:00 pm kick off

Friday 4th September COACH TRAVEL for Atherstone Town match.

Arrangements are being made for a coach to the Atherstone Town match on Saturday 12th September. The cost of the return journey is £10.00, anyone interested in travelling to the match by coach please contact Mick Jarvis on 07770628595 to book your place by the end of Monday 7th September.

Friday 4th September Atherstone Town versus Biggleswade Town fixture re-arranged!

Atherstone Town vs. Biggleswade Town was originally scheduled for Saturday 19th December but as both clubs find themseleves out of the FA Cup it has been mutually agreed between the clubs and the Zamaretto League that this fixture will now take place on Saturday 12th September with a 3:00 pm kick off at Sheepy Road, Atherstone.

The Waders travel to Beaconsfield tomorrow, Saturday 5th September to play Slough Town at Holloways Park. Please note that Slough Town groundshare with Beaconsfield SYCOB.

Thursday 20th August Waders Capital League side off to a winning start!

The Waders Capital League side started their league campaign off with a 1-0 home win over Witham Town.  Phil Feakes first minute goal was enough to secure the victory but the scoreline should have been greater as the Waders dominated both halves of the match.

Witham had a few chances but there was never really a threat on the home side goal.

Next up is a tough away match against Bishops Stortford on Wednesday 26th August.

Tuesday 18th August - I wonder if they will be glad to see us?

Harefield United have beaten Haringey Borough 3-1 in the replay of the extra preliminary round of the FA cup. This now sets up the Preliminary round fixture of Harefield United vs Biggleswade Town on Saturday 29th August.

Of course it also means that the Waders meet with the team that they beat in the title race of last season by one goal on goal difference.

Tuesday 18th August - Waders beaten in final minutes at Bury

As expected Tuesday's match was a big test for the Waders.  Having taken the lead on 15 minutes it was beginning to look like a good evening. Bury equalised on 37 minutes and the game looked like being a draw when two minutes into added on time Bury snatched a winner. Disappointing as it may have been the team had done well to contain a good Bury side for so long.

Time to move on and Saturday sees the Waders longest league trip as the team head to Worcestershire to play Stourport Swifts who reamin unbeaten after their opening two matches.

Saturday 15th August - Waders have dream start to the season.

The Waders first game in the ZAMARETTO League could not have got off to a better start with three goals in the first half from Jamie Steele, James Freshwater and Jack Weeden which effectively decided the match by half time. A late consolation goal for Aylesbury United ending the game at 3 - 1.

The Waders have a tough match on Tuesday night when they travel to Suffolk to play Bury Town who also won on the first day of the season.

Tuesday 11th August - Capital Football League fixtures released.

The Capital Football League have produced the fixtures list for the season and the Waders campaign starts on Thursday 20th August with a home fixture against Witham Town. The Capital League is for Waders Reserve side and matches will be played on a Thursday evening with a 7.45pm kick off.

There was also a bonus for the Waders in the Presidents Cup as we have been given a bye to the second round and will face the winners of Bishops Stortford and Braintree Town who play their first round fixture in October. The entry of a team into the Capital Football League marks the beginning of an exciting priod for the Club as our team will face some fairly heavyweight competition this season.