Saturday May 19th 2007, another glorious day in Chelsea`s history, but I digress, because that morning the Under14s fancied themselves against an Under 8s Dad`s Team.
Favouring a 5 man midfield, with Danny Iles ploughing a lone furrow up front, the 14s held out until Duncan found himself in space to open the scoring late in the half. The second half slipped away from the younger men,(0-5) as youth and speed were undone by experience and know-how, but to their credit, the Under 14s kept plugging away and created a number of chances to be proud of, indeed their whole attitude is a credit to their club.
 

Now that the Small -Sided Season has finished, we can finally tot -up Matt "Hit-Man" Fensome`s figure.
Weighing in with 41 League Goals Matthew has beaten the  previous SRJFC Club Scoring Record (small-sided) record of 36  set by himself the previous season. Given that there were seven games postponed, and some  of the games saw him in defence, there`s no telling how many he could have scored !!. Very many congratulations Matthew.

(Do n`t rest on your laurels, there`s some useful striking talent revving up in the younger age groups!)

The Clampins in question, are not South Rushden JFC players Scott and Rhys, working hard in training on Saturday mornings, but their parents, Tony and Shelley.  They are both running in the London Marathon in April and hope to raise £5,000 for the Epilepsy Research Foundation in memory of their friends’ daughter Kasia Gonzalez, who died in February, 2005, from a rare form of the condition at the age of seven.

Many visitors to South Rushden JFC , playing the Under 14s of a Sunday afternoon, use the by-pass (Liberty Way) to join the A6 into town before turning left to go up Wymington Road. They cannot fail to notice the row of derelict buildings on the left which are nothing short of a disgrace. In the past 18 months I`ve contacted the relevant ward`s councillor to see what can be done, to no effect. I then contacted the E. Northants District Council, and after sending numerous e-mails to the department concerned , it seems that there are plans in the pipeline.

88a To 116 High Street South

07/00021/OUT

Outline: Redevelopment of site to residential.
It seems that a planning application has been lodged to redevelop the site with "14 dwellings".


http://www.east-northantsonline.co.uk/planning/searchresults.asp?Reference=07/00021/OUT

There`s every chance that this will go through, so those of you who come to SRJFC from the Barrington Drive, and Greenacre Drive areas of town will no longer have to suffer the affront to their gaze, and most importantly, nor will the good people that live directly opposite.

Staff at South End Infants and Junior Schools in Wymington Road, Rushden were advised to keep their pupils inside today as emergency services dealt with the remains of a fire in nearby High Street South.
More than 600 pupils spent their breaktimes inside because of the possible asbestos risk following the blaze.
A spokesman for the infants school said: "We were advised that although the risk was low to keep the children inside.

"It did take a bit longer for some of the children to walk round or drive round to school because of the cordon, but there were no real problems.
"We have been given the all clear now so the children will able to play outside tomorrow."
Staff at the Parklands Medical Centre in Wymington Road, Rushden, were also aware of the fire, but did not have any patients coming in with concerns about the asbestos.
A spokesman said: "Some of us had to go round some of the back streets to get into work, but we had no problems apart from that.



The blaze broke out in a disused electrical factory in High Street South, Rushden, at about midnight, forcing officers to close the road between the junctions of High Street South and Wymington Road, and the junction with Bedford Road and the A6.

Firefighters from Rushden, Wellingborough and Irthlingborough worked through the night to tackle the blaze in the two-storey building. Workshops behind the building were severely damaged by the fire, but nobody was hurt in the incident.

Officers working near the scene wore protective masks while the area was cleared up by contractors.

Residents living near the area were told to keep their doors and windows shut.

A police spokesman said officers had spoken to affected residents personally.

The spokesman added: “Specialist advice has been sought from the Health Protection Agency and despite the discovery of the asbestos, there is no risk to public health as a result of the fire.”

Schools, doctors’ surgeries and hospitals were also given information so they could reassure concerned members of the public.

The first meeting of 2007  for the SRJFC Management Commitee confirmed a new Club Chairman.
Step forward Mr Keith Golding .
Currently working on a number of exciting special projects, Keith`s energy, enthusiasm, and  hard  work thus far meant that there was realistically only one person to asume the mantle, indeed the vote was unanimous, such is the level of respect amongst the Committee.
 Congratulations Keith, I`m sure that under your Chairmanship, the club will continue to go from strength to strength.

South Rushden Junior Football club are pleased to announce that their new website is up and running at can be found at www.southrushdenjfc.org.uk.

 

Club webmaster David Cockings explained how they got here and the treats visitors could expect.

 

"As a club we've had a web presence for a long time now and this being our fifth season we felt the time was right to have our own domain and launch a new, fresh website.  We've recently embraced on-line shopping by signing up with referal site buy.at and launching our own on-line club shop, these enterprises fit nicely into our plans to increase our profile in the area.

 

On the site you will be able to catch up with all the results from our teams, match reports and upcoming fixtures.  We will also promote our generous sponsors and have details on NFA Courses.  You can currently download desktop backgrounds and we will be developing the interactive area with the addition of a forum.

 

The website will remain very much a part of the club and will hopefully be a window through which we can attract new players and sponsors and generally show anyone interested what a well run and friendly club South Rushden is.  To make the website the best it can be I welcome contributions from anyone in the club.  Suggestions for improvements and additions are also welcome, email me webmaster@southrushdenjfc.org.uk.

 

On the subject of email if you would like to help promote the club by having your own southrushdenjfc.org.uk email address then just pick up a form in the Green Room, fill it in, hand it back and it will be done."

 

Remember the address www.southrushdenjfc.org.uk

Having awoken to a gloriously unseasonable Sunday morning, and with the prospect of my tribe being away in Milton Keynes, I decided to catch as many Navy and Scarlet games as poss. I did n`t want to miss the Spartans –v- Trojans clash, so hot-footed it up to Grammarians, the coldest place on earth at the best of times, but this morning, bathed in Autumnal sunshine. I watched Higham and Earls Barton kick lumps out of each other, and lost count of how many goals Higham scored in the end. They did n`t need to be quite so physical, given the skilful nature of a couple of their players.

On to the main event, and the Trojans started very well , holding their own until quite late in the first half. Perhaps the change in the clocks subdued the Spartans a bit, but  soon the Hit Man was scoring his 20^th of the season. In truth, Tom and Heather positioned themselves very well, but Matt has a way of getting himself  into the right position at the right time and deciding what he`ll do with the ball before he gets it. His shot was away as Tom and Heather combined to try and stop him , but the net bulged and Matt was off and celebrating.  The Spartans played some nice football and Scott Clampin helped himself to a goal after a skilful and mazy run. However, no team upholds the club motto  “Resolute in Adversity” more than the Trojans, and they kept at it, with Nathan and Jack Lake exchanging passes in midfield  and threatening to score. 

The Spartans were home and dry, and whether it was Kain or Jack in defence, Tom had little to trouble him. It`s not really any wonder that the Spartans have only lost once this season, with a mean defence and prolific scoring. The top teams in this league take their chances ruthlessly and although the Trojans did n`t make many mistakes, they payed the price. The Hitman had to be content with a brace this week , although he spurned a glorious chance of a hat-trick when the Trojan defence thoughtlessly left him on his own on the back post, and his rasping shot bore into the framework of the goal. It`s only the end  of October and Matt has already set about re-writing the club record books  with 21 goals, including 5 hat-tricks, which is impressive at any level.

Once this game finished, I trotted over to see the U10s play Earls Barton Green . There must be something in the water in Earls Barton  as this lot was as physical as their Under 9s. However, they showed a great deal of skill with two quick goals which might have finished off many other teams . The 10s are n`t just another team, and Callum and Ashley scored a pair of well taken goals to level the score. Earls Barton looked a bit shocked and were saved by the half time whistle. They came out, probably after a bit of the hair-dryer treatment, and Cappy was kept very busy from then on. He had an excellent game despite the scoreline. Callum`s run was halted by a rather rough tackle that forced his substitution, and Alex Pinnock gained some revenge for his stricken comrade by scoring from the resulting free kick. A 4-3 defeat, but much to be encouraged about.

By the afternoon, the sun was still shining, so a quick trip to exotic Ringstead to watch the U14s. Despite their current record, going to a place like Ringstead is frought with peril, and I think our lads felt it was going to be a comfortable game on a nice warm Sunday afternoon. Consequently, some played like they were still in their pyjamas, and come the end of the half, they were a goal down to the team that wanted it more. Their , shall we say, “direct “ style of play troubled our defence alarmingly in the first half, because it largely by-passed the midfield and aimed for the target man. The South clawed their way back into the game after a Russ Baxter mauling at the interval, and the incessant running of Danny Iles and Jack Pickard threatened to bring us some joy. Cometh the hour, cometh the man. Jonathan Morgan . Power, pace, precision , what more is there?? His gloriously taken brace sent my mind racing back to Shane Smith`s finishing prowess in front of goal when he played for us as a thirteen year old. Pure class, and Johnny is bigger , quicker and stronger than he was !!!

We should have won more comfortably, but for some , how can I put this? “contentious” linesmanship. One of the two goals that was disallowed, the one in the second half, was so sumptuous in it`s passing and movement that I was moved to tears at the beauty of it and then the unfairness of the decision. How can something so beautiful be destroyed by the wave of a flag ??? 

 

So, a mixed day really, but enjoyable nonetheless. The hard work on Saturday morning is obviously paying off on Sundays and there is no better way of raising the profile of the club by producing the results on the pitch. It is gratifying to note that although barely any of the coaches will have seen the other age groups play on a Sunday, we seem to have developed a club style. Passing and movement, beloved by connoisseurs of the game the world over, and I for one am delighted. The club is very lucky to have such excellent coaches , well done and thank you.

South Rushden JFC are pleased to announce that they have opened a webshop in conjunction with Spreadshirt, a leading on-line retailer.

Sponsorship Co-ordinator David Cockings explained all about it.

 

“We have been getting request from parents for SRJFC clothing and other items and I have been investigating the possibility of us being able to supply it.  Most of the suppliers that I talked to were happy to accommodate us, but they wanted a minimum order of 25 or 50 pieces, unfortunately for a club of our size we just couldn't commit to that level of outlay with no guarantee of selling all the items.”

“I was then directed to Spreadshirt by a friend who runs a Junior Club in Doncaster, he had recently set up a Spreadshirt shop and was pleased by the response of the club members to both the quality of the products and the range they offered.”

“I looked at Spreadshirt for South Rushden and as far as I could see it was a no-lose situation, we could provide what we had been asked for and parents and players could buy knowing they were getting a quality product.”

“You can view the range of products we have decided on a start, but if anyone as any ideas or would like different products added then please let anyone of the Management Team know and we will do our best to make them available for you.”

“We understand that some of the items may seem expensive compared to High Street prices but I would remind everyone that these are items that have been created especially for us and are produced as when an order is received, hopefully the quality of the items and the chance for everyone to show their support for the Navy and Scarlet is worth a little bit extra, and of course all purchases will help the club to strengthen.”

“We will shortly be having a small range of the items in the Green Room so any parents interested can have a look and make a balanced decision.  Thank you all once again for your support”

The six South Rushden teams had a mixed fortunes this week, but four wins out of six is very encouraging.  At Whitworths , the Pickering – Lake partnership continues collecting goals, Reece Pickering snaffling a brace whilst Sam Lake added the other in a 3-1 over Grammarians Youth. The improving Sharks found it tough this week, going down 2-0 against a useful Volta Rockets side.

Over the other side of town on the Sywell Road, it was a South –v- Doddington series of 2 , with the Trojans struggling against  a big, aggressive Greens outfit that scored 5 without reply. However, the Spartans were in record breaking mood in the rain. Their 16-0 win against Gt Doddington Whites is now the club`s record winning score, beating the Under 13s side of season 2003-4. Their 14-1 beating of Thrapston Youth(A) in Division 2( 4 Jan 2004) still remains the full-sided record however. Both Scott Clampin and Matt “Hitman” Fensome broke the “Most Goals in A Game” when they recorded seven and six goals respectively, All the scorers in the game recorded at least  one hat-trick, Bradley Raines getting the other.

At the same venue, the Under 10s reversed their recent fortunes against a previously unbeaten Raunds Tigers Milan outfit to the tune of 5-1 with Alexander Pinnock netting a brace, and singles from “Big Al”Golding, Ashley Wooton and Callum Monaghan. Martin and Alan`s arduous training regime on Saturday morning obviously did the trick.

In the world of 11 a -side football, the under 14s entertained Finedon Vics at Southend , and claimed all three points with a 4-3 victory. The sixth hat-trick of the day was provided by one of the club`s longest serving players, step forward Alex Morris. Alex was at the club from a very early age and patiently waited for enough players of his age to be recruited to field a team. Ian and Steve`s Under11s squad, which disbanded the following season due to a lack of players. Consequently, Alex was at Under 12 able to play “a year up” there being a two year age band from this age onwards. He had an excellent season last year, so I`m particularly pleased that one of the club`s most loyal players has bagged himself a hat-trick. I must n`t forget