It was everything we’re about, great game, great crowd, great weather, and a great result (for us). Fair play to Harrowby, who battled for every ball after the early sending off, it was never going to be easy for them after that.

The game was played in a fantastic spirit, with a brilliant atmosphere throughout. It was great to see the town come together, with a bit of friendly rivalry and banter along the way.

From volunteers turning up early to tidy the stadium, to pitch marking and the ground staff grafting away…
Catering staff baking and preparing our new (very popular!) fries…
Bar staff keeping their cool with queues out the door…
Stewards keeping everyone safe with a smile…
Ticket collectors, 50/50 sellers, programme sellers, the Supporters Club selling baseball caps, East Side cans & sausage rolls, the Hut crew, photographers, greeters, sponsors and so many more…
Including Pat, still totting up the attendance numbers in his 39th year at the club.

A special mention as well to Priory School for designing the flyers, our social media volunteers, and everyone who helped push flyers through letterboxes in the week leading up to the game.

I also had the chance to chat with many parents, friends and partners of players who had come along to support their family members, another great example of what this club means to people.

When you stop and look at that list, you realise this club is run by one big family.

It’s also been one year since we came on board, and it felt like a fitting way to mark that milestone with such a positive day and a real sign of the progress we’re making towards becoming a true community club, one step at a time.

Two other highlights for me…

It was brilliant to see Lee Shaw recognised for 250 games and then cap it off with an outstanding goal. His character shows exactly what we look for in a player: full effort, a will to win, playing right on the edge, always fairly.

Great as well to see our stars of the future, Jamie Lewis and Ashton Taylor, getting on the pitch and contributing to the win. One of our long-term aims is to be a genuine pathway club, where local talent forms the core of the first team and it’s great to see that coming to life.

And moments like seeing our captain Staino passing on words of wisdom to Jamie, those are the things that really matter.

Thank you again to everyone who played their part. ?

Now let’s get right behind the lads this Saturday.

If we can get 484 fans through the gate, we’ll hit an average of 400 per home game this season, an incredible achievement.

Bring a mate, bring the neighbour, bring the family. Let’s make it happen. ???

Nick, Damian, Dan, Michael, Pat & Shaun