Chairman’s Notes - Home to Haverhill

Tonight we welcome Haverhill Rovers to the Riverside Stadium for their first visit since August 2022, when Hall held sway by 4 goals to 2, coutersey of a George Bugg hat trick, and one from Tanner Call. Rhyse Hudson and Kade Ivatt were Rover’s scorers. Both clubs have gone sperate paths since, ourselves getting promoted a season later, and then after two years in the Isthmian League, we are back in the Thurlow Nunn league, and Rovers were actually relegated that season, bouncing back in 24/25 before finishing runners up to runaway champions Mulbarton Rovers, and falling to Fakenham in the playoffs. So here we are, reviving a regular league fixture between two Suffok clubs again. Did Rovers miss their chance last season, who knows. From what I have seen, March, Soham and Thetford will be contenders, and this season looks to be much tougher than last season. Good! We want a strong league. Non league football (if that is not a misnomer, I don’t know what is) is brilliant, and this promises to be a brilliant season. We need something to bring us some relief from the crazy stuff going on around us.

As for Mildenhall, we have had to rebuild a whole new team in a matter of 8 weeks, following relegation last season, and the mass exodus of all bar one of the players who comprised the relegated team. I wish all of the departing players the best wishes, and hope that they enjoyed their time at the Hall. Players left for various reasons, and to be honest, we needed to start with a clean slate. We have two young ambitious men as our new joint managers, Ben Mayhew and Alex Rossis, both goalkeepers as it happens, and now, having watched a few of their training sessions, I am confident that the team will become an effective unit in this league, and we can start looking forward again. The management team are extremely committed to this rebuild.

Our first match was three days ago, away at Great Yarmouth, and all I can say is was one of the best away days for a very long time. There was a lovely holiday atmosphere at the Wellesley, and the whole club seems to be in a good place now.  As it happens, the match ended all square 3-3, which in my opinion was the least we deserved from our endeavours. I will single out Ross Bailey who was absolutely terrific in midfield, and was very unfortunate to get a second booking and thus a dismissal, in the last action of the contest. I am not one to complain about referees, we would be lost without them, but sometimes they seem not to understand the emotional side of the game, especially at critical moments in matches. Without emotion, caring if we win or lose, the game is pointless. I assume Ross got carded for saying something to the referee after Yarmouth scrambled their equaliser in the 12^th minute of time added on, which obviously would have brought frustration to the him and the team, especially as they had really bossed the second half.  It’s not a criticism of anybody, just my opinion on how things happen. As I said, players and the fans are emotionally involved in the game, as it is like a drama,  simple as that, and sometimes feelings manifest themselves in words , no more , no less.

Despite the obvious frustration concending very late on (about 10 past 5), it really was a promsing start to the new season, and there were plenty of bright moments in this match, none more so than the two goals from U18 player Cameron Hynes, who looks to be one of those natural players to me.   Remember, this was only the first step on

The road back for us, and it was certainly a positive.

So let’s hope for a good one tonight, and lets get back into the swing of things here, come as much as you can, embrace the league, embrace the camararderie, this is still a great club, and this promises to be a fun season again. Fun, yes, something that was missing for a while.

Enjoy it for what it is, real football, played by real players for real fans.