Following a brief meeting after last Saturday's Supplementary Cup win against Trowbridge Town, Easington Sports Joint Managers, Peter Foley and Darren McNamara stood down citing various reasons as to why they were unable to continue.
Club Secretary Neil Clarke said; "As soon as a new appointment is made details will be forwarded to the Hellenic League".
Sports Beat the Big Freeze! - 11th December
Easington Sports resorted to new training methods this week when the weather forced them to think slightly outside the box. After the artificial pitch they normally use for training was declared unsafe because of the frost the management arranged a spinning session at a local gym.
"At this time of year with games being called off and training facilities hard to find at short notice it is important to try and keep a level of fitness" assistant manager Darren McNamara commented. "We knew that our normal surface would not be playable so I made some enquiries at Banatynes gym in Banbury about a group spinning class and they were more than willing to accommodate us at a very reasonable price. We had 23 players in their spinning studio and the class was run by one of their instructors, for some of our squad it was their first time spinning and the general opinion was they were surprised at how hard it was and how much it makes you sweat, we will arrange further classes now over the winter"
Easington almost have a full squad to choose from this week for their difficult away fixture at Clanfield weather permitting, Matt Dixon, Steve Howkins, Greg Shawyer and Dave Nicholls are unavailable due to work comitments, Robbie Brown is out for 6 weeks with ankle ligament damage.
Easington Squad…. Meadows, Hastie, Higgins, Kirby, Trigg, Source, Goddard, Reeves, Feaver, Foley, McNamara, Lowe, Bedding, Parsons.
Sports in Double Cup Action - 26th November
Easington Sports go into the next week with two cup games to really look forward to, a Bluefin Insurance League cup tie away at Carterton and an Oxfordshire Senior Cup 2nd round tie away at Oxford City Nomads.
Manager Peter Foley will be without his son Tom for Saturday's game, the young playmaker who has been instrumental in the improved performances of Sports of late is on holiday and he will be replaced by Stevie Howkins who returns after serving a one match ban, also missing will be leading scorer Greg Shawyer who is working. Influential midfielder Richard Trigg returns to the squad having attended his sisters wedding, he replaces Jacob Goddard who is also unavailable due to work commitments.
The manager and his player/assistant Darren McNamara are no strangers to causing cup upsets, 16 years ago both were instrumental in causing a huge upset by knocking the high flying Oxford United who were top of division 1 out of the FA Cup in the 1st round when Foley managed and McNamara played for Marlow Town. "The game against Oxford obviously had a significance to myself" commented Foley "I played for many years at Oxford and scored lots of goals during my time there, also in my Marlow team were ex Oxford United players Les Phillips, Peter Rhodes Brown, Ceri Evans and several other players who had some connection with the club including Terry Muckleburg, Keith Holmes, Paul Harwood, Paul Rayson and of course Darren, who if I remember correctly was man of the match that day. We beat them 2 - 0 and went on to beat Woking in the 2nd round putting us in the hat with the likes of Man Utd, ironically we were drawn away to an old rival of mine Swindon Town losing 2 - 0 in front of 10,000 supporters".
On Wednesday next week the two visit another of their former clubs Oxford City to face the Nomads "I have a bit of history with Oxford City and cup competitions, I know Andy Sinnott very well and he has turned the team around since he arrived at Nomads, it will be fantastic if we can pull off a shock and have a run in the senior cup as it is the biggest cup this club plays in" stated McNamara. Foley will again include 17 year old Luke Bedding in the squad "he gives us something different with his scintillating pace, we go into these games with nothing to lose and we will attack, you don't win cup ties by being cautious. We can definitely cause an upset, we're playing well and we are full of confidence" added Foley
Easington Squad to face Carterton and Oxford City Nomads: Meadows, Kirby, Hastie, Nicholls, Higgins, Reeves, McNamara, Source, Trigg, Feaver, Howkins, Bedding, Shawyer, Foley, Goddard, Horn
Influential Players Missing - 19th November
Pete Foley will go into Saturday's home game with bottom of the table Launton Sports without the influential pair of Stevie Howkins (suspended) and Richard Trigg (sister's wedding) in his team.
Sports will not be hoping for a repeat the earlier result this season when they became the first side not to beat the basement boys, drawing 0-0 in the early part of October.
Foley believes his young team is progressing well and good performances over the last few weeks against the leagues top sides have convinced the manager there is plenty more to come. "The lads are coming along nicely and we will get better, there is no doubt about that, they are improving their performances each week and are starting to understand the way Darren and I would like the team to play. Our performances against Cheltenham home and away and Headington away were excellent. We will approach Saturday's game in the correct way and hopefully pick up a nice win".
Easington squad to face Launton at home… Meadows, Kirby, Hastie, Nicholls, Higgins, Reeves, Source, McNamara, Foley, Feaver, Shawyer.
Sports Travel To High Fliers - 5th November
Easington Sports travel to league leaders Headington Amateurs this Saturday and are preparing themselves for a very tough 90 minutes.
The fixture has produced hard fought and very close games over the years, and with the fantastic start Amateurs have had to the season, this year will be no exception.
Easington manager Peter Foley is really looking forward to the game. “For us the Headington game could not have come at a better time, we lost against Cheltenham last week but performed really well only to concede the winner in the last few minutes. We have players returning from injury and were pleased that Amateurs have not dropped a point yet as it gives us the chance to be the first to take points form the best team in this league, we are looking forward to it, my players are prepared for the challenge, it gives them the opportunity to prove to the management and the rest of the league that we are a decent side”
Easington almost have a full squad to choose from, Matt Dixon is unavailable due to work commitments, Robbie Brown is out for 6 weeks with ankle ligament damage and Gareth Source has a slight thigh strain but is expected to be fit, Darren McNamara has recovered from a groin strain and long term injured Richard Trigg is added to the squad after 9 weeks out.
Easington Sports are looking to gain an important 3 points with a home fixture against Malmesbury.
Easington beat Malmesbury only 4 weeks ago with a hard fought 2-1 victory and expect a tough game tomorrow after the Vics appointed a new manager recently. "We have done well in the league of late with the exception of the heavy defeat against Lydney who are the best team we have played so far" said assistant Darren McNamara "We have won 3, lost 1 and drawn 1 of our last 5 league games which is a true reflection on where we are as a side this season, consistency of individual performances is a concern to Peter and myself at the moment. We are looking to add to our squad but it is difficult to sign players when you have no money and no other real incentives to entice players to a club at this level"
Easington have injuries to contend with, Matt Dixon and Darren McNamara have groin strains, defender Dave Nicholls continues to have the shoulder problem he picked up against Lydney, Mikey Earl has a hamstring injury and Matt Keenan is suspended. On a brighter note Richard Trigg who has been out for 8 weeks is back in training following his Knee ligament damage early in the season and Chris Horn is added to the squad.
Easington Sports are looking to continue their recent form of late against Hook Norton in the League Cup.
"All local derby games have an edge" commented Peter Foley Easington Sports Manager "Hooky have not had a great start to their campaign but Mark will have them well organised and their commitment will not be in question, I have managed teams over the years that have produced some major cup shocks and we will have to be at the top of our game to be in the hat for the next round"
Easington have a full squad to select from with the exception of Matt Dixon working and Richard Trigg who is still recovering from Knee ligament damage.
Managers Peter Foley and Darren McNamara have been pleased with the response from their squad during the very early stages of season, Foley commented. “As I said recently we are still getting to know the squad, we are probably 3-4 games behind the other teams in Division 1 West".
Easington face a tricky tie away to Malmesbury Victoria this Saturday hoping to continue their form and gain another three points after last weeks win against Tytherington. New signing Niall Higgins comes in to the squad but Sports will be without the influential striker Steve Howkins due to a wedding, keeper Matt Dixon work commitments and midfielder Richard Trigg still side lined with Knee Ligament damage, however Alex Feaver will be included on the bench after his quick recovery from a hip problem. Easington are also pleased to announce the addition to the management staff of Jim Asbridge. Jim has worked with Carterton previously and his enthusiasm will be a great benefit to the club.
Foley added “At this level it is always good to have as many pairs of hands as possible at training and on match days and Jim will be a valuable asset to Easington Sports this season”
Hard Work Pays! - 9th September
The management team have been working extremely hard on adding to and improving the squad at Easington Sports, this work paid off early this week when the club signed Niall Higgins (pictured) from local rivals Hook Norton.
“With several defenders unavailable through a combination of holidays, work commitments and suspension, it was imperative we made a quality signing in this area to strengthen our squad in particular at full back positions” said joint manager Darren McNamara. “Niall is a natural left footer so will offer us balance and be a great addition to our squad, his ability to join in going forward is very important to our style of play and the way Pete and I approach the game and how we want to see our side play this season, that is with the ball on the floor, something a lot of teams I have played against in the Hellenic League in general seem to have forgotten about over the years. We will continue to work hard to bring quality players to this club, we have high standards and expect our players including the first team and reserves to have the same high standards themselves and be as professional as possible in the way they approach games and respond to our coaching and style of play”
Easington travel to Wiltshire this Saturday to play Malmesbury Vics.
Looking For First Win! - 3rd September
Easington Sports Management are seeking their first win of the 2010-2011 season which they feel their performances in the early games have deserved.
Despite two defeats and a draw in the first 3 league games Easington have provided their opponents with stiff opposition, which was justified in the match report Purton posted on the Hellenic League website after their game with Easington on Saturday.
"Purton are an extremely good side" said assistant Manager Darren McNamara, "They have been the best side we have faced, and although we had superior possession again, we continued to fail in taking the numerous chances we create. The pleasing aspect of all the games we have played since we have been at the club is the attitude the players approach the game with both in their desire to win and willingness to get on the ball as much as possible, we want our players to play with no fear and they are reacting well to our coaching, the fact we are creating chances is pleasing, as our sharpness increases the chances will be taken"
Manager Peter Foley added "The game against Purton was a fantastic advert for Division1 football, I have managed and watched a lot of games over the years in the Hellenic League and this game produced football worthy of the Premier division"
Easington are without Keeper Matt Dixon and midfielder Jacob Goddard due to work Commitments whilst midfielder Richard Trigg will out between 4 - 10 weeks due to a torn knee ligaments.
Managers Peter Foley and Darren McNamara have been pleased with the response from their squad during the very early stages of season.
Foley stated “As I said recently we are still getting to know the squad, we are probably 3-4 games behind the other teams in Division 1 West. In our first game of the season we gifted 2 goals to Winterbourne in the 1st half, the team showed fantastic spirit in the second half to grab a point which we thoroughly deserved, without the 2 errors we would have been good value for the win. Against Letcombe we had several good chances early in the first half hitting the post and bar, the Letcombe keeper also made some outstanding saves, all this was to no avail as another defensive mistake we made was punished, football can be cruel at times”.
Easington have a full strength squad to select from for the home game this Saturday against Purton with the exception of Richard Trigg who injured his knee in the warm up against Letcombe last Saturday
Easington's starting eleven at Letcombe last Saturday was disrupted with an injury to Richard Trigg in the pre-match warm up.
“Triggy was man of the match last week". Commented Easington manager Peter Foley about the previous drawn game with Winerbourne. "His overall contribution last Saturday was tremendous, he has stepped up from local football, his decision making on the ball shows ability that suggests this level is well within his capabilities, he was a big loss and a major disruption to the progress and preparation we had put in during the week, these things happen in the game and you have to adapt”.
Easington are working hard to sign players to strengthen their squad and continue with the preparation for the home game with Purton this Saturday, a game which they expect to very tough.
A New Start at Sports!! - 13th August
New managers at Easington Sports Peter Foley and Darren McNamara are looking forward to the season ahead.
“To say pre-season has been difficult would be a major understatement”, Foley commented. “Darren and I were only appointed as Managers at the beginning of July and before we had time to catch our breath we were straight into training and games. We then had to postpone games due to pitches not being available and have then struggled to find a settled team with players being unavailable for a variety of reasons”.
Easington have retained a good percentage of the squad from last season including highly rated and last years top scorer striker Steve Howkins. “Steve has been courted by several clubs at a higher level but feels that the club under the new management is heading in the right direction”, Foley also added “We have added real quality to the squad by with Alex Feaver and my son Tom from Ardley United, Richard Trigg, Jacob Goddard, Robbie Brown and Matt Dixon, returning to the club are James Hastie and Chris Kirby. Darren is recovering well from his recent groin operation; he will add his extensive experience to the playing side as I feel that even at 37 he is more than capable of making a positive effect on the pitch at this level."
Easington are also extremely delighted to appoint Hayley McDowell as club physio and retain Andy Bedding as reserve manager, they will add great value to the club. The club are working hard to raise funds and are looking for sponsors, including programme advertising, advertising boards at Addison Road, player sponsors and first and reserve sponsors.
Easington Looking For Pre-season AWAY Matches - 3rd July
The new management Team at Easington Sports FC, Peter Foley and Darren McNamara, have asked as to the availability of any away friendly dates with other clubs. If you have a date contact 'Sports Secretary Neil B Clarke, 01295 276880 (H) 07789 751488 neilclarke1@talktalk.net
Pete Foley will go into Saturday's home game with bottom of the table Launton Sports without the influential pair of Stevie Howkins (suspended) and Richard Trigg (sister's wedding) in his team.
The management team have been working extremely hard on adding to and improving the squad at Easington Sports, this work paid off early this week when the club signed Niall Higgins (pictured) from local rivals Hook Norton.