Laugharne Appointed At Finch - 16th May

Finchampstead FC is pleased to announce the appointment of Jon Laugharne as first team manager with immediate effect

Jon, who stepped in to run the team following the departure of SIeve Cox will continue with his current management team including coaches Colin Brown and Darren Purbrick. In addition Graham Plckersgill though continuing as a player will support the management team as a player coach.

Abs Master will take over as Manager of Flnch reserves with Richard Milam asslsting.

Finchampstead, now a Partner Club with Reading FC look forward positively to making good progress next season which is the Club's 60th Anniversary

Pre season training starts on 14th June

The Club's annual golf day takes place on 11'" June and the Club's trophy day
will be on 19th June.

Steve Cox Departs Finch - 22nd March

Finchampstead FC and manager Steve Cox have decided to part company.

The club wishes to place on record its grateful thanks to Steve for all his hard work during a difficult transitional season. The club will now be looking for a new manager for next season and in the meantime Jon Laugharne will take over as Manager for the remainder of this season.

Confidence High - 28th July

Despite seeing almost all of last season’s squad move on to pastures new, Finchampstead’s new management team believe they can surpass last season’s eighth-place finish in Hellenic Division 1 East.

Following the departure of Neil White as first team manager, Finch acted quickly in appointing Steve Cox (pictured) and Jon Laugharne in his place. Laugharne, last season’s reserve team manager, will become assistant boss, while Cox, the former assistant manager of the reserves, will take over as manager of the first team. Laugharne believes that Finch have retained enough of last season’s players, as well as adding enough quality from the reserves, to make an impact in the division next season.
Only goalkeeper Perry Howard, defender Luke Axton-Hall, midfielder Steve Selby and his goalscoring brother Pat have remained at the Memorial Ground, with the rest of the squad dispersing between Bracknell Town, Wokingham & Emmbrook and Sandhurst Town. Making the step up from the reserve team are striker Lewis Frostock, who netted 37 goals for the second string last season, Adam Merritt, Dan Willis and Stewart Manicom, while players such as Graham Pickersgill and James Brazier have joined the club fresh.

So far things are looking promising for Finch going on their pre-season friendly results. An experimental side narrowly lost 3-2 against Eversley, and then followed that up with a promising display against a strong Binfield side, despite losing 3-0. However, they went goal crazy on Saturday with an 8-2 victory over Reading Football League side Taplow. Frostock showed his goalscoring credentials with a brace in that game, with the other goals coming from Pickersgill, Khalid, Brazier, Pat Selby, Merritt and Axton-Hall.

New assistant boss Laugharne believes there is more than enough quality in the squad to make an impact in Hellenic Division 1 East this season. “We had a good year with the reserves last year and some of the boys showed they are certainly good enough to step up to the first team – they’re maturing well,” he said. “Last year Finchampstead finished eighth and I’d like to replicate that or if not do better. I believe we have got some really good players and with the coaching we have here we’ll have a good style of play. It’s all positive from where I’m standing.”

Finch’s first game of the season will be against Newbury, a side that the club can draw some parallels with. After a good finish to the 2008/09 season, Newbury’s squad was decimated, just like Finch’s. However, Finch will be hoping that they don’t go the way of their West Berks rivals, who suffered a torrid campaign in 2009/10, eventually finishing second from bottom.

Finch Awards - 13th June

Finchampstead Football Club was packed for the Annual Awards Day when over 300 trophies were presented in four sessions that featured a background musically choreographed film showing action shots from the club’s 2009/10 season. The chairman Richard Laugharne presented the awards to the players, ranging from the Under 6 Soccer School through to the senior men.

The first team awards went to Dean Thomas (Managers Player of the Year), Matt Wright (Players Player of the Year) and Patrick Selby (Leading Goal Scorer). The reserve team awards went to Richard Kell (Managers Player of the Year), Freddie Barron (Players Player of the Year) and Lewis Frostick (Leading Goal Scorer). Dean Thomas won the Supporters Player of the Year award and Junior Arquimbau the Young Player of the Year award.

There were also four special club awards. Fixture Secretary Kelly Barnby was presented with the Allison Wicks Memorial Trophy for her excellent service to the club over the past two seasons. The Peter Lenton Trophy was presented to the Under 12’s manager Hazel Wehrli and her team for a vast improvement in their play over the previous season and an outstanding 2009/10 season that saw them losing only once in finishing second in the league. Mitchell Gomm was presented with the Glenn Rose Shield as the most promising Under 6 player in the club’s Soccer School. The Adam Novell Trophy was presented to another young player Billy Rowe who personified everything that Finchampstead FC stands for at youth level – throughout the season he was devoted, hardworking, helpful and kind to others.