CHINNOR FC NEWS

New Signing For Chinnor - 21 January

Dave Rawlings an attacking midfielder who also likes to play as a striker has been signed by Chinnor.

Manager Dave Ridgley comments about the player. "He moved to the area a while ago but due to University commitments has been unable to play local football. As a youngster Dave was involved with Cambridge's Academy up until the age of 13 before moving on to Norwich. Dave was released from Norwich at 16 and then played for a period of time in the Ridgeon's Eastern Counties League Premier Division for Dereham Town, Downham Town and Swaffham Town first teams. Whilst at University he played first team football for three years, and it was whilst at University he suffered a bad injury at the start of the 2010/2011 season which has kept him out of the game until now. Dave's return to football has been a long but sensible process, as whilst receiving treatment other problems were highlighted and put right. Dave's been training with us for three months and is now back to full fitness and can't wait to get back playing."

Stretched Beyond Limits - 6 January 2012

Chinnor first team squad was stretched beyond its limits over the Christmas period due to illness, injury, holidays and suspensions.

On a positive note the results and performances were a credit to those that stepped up from the Reserves and 'A' team to play. Against Milton (1-1) on December 27 we were below par but credit to Milton. They produced a spirited performance and seem a better side than the one we beat earlier in the season. New signing Ben Gray making his debut scored to equalize. Unfortunately it was Ben's one and only game for us and he'll be returning to Thame when legally permitted. Ben showed some great promise as he made the step up in standard and he should have a bright future.

Against Highmoor Ibis on December 31 Chinnor were without seven regulars and returned home without any points after a 2-1 defeat. The game took a predictable cause with Highmoor having the better share of possession, but chances at both ends were pretty even and on another day Chinnor could have got something out of the game. Highmoor should have been down to eight players as incidents went unpunished by a very young referee.

The home game to Penn on January 2 2012 was the best and most pleasing game for the over stretched squad, whofinished as 3-2 winners. The windy conditions played a big part but one piece of technical brilliance was the difference between the two sides. An overhead kick from Mark Jones made it 3-2 with ten minutes to go, a goal worthy of winning any game.

Fortunately Chinnor are without a game tomorrow as several players are still unavailable due to holidays, illness or still recovering from injury. It's a welcome break and will a chance to regroup, rest the players that have been involved over the Christmas period, plus get a few back for the following week.

Striker For Chinnor - 25 December

Following recent signing Laurence El-Kassir from neighbours Premier Division Thame United to One East Chinnor is striker Ben Gray.

Ben is a young talented player with a good goal scoring record. More suited to a central striker's role but has been known to play out wide. Manager Dave Ridgley is pleased with his new signing, commenting . "Ben will come straight into the squad for the game against Milton at home on the 27th. I've watched him a few times and he'll add strength and a new dimension to the team. He's got a great first touch and will give us additional pace in the team. For a young lad he's got a good head on his shoulder and will fit into our team nicely".

Looking forward to the Milton game Ridgley went on to say, he'll accept an ugly win on Tuesday, if it means getting back to winning football. "Our last game away to Finchampstead brought our two and a half month unbeaten league run to an end and I'm hoping all for a good cause. I hope it acts as a timely reminder and gives us a little wakeup call that every team needs once in a while. It was disappointing to see us underperform after such a fantastic run of games. Still our bounce back ability has been good this season and I know for sure the players will be looking to put things right and get back to winning ways straight away. Our second half performance was better albeit conceding two goals. We could so easily have been 5-1 up but it didn't turn out to be our day. The timing is right to freshen things up and new signings Laurence and Ben is exactly what we need".

"Milton have themselves been busy of late signing new players after losing a few early on in the season and I'm sure will improve their league position given time. They will definitely be a better side than the one we beat 2-0 at their place in August, and we'll need to be at our best".

The team news for Chinnor's next game is good as well as the two new signings they have a fully fit squad to choose from.

New Signing - 16 December

Chinnor have secured the signing of midfielder Laurence El-Kassir formally of Thame United.

Laurence (pictured) will join Chinnor over the busy Christmas period on his break from University. Laurence has good experience at this level and was one of the unsung heroes who played a big part in TUFC Hellenic League Division 1 East Championship winning team in 2009/10. He's a young 22 year old central midfielder that can run from box-to-box all day and will provide Chinnor with additional strength Ridgley has been on the lookout for, albeit for only a short period of time. The timing of the signing is perfect and will give Ridgley more options as Chinnor enter a busy Christmas period. Laurence should settle in straight away as he joins up with a number of his old colleagues from Thame that have made the move to Chinnor.

This Saturday Chinnor are back on the road again away to Finchampstead. "Although we've been on a good run of late we'll still go into the game as underdogs" commented Lewis Craker, Chinnor's Assistant Manager. "Finchampstead have been doing well themselves of late and their league position represents this. We've performed better as the underdog this season and our results prove it. We're on the back of one of the longest league unbeaten runs the club has seen in its time in the Hellenic League, and will go into the game in good shape and one of the better form sides in the division. We know there is no room for complacency and will prepare as normal this Saturday. Putting a little run together has done the world of good for the player's morale and confidence, plus the lads are training hard and looking forward to every game".

Hard Work NowPaying - 7 December

Chinnor FC may have extended their unbeaten league campaign on Saturday but they still have the difficult task of facing Letcombe this weekend. Chinnor's Coach Craig Williams has called for his players to keep their calm and to focus on teams that are put in front of them each week. Williams said "we have had some fantastic results over the last few weeks and we are beginning to all come together as a team. We've worked hard on the training ground and its beginning to show in our results on a Saturday, we can't get too complacent with ourselves; we need to play our game, keep improving and keep picking up those all important points"

The management Trio of Ridgley, Craker and Williams have been delighted with the team spirit and workmanship in recent weeks and this was evident in another great result against Maidenhead at the weekend. Williams added: "Once again we showed others in the league that we have upped our game this season and were not just here for the ride. As a management team we are still looking at players to come in and add to our ever growing squad of good quality players". Speaking after the game with Maidenhead on Saturday Williams said "all of our lads are buzzing in that dressing room. We've picked up another great win against a team who have had some great results. We managed to get the ball down and play our style of flowing football. We can now see from the sideline all the hard work players are putting in is finally paying off and we are building a lot of success for this football club".

Flowing Football - 28 November

Dave Ridgley is refusing to compromise his belief in flowing football, as his Chinnor side go into this weekend's game with Maidenhead on the back of a run of four league games unbeaten.

"The free flowing football and ball retention has been a big part of our recent success. We've created chances all year, but were now putting them away" He said.

Ridgley admitted his side were excellent in the 3-1 win at home to Winterbourne in the Hellenic League Supplementary Cup last Saturday. "A better all round performance, and a great result against a good Winterbourne side was pleasing on the eye and proof that the side are progressing and now looking more solid and deadly. With competition for places hotting up the players are responding positively and playing to their potential, both individually and as a team. Not one to be resting, Ridgley is looking to add a couple of players to his squad over the next couple of weeks. I'm looking to strengthen and freshen the team up in all departments and have a couple of leads that need following up" commented Ridgley.

Maidenhead visit Station Road on Saturday and Ridgley hopes his side can produce another good performance and claim a positive result. "We led for all but three minutes in the game against Winterbourne last Saturday and scored our second and Third goals at very good times. After going one up after 20 minutes Winterbourne equalised from the penalty spot on the half hour. From the re-start we regained the lead and one minute into the second half made it 3-1. It's always good to respond straight away after conceding and the killer third gave us the breathing space to get home. We need to keep our momentum going now and look to climb the league. Were capable of doing so especially now as the side is a lot more settled and the performances and hard work on the training ground is beginning show".

Competition For Places - 4 November

Chinnor Manager Dave Ridgley is looking forward to having a fully fit squad to choose from for this week’s home game against Abingdon United Reserves.

Chinnor welcome back Ian Braun, Ed Barnett, Luke Fisher and Tom Folley who have all missed the last couple of weeks or more. It’s a massive boost for us commented Ridgley and should give the team a big lift. As a football Manager it’s a position I’d much prefer to be in when it comes to selecting a team. It also sends out a good message to all the players. It’s now a good time for them to reflect on their contributions and performances in every game to safeguard their places in the team and squad for the following game. The team and squad over the last few weeks have generally picked themselves with only the odd few positions and players to consider when naming starting line ups. One thing that has been good for us whilst the players have been out is the introduction of the younger players who have come in and replaced the injured ones. They’ve all proved themselves at first team level and made massive contributions in our three recent wins and have now become part of an increasing squad. This in turn should have a massive impact on every player and hopefully future performances and results. They now know that competition for places is at its peak and the squad is now bigger with everyone fit.

Build On Perfomances - 19 October

Chinnor coach Craig Williams has challenged the club's players to build on their last two impressive performances and look to begin to play to the levels they are capable of.

"Two back-to-back wins has brought the team together and morale is high amongst the players" he said. "Were still a few players missing at the moment through injury but the introduction of some of the younger reserve team players, who have settled in nicely has resulted in the team doing so well over the last couple of weeks. Some very mature performances from Tom White, Tom Folley, Ryan Chapman and George Harman have made themselves now known as being more than capable of stepping up to 1st team football and have increased the size of the squad. The regular 1st team players now have more competition for places, which is a healthy position for us to be in".

Chinnor have now played nine games, seven of which are against the sides sitting in the top six. Four of those games have been against the top three resulting in two wins, two draws and only conceding one goal. You couldn't ask for much more, as the club looks to build upon those performances.

Williams wants to see his players continue their good form, starting this Saturday at home to Hungerford Reserves. "We've got ambitions this season and we'd like to finish in the top half of the table," he said. "We want to finish as high as possible. The pressure is on me and the rest of the Management team and players, but we have put that pressure on ourselves. We now have to soak that pressure up and come up with the results. We learned a lot about ourselves in the 2-0 win against Thatcham. From the first whistle we took the game to them and posed questions and deservedly went ahead early on. We grew into the game and for the first 35 or 40 minutes looked threatening. The second half was a more even affair as Thatcham quite rightly came at us proving what a good side they are, but to be fair to us we stood firm and defended well and reduced them to only a few half chances, and it was us that had the better chance to increase our lead".

Chinnor Funding Success - 13 October

The Football Stadia Improvement Fund (FSIF), supporters of the Football Foundation, and the largest funder of non league football in the country, today announced a grant of £51,400 to Chinnor FC.

This award will enable Chinnor FC to install floodlights and covered accommodation which will bring their ground up to the necessary standard to retain their status at step 6 of the FA pyramid. The improved facilities will also help further the partnership recently formed with Chinnor Youth which obtained FA Charter Community Club status earlier this year.
The FSIF provides funding towards lower league ground improvements throughout professional and amateur game, creating a safe and modern environment for fans and players to enjoy live matches.

Richard Carr, secretary at Chinnor FC, said: "The grant we have received will allow us to provide a facility which will benefit all of the members of our growing community club and will safeguard the future of football in Chinnor. As a club we are hugely indebted to the FSIF for all the help they have given us. This grant is the culmination of a lot of hard work, Chinnor FC would like to put on record how grateful they are to Chinnor Parish Council who have fully supported the project. This is the first step of a three part project which when completed will see a new changing room block as well as a refurbished clubhouse. When complete the village of Chinnor will have a facility to be proud of!"

Over £100m has already been invested by the FSIF since its launch in July 2000, funding lower league ground improvements throughout professional and amateur game, creating a safe and modern environment for fans and players to enjoy the game. Between 2000 and 2010, the FSIF was jointly funded by the Premier League and The FA. It is now solely funded by the Premier League with an annual budget of £5m. However, on top of the FSIF grant of £51,400 is a further grant Chinnor FC also received of £10,000 from the FA to assist with the first stage project. This money emanates from The FA National Sports Centre Trust Fund which is available to clubs at Step 6 to assist with funding for Floodlights and special projects.

Top Form Required - 6 October

Chinnor boss Dave Ridgley says his side will need to be at their best against Thatcham this coming Saturday.

Chinnor will start the Uhlsport Hellenic Division 1 East clash in 11th place and return to league action after a disappointing loss at home to Cheltenham Saracens in the league cup last week. Last week's squad was missing six regulars of which most return this week. Thatcham make the trip to Station Road in 3rd place after an impressive start to the season so far.

Ridgley (pictured) said: "We're in an uncomfortable position at the moment and Saturday's game is going to be a hard one. Thatcham are looking strong and possibly one of the favourites for the title and we're going to have to be at our best. They're a very good footballing side and they've got some good players. We're playing better football against better teams at the moment and let's hope that remains. Our pitch isn't the best at the minute, so hopefully it acts as a leveller. Our start to the season hasn't been the best but once everyone's back and I have a full squad, we'll improve."

Chinnor Comment - 28 September

Chinnor FC are looking forward to a challenging week, after a disappointing loss at home to Highmoor Ibis last Saturday.

The game was pretty even but credit to Highmoor for securing their first ever away win in Hellenic League football. Now it's time to look forward. This Saturday we welcome newly promoted Cheltenham Saracens to Station Road for the very first time. With the pressure off us and on Cheltenham, being the underdogs has brought out better performances from us so far this year. You only have to look at our results and league table to see. Manager Dave Ridgley commented - We have a few regular players not available this week plus the game will give me the opportunity to rest a couple of players and possibly introduce a couple of reserve team players that have been knocking on the door for some time. All in all the game presents an exciting challenge for us all at Chinnor FC.

Known Territory - 15 September

Chinnor FC go into Saturdays difficult away fixture at Rayners Lane knowing exactly what to expect having played them only two weeks ago.

Rayners Lane are amongst the early pace setters and have got off to a flyer this year. The only points they have dropped were in the 1-0 Chinnor victory two weeks ago. It's yet another away fixture for Chinnor making 5 out of 6 games on the road.

Manager David Ridgley commented. "We are fully aware of the threat Rayners Lane can produce. With our inconsistency and league position we'll go into the game as underdogs, but that suits us best. We have a knack of raising our game against the better sides and let's hope that's the case this Saturday. From what we saw they're a very good footballing side and will pose a difficult challenge this Saturday. We'll be looking to bounce back from a very disappointing result last week. The squad is pretty much all available and in addition Gary Marshall returns and is on his way to full match fitness".

News From Station Road - 2 September

Chinnor FC go into Saturday's first home game of the season off the back of four difficult away trips.

Those four games have yielded four points. Whilst last Saturday saw a disappointing defeat at Newbury, victory at Milton United plus a point at unbeaten Chalfont Wasps signs are showing of what the team are capable of.

Tomorrow's game sees manager David Ridgley's new look side entertain unbeaten Rayners Lane in what will again prove a difficult test. Five players make their home debuts & clearly it will take time for the new faces to jell together. Chinnor will be missing the injured Lewis Craker & Stuart Braun faces a late fitness test. Chinnor's other teams also get going in earnest this weekend as the reserves play their first Saturday Hellenic fixture away at Binfield & the A & B teams kick off their Wycombe & District League campaigns.

New Look Chinnor - 12 August

Chinnor FC head into the new season full of optimism and with a new look side.

Returning manager David Ridgley has been very busy pre-season, adding many new faces to last year's squad. Ridgley has picked up Stuart Braun, Luke Fisher, James Way, Steve Newell from near neighbours Thame United. As well as James Keeble and Matthew Pay from Thame Town. Also new on the scene is James Knight who previously played for Finchampstead.

Ridgley has also secured the services of all of last year's first team squad so competition for places looks like being intense. Chinnor kick off on Saturday against Chalfont Wasps which is the first of four away games on the trot due to their home ground being unavailable due to cricket. Ridgley is hoping for a good start to the season to add to the momentum that has been generated pre-season.

Chinnor Management Resolved - 27 July

Manager Dave Ridgley has set up his management team at Chinnor, but is still waiting on an answer from one more person who he wishes to become part of it.

Lewis Craker will be his assistant with Craig Williams the 1st team Coach. Dave has secured the signings of most of last year's squad and has been busy looking to add to it. He has retained the services of Mark Jones and Adam Fox who returned to the club from Thame Utd at the back end of last season plus Jon Ayres who begins his second season with the club. Ian Braun has committed to playing after taking a season out with work commitments. New signings James Way, Luke Fisher and Olly Gascoyne from Thame Utd have impressed so far plus returning to the club are Stuart Braun and Lee Orkney who both enjoyed short spells with Thame United.

There are a number of new players training plus a few having a look at other clubs who Dave believes will join. The signs have been good in the pre-season friendly's so far with two victories out of two. First Chinnor entertained Carterton and scored 5 without reply and then local Wycombe Senior side Hambledon, running out 7-1 winners in a good all-round team display. The games have seen some good individual performances with the newcomers settling in well. Goals have been spread amongst all the forwards which is a great news for the club. Chinnor now enter a busy spell starting on July 28th with four games in eight days. Chinnor still welcome players of all levels who are looking for a new club. Training is on Mondays and Thursdays from 7pm.

New Man For The Chins - 24 June

Division One East Chinnor are pleased to announce that David Ridgley has been appointed as first team manager for the coming season.

David previously managed Chinnor four years ago and returns to the job having spent time managing Thame Reserves.

Pre- season training commences at the Playing Fields on Monday 4th July at 7pm, then continues every Monday and Thursday. All players old and new are welcome to come along. The club will again be running four sides on a Saturday, two in the Hellenic League plus two in the Wycombe & District league. Anyone interested can contact David Ridgley on 07803 340744 or just turn up on 4th July.

Manager Sought - 2 June

Chinnor FC held their AGM last night, the majority of the previous year's committee agreed to stand again.

The only noticeable change was in the position of Chairman where Kevin Avery who had held the position for the previous 2 years asked to stand down due to other commitments was replaced by Jim Marshall.

The first task for the new committee is to fill the first team manager vacancy which has stood vacant since the end of last season. Anyone interested in the position should contact secretary Richard Carr (via email to richard.carr@eu.sony.com) ASAP as the club are looking to make a decision within the next seven days.