Forget Last Outing - 12th March

New Fairford Town manager Richard Hadgkiss wants his side to forget their last outing and concentrate on replicating the positive aspects of his first two games in charge.

The Gloucestershire outfit were beaten 3-1 by Old Woodstock Town on Saturday in Hadgkiss’s third game at the helm, and the boss was unimpressed with what he saw from his players that day.

Ahead of tomorrow’s Hellenic League Premier Division clash at home to third-placed Wantage Town, the manager has called on his men to raise their performance levels to those given in the contests with Shrivenham and Almondsbury Town.
“The first two games showed us something we could work with but on Saturday we slipped into our old ways,” said the Cinder Lane chief. “We need to get back to how we were in those first two games.”

Hadgkiss is hoping to sign right-midfielder Ashley Rockley in time to play tomorrow while defender and striker Jack Nicholls is back from university. Jack Dannom will make the step up from the reserves and Hadgkiss added: “The three lads that are coming in are very pacy and energetic “Them coming in will hopefully let the other players know we’re willing to change it.”
The Fairford boss added that he wanted to sign another defender and striker, but admitted players were rarely keen to move in the latter stages of the season.

Pull Club From Current Predicament - 6th March

New boss Richard Hadgkiss will take charge of his third league game when his Fairford outfit visit Old Woodstock Town this afternoon.

When asked if he thought he could pull the club out of their current predicament, Hadgkiss (pictured) said: “Definitely. Last week we managed to get three goals against Almondsbury and that was quite a pleasing performance, especially the second half. Against Shrivenham we went 2-0 up and then hit the bar twice.”

Paget Resigns - 25th February

Fairford Town FC Manager John Paget resigned on Wednesday evening following two and a half seasons in charge at Cinder Lane.

Paget (pictured) was appointed in the summer of 2007 and saw the Club through one of the most difficult periods in its long history. However, a run of poor results and a position in the relegation zone has led to a decision to stand down.

Club President, Mike Tanner, placed on record his thanks for all the hard work put into the Club by John during his time at the helm and wished him well for the future. "Managing without a budget is hard and Johns' work on and off the field has been much appreciated by all at Cinder Lane."

The Club has moved quickly to appoint a successor with the experienced former Fairford Town and Swindon Supermarine midfielder Richard Hadgkiss stepping into the role. Mark Saunders will maintain his position as Reserve Team Manager together with assisting Richard as part of the Management Team. In due course, further appointments are hoped to be made to reinforce the off-field team as Fairford strive to move out of the relegation zone.

Meanwhile, all efforts are now focused on Saturdays home fixture against title contenders Almondsbury together with potential new signings to bolster the Fairford squad. Kick-off 3pm at Cinder Lane with all support welcome.

Mystery Frontman On Horizon? - 29th January

John Paget wants to “shake things up” at Cinder Lane with the capture of a mystery frontman.

The Gloucestershire side have the joint worst scoring record in the Hellenic League Premier Division so far this season, and Paget is hoping to snap up the unnamed striker in time to give a much-needed boost for tomorrow’s home game against Marlow United.

“I’m looking to bring a new forward into the equation,” Paget related. “Up front is probably our weakest point. We lost a couple of guys at the end of last season and have just not been scoring the goals since. Defensively and midfield-wise we have been doing well, it’s just the chances we have been creating, we haven’t been putting in the net. Hopefully a new signing will shake things up a bit and put everyone on their toes a bit more.”

Marlow are currently sitting in lower mid-table but are on an awful run of form that has seen them not claim a league win since mid-October.

The Fairford boss has injury doubts in the form of John Magani (dead leg) and goalkeeper Jamie Morse (back), but otherwise his squad is at full strength.

Shock Result? - 22nd January

John Paget has called on his Fairford Town side to continue their “bogey team” exploits against Hellenic League Premier Division runaway leaders Reading Town tomorrow.

Fairford travel to Scours Lane to face a side who have dropped just 12 points all season, but tomorrow’s visitors were one of those to get a result against the leaders with a battling 1-1 draw back in August. Paget insists his men have nothing to fear, especially if their history against Reading is anything to go by. “We are going to the team who are top of the league and it will be very tough because they are playing well,” he admitted. “But we got a draw against them earlier in the season and missed a penalty in the last five minutes, so should have won the game. We’ve proved we can do it once this season, so why not again? We also went up there a couple of years ago - just after they had won promotion to the league - and beat them. Every team has a bogey side and I guess we’re it for them. Normally we play better against the better teams because the game is more open. Reading will be favourites because they are top of the league and have only lost twice, but we will be pretty confident.”

Lee Clark (dead leg) and John Magani (thigh) both picked up knocks in Fairford’s midweek draw with Flackwell Heath, but Paget is hopeful the pair will be fit.

Big Day At Cinder Lane - 11th December

Football will take a back seat at Fairford Town’s Cinder Lane ground tomorrow, despite the Hellenic League Premier Division club hosting an important fixture against Kidlington.

Five-year-old Bethany Fenton, of Fairford, is suffering from a brain tumour and her parents Sean and Jemma launched The Bethany Appeal in September. People from across the area having been raising funds for the appeal over the last few months and Fairford Town have also got involved, promising to donate gate receipts from this weekend’s game as well as the proceeds from a post-match auction. Around 300 people are expected to pack out the Gloucestershire ground tomorrow - a far cry from Fairford’s regular gates of 80 spectators.

Whilst Paget admits that tomorrow is about much more than the 90 minutes on the pitch, he is determined to ensure his side give those in attendance something to savour. “It’s a big weekend for us and not just about the football,” explained the manager. “There is a little girl from Fairford who is terminally ill. Everyone in the village is rallying round to help her and we wanted to do something, so are donating all the gate receipts from our match against Kidlington to her charity - The Bethany Fenton Appeal. We are expecting a big crowd and it will be a nice change for us, so hopefully we can put on a show for them and get the win, but really football gets put to one side on a day like this.”

Fairford will be strengthened by the return of goalkeeper Jamie Morse and defender Steve Bennett from injury, and Paget is confident his side are starting to move in the right direction. “Our league position is disappointing more than worrying,” he admitted. “We had high hopes for this season that we could push on but it just hasn’t happened. We’ve lost a couple of players to other local clubs and had to get some of the boys used to playing at this level of football. Kidlington have been going quite well whereas we’ve had mixed results, so it will be tough. But the side is starting to gel and we’re playing some good football. It’s just a case of putting the ball in the back of the net and turning the performances into results.”

Tickets for the match are £4 for adults and £2 for concessions, with tickets for the auction of promises costing £5.