NewEra Begins - 27th August

Wokingham & Emmbrook and Bracknell Town face each other in the first Hellenic Premier Division derby of the season at Larges Lane on Monday (3pm kick-off) and both managers are unsure what to expect from the game.

It is the first time that the sides have met since a convincing win for Bracknell against Wokingham Town on the last day of the season back in 2002. The clubs have dropped down the leagues since then, and their meeting on Saturday arrives at the beginning of a new era for both of them.

Wokingham earned their first promotion since they rose from the ashes of the old Finchampstead Road club, while Bracknell are also trying to consolidate after years of struggle in the Southern League. Although both managers couldn’t predict how Monday’s encounter will pan out, they are both going into the game looking to win it.

Wokingham boss Wayne Wanklyn said: “It’s a nice game to have on a bank holiday and hopefully we’ll have a decent crowd for it. We don’t go out to try and spoil games and scrap, we go out to win games and play the right way, but you never know with derby games. They can be exciting or they can be a damp squib. The lads are looking forward to it and I’m sure it’ll be a good game. It will certainly be tight and the league form and positions will go out the window on Monday.”

Wokingham sit midtable after winning two, losing two and drawing one of their opening five games, and Wanklyn is confident that he has seen enough from his team to know they are good enough to stay at this level. “Overall I’ve been pleased, but with a little bit more luck we could have been on more points,” he said. “We’ve shown we can compete at this level and I’m sure we’ll be okay.”

Meanwhile, Wokingham are in good shape, except for the loss of goalkeepers Stuart Harris and Nick Rumsby through injury, but Jamie Thomas will continue between the sticks for them.

Bland Moves To Hungerford - 28th July

Wokingham & Emmbrook have been dealt a blow in their preparations for their first season in the Hellenic Premier Division with the news that striker Richard Bland is set to leave the club.

However, manager Wayne Wanklyn believes his side have enough options up front to cope with the loss of last season’s top scorer, and will still be a force in the division during the forthcoming season. Bland was the golden boot winner in Hellenic Division 1 East last season as Wokingham sealed promotion as runners-up. But, after an approach from Zamaretto South West Division 1 club Hungerford Town, Bland decided to try his luck elsewhere, and Wanklyn has wished him the best of luck.

“I got a call from their manager (Bobby Wilkinson) on Thursday and he said he was interested and wanted to do everything properly so that’s fine – these things happen,” said Wanklyn. “Blandy goes with our blessing and I’ve always said that if players can improve at perceived better clubs then I can’t stand in their way. He’s had a very good offer financially from them so good luck to him. He’ll always be welcome back at Wokingham and I think it’s his spiritual home. I don’t want to lose any of my better players but we’ve got enough forwards to cope. Luke Lee is looking really sharp, Shane Cooper-Clark is a natural goalscorer, Adam Cornell has a great reputation and we’ve also got Chris Fower who played in this division for Shortwood last season. We also might have Wisey (James Wise) back around Christmas time and when we do it’ll be like having a new signing. We’ve got options, I’m disappointed to lose Blandy, but we’ll just reorganise.”

Strikers Cornell and Fower are just two of the players that have signed for Wokingham following their promotion. They have also attracted defender Tom Hopper and goalkeeper Nick Rumsby from Finchampstead, as well as attacking midfielder Jon Summer. With the departure of Bland, it means just two players have left the club from last season, the other being utility player Darren Thorne, who has had to stop playing due to work commitments.

Now Wanklyn is looking forward to kicking of their league campaign on Tuesday August 10 at Kidlington, who finished 11th in last season’s competition. He said: “Pre-season has been really good. We’ve had very good numbers for training, we’ve had two games against good opposition and coped very, very well. The attitude has been great, the fitness is looking good and the young lads are just getting better. It’s a new division and a new adventure for us, ther’s a lot of local derbies and the players view it as a real challenge. We’ll be difficult to beat this year.”