Image by Chesham United.
Chesham United Vs Weymouth
National League South, The Meadow, Saturday 8 February, 3PM
Looking forward to this afternoon, Terras fans?
Well we, five-one, certainly are!
Our perfect performance, the first to get us three points at home in the league this season, now leaves us 11 points off safety.
Three less than last week.
It was a game our fans certainly deserved to see, a view echoed by Warren Feeney – the ones who “travel to watch us” are perhaps the ones who have suffered the most this season.
But, with today’s contest just around the corner, we now have the opportunity to “get a run going.”
But standing in our way are Chesham United who, with their equal number of 10 draws and wins, have experienced both sides of what the National League South has to offer.
HOW TO FOLLOW
We are delighted to announce that the ever-brilliant Ben Ashelford will be on commentary this afternoon; click HERE to access his in-game thoughts.
Live updates will also be provided across our social media platforms, followed by post-match reaction being uploaded after the final whistle.
JOIN THE NATIONAL LEAGUE SOUTH – YOUR TIME STARTS NOW
If you haven’t visited “The Meadow” as a football fan, you may have already seen the ground.
On television that is.
Instead of seeing Nathan Minhas putting the ball in the net, you may have watched Mel Giedroyc attempting to kick a much larger ball across the pitch.
Yes, besides the dynamic duo of James Duncan and Michael Murray, there is another man at “The Generals” who is able to lead tasks – “Little” Alex Horne.
For a club in which Greg Davies’ long-suffering assistant has given “free publicity” to for the best part of a decade, it seems as though his appointment as director in September 2022 was long overdue.
If their form on the pitch shows their growth, this being their first season in England’s sixth tier, attendances at The Meadow have “skyrocketed” since Horne’s involvement, leaping from just a couple of hundred to over 1,000.
Or even nearly 4,000 on occasion.
Quite the transformation right in front of Horne’s eyes, first casting the Chesham pitch over two decades ago due to the ground only being “five minutes from his house.”
The reason for this major increase? “People have suddenly realised we’re quite good.”
For those who have paid attention to The Generals, it is hard to argue, as they have marched their way up the football pyramid.
Before this campaign, competing in the Southern Football League Premier Division South was something of a norm, having featured in England’s seventh tier since 2010.
Their time under “JD and Muzza,” who took over in October 2018, started in the echelons of upper-mid-table finishing eighth and 10th in their first two seasons.
Though that was certainly an improvement from when they arrived, when today’s hosts were stuck at the foot of the table.
But from then on things began to click, and their second-place finish in the 2019/20 season may have ended in success had a little-known virus called COVID-19 called the campaign off.
This level of heartbreak was just the start, as they would find out two years later.
Occupying the last play-off spot, two points ahead of nearest challengers Weston-super-Mare, a 2-0 loss away to Hayes & Yeading United on the penultimate match saw the West Country outfit leapfrog The Generals on the same day.
Consequently Chesham, even with their 5-0 win versus Wimborne Town on the last day, missed out on potential promotion by one single point.
Perhaps they needed a change…
Which is what happened when a certain Taskmaster’s assistant took over just after the following campaign began.
Rewards were immediately reaped when the final play-off spot was theirs come the end of the 2022/23 season and, although they lost by a single goal in the semi-finals to Bracknell Town, it set the tone for the following year.
Storming through the league, The Generals’ success was displayed on April Fool’s Day, on an occasion where they were anything but fools, thrashing Harrow Borough 4-1 to clinch the title with an extra four games to spare.
HOW FAR FORWARD HAVE THE GENERALS MARCHED?
With all this, in Horne’s eyes, precedented prosperity, it is worth noting that he does not take any personal credit.
That feeling has elements of truth, particularly when considering the dynamic duo that lead the dugout.
Still, the “Taskmaster” sponsor is just one more thing that makes this club uniquely stand out.
They’ve stood out on the pitch this year, too, their start to life in the National League South being more than respectable.
Sitting in 12th-place, today’s opponents are exactly in mid-table, their equal number of 10 wins and draws ensuring they have seen both the highs and lows of this “ridiculous” division.
Though regarding current form, both of today’s teams are in a very similar situation.
Which might not be what Chesham fans want to hear.
While we aim to build on from our first league win in 17 matches today, The Generals themselves have only marched to victory one in their last 13 league contests, a 1-0 win on New Year’s Day at home to Hemel Hempstead Town.
Perhaps we’re not the only side today who “need[s] points.”
