A Few Notes

•  The League game against Walton Casuals is now Thursday 31st March 2005

•  Reserve Challenge Shield Final will be held at Merstham FC on Tuesday 10th May 2005

•  Striker Rhod Davies will be out for a few games with a hamstring injury

•  Saturday Results: Merstham 2 Raynes Park Vale 3
                            Bedfont Reserves 2 Merstham Reserves 1

•  Friday's Quiz Night raised £118 for the U14 & U10 Tour fund - Thanks to all who took part

Players Send Message Out

 
Micky Nolan (1st Team), James Rooke (U15), Balford Brown (1st Team)
 Elliot Wheeler (U10), JJ Farrar (U11), Alex Tibble (U10)
Sam Williams (U11) and Ryan Elsey (U14)
 

Every member of Merstham FC was wearing the new “No to Racism” wristbands today.
Merstham feel it is important that non-league football teams show their stance towards racism in the game as well as the professional sides.
Club chairman Ted Hickman said: “As a community football club, we feel it is our duty to take a lead in the fight against racism.  “We not only field successful senior teams, we also have a growing number of young squads who, we feel, should learn about and help spread the anti-racism message”.
Manager Mick Sullivan echoes his chairman’s viewpoint.  “I have seen racism again and again at all levels in football.  It is ugly, nasty and needs to be stamped out.  I’m pleased that we, as a club, are making a visible stand against this unacceptable behaviour”.
Today’s home game was the launch match for Merstham’s campaign.  Each team member was given the official wristbands by the club as part of the ongoing campaign and help remove these anti-social practices. 
Paul Elsey one of Merstham’s youth team managers, said:  “Clubs such as ours can play a leading role in reaching their members and supporters about these sorts of problems. 
My squad is very young, only 10 years old, but if you can get the message over now, hopefully it will stay with the lads and girls forever”. 
 

The anti- racism wristband was launched by Thierry Henry, the Arsenal and France striker, 
and Rio Ferdinand of Manchester United and England, in London recently.
Henry first wore the two black and white interlocking bands as he accepted the runners-up award at the World Player of the Year gala in Zurich in December 2004. 
 

Press Release

The two Under 16 finals of the West Surrey Youth League
 will be held at Merstham FC
on Sunday 17th April 2005

1030 League Cup Final

1330 Invitation Cup Final

Admission is Free.
Refreshments available. Clubhouse Bar open at 1200.
 

Merstham booked a place in the semi-final of the
Premier League Challenge Cup with a comfortable
4 - 1 away win over Cove.
They now face a tough home tie against either
Walton Casuals or Chessington & Hook who play their
4th round match on Saturday 5th March 2005

The Semi-Final will be played on Saturday 12th March 2005


 

James Cameron has left the club by mutual agreement. A club spokesman
said "James wants first team football, and has been the reserves top scorer
for the last two seasons. But he has not made the first team squad on the
limited opportunities he has been given. We wish him well at his new club,
where ever that may be."

Defender Mark Alexander has also left and been transferred to Westfield FC.

Reserves
New signing Matt Jeffries scored in injury time of both halves to give
Merstham a 2-0 win over Cove, this win put them back on top of the Premier
Reserve Table. Another new boy Curtis Reid also made his debut, coming on
for the injured Harry Baxter after 30 mins. Merstham did not play well, but
if the sign of a good team is winning with a poor performance, then they may
well still have a chance of the title.

The reserves next fixture is away at Bedfont next Saturday.

Richard Baxter, Hon Sec
 

SOUTHERN COMBINATION CUP
SEMI-FINAL
Tuesday 26th April 2005

Hampton & Richmond v Merstham

This tie adds to Merstham's  heavy schedule of
seven league games in April
 

MORE NEW SIGNINGS

Matt Jeffries - Forward/Midfield
Curtis Reid - Winger

"These two new signings with their previous backgrounds, one of which
is from the Chelsea FC School of Excellence and the other from
Conference South side Carshalton Athletic will be an important
addition to the squad in the final quarter of the season."
Mick Sullivan, First Team Manager

Merstham FC To Host Reserve Shield Final
10th May 2005
Merstham Reserves, who have reached the first knock-out stage of
the competition are in with good chance of the advantage
of playing in the final on their home ground.
Richard Baxter, Hon Sec


 

NEW SIGNINGS

Merstham have strengthened their Squad today
with the signing of two new players:-

Solomon Obikoya
Michael Kargbo

 

Nolan in the mood for scoring aplenty

Micky Nolan Interview by Daniel Jones, Surrey Mirror

r Chipstead Reserves, Nolan was away for a few weeks, when he came back he heard of Sullivan’s interest.  “I heard that Mick had come in for me”, Nolan said.  “I was only too happy to move, I need to be playing regular football at my age”.  Although Nolan was keen on the move and knew he was good enough to score goals in the Combined Counties Premier, he couldn’t have predicted how well the transfer had gone.  “I scored four down at Cove a few seasons ago, but never five”, he said.  “It’s all been down to the lads at Merstham and the team spirit we’ve got down there”.  “ The boys had heard of me but I’d never met any of them.  They made me feel welcome straight away, the atmosphere is like the one we had at Chipstead a few seasons ago”.  Nolan has settled in with his team mates very quickly, and the partnership he has developed up front with Rhod Davies has already got him excited.  “It seems to have come full circle”, he said.  “Five or six years ago I used to like playing with a big target man who I could make runs off.  But as I’ve got older and slowed down it helps to play with someone with bags of pace like Rhod.  “He was phenomenal against North Greenford, he supplied some great service for me and all I had to do was be in the right positions to finish it off”.  While Nolan would have loved to stay at the club long term, he is realistic to know that nothing is certain in football and is just concentrating on the remainder of the season.  “Unfortunately I am cup tied for both of the competitions we are left”, he said.  “I’ll be there cheering the boys on.  I’d like to think that with the players we’ve got here and the team spirit in the changing room, we can win most of our remaining league games and get into the top six.  “After the season I’ve had, it’s just nice to be looking forward to Saturday again”.

Merstham's fixture backlog continues as their latest Premier League game
against AFC Guildford was abandoned by the referee after
60 minutes due to dense fog.


 

The following cup draw was made at the
Combined Counties Management Committee Meeting on Monday 7 February.

PREMIER CHALLENGE CUP SEMI-FINAL DRAW

AFC Guildford, Sandhurst Town or Cobham v Ash United or Bedfont
Cove or Merstham v Walton Casuals or Chessington & Hook
 

Surrey Senior Cup 3rd Round
Merstham v Carshalton Athletic

At a meeting of the Surrey County FA Committee for the above competition, the twice abandoned tie has been awarded to Carshalton Athletic FC.

Merstham FC have accepted this decision and wish their opponents the best of
luck in the next round.

Richard Baxter
Hon Sec
Merstham FC
 

Merstham FC Host
West Surrey Under 16
Division One Invitation Cup
Semi-Finals
Sunday February 6th 2005

10:30am

Manorcroft FC 0 v 4 Feltham FC

1:30pm

Hampton Rangers 1 v 3 Sutton High

RESERVES GO TOP
3rd February 2005
The Reserves won 0-1 at Chessington and Hook  to go top of the table,
James Cameron the lone scorer in a bad tempered affair, the Cs had four
booked and one sent off, we had one booked