It seems strange to be writing such an upbeat diary given the previous month has seen a resounding 4-0 defeat to Victoria Park Vixens and yet another game rained off.

While it’s nice to win football matches, Development is always focussed on the ‘bigger picture’ beyond the last result. Despite that defeat we have definitely hit the jackpot in terms of Development in recent weeks. More of that later.

Even when looking back to the Vixens game, the ‘bigger picture’ goes far beyond the scoreline.
There was no Alex Ferguson hairdryer treatment after the heavy defeat, but a series of questions asked of the team who had clearly given their all on the pitch only to be beaten by a better team on the day.
The debrief questions were simple ‘Did you enjoy the game’, answer ‘Yes’, Will you be back next week’, answer ‘Yes’ followed by ‘Everyone coming down the pub’ answer mostly ‘Yes’.

It really is that simple, Development is about improving players but we also want them to enjoy the game and be keen to return. And that is the real win, everyone enjoyed a game described as ‘super fun’ by our skipper, and wanted to come back with hopefully a little more knowledge and game understanding in the tank.

We also had a massive win before a ball was even kicked with the news that two of our players had been selected for the First Team the following day. It is the pathway between Open Access, Development and First Team which underpins all we do and it is a tangible measure of success when we see players make their way along that pathway. I couldn’t be prouder to see Taiyah Evans and Sophie Ugur make their first team debuts and performing admirably the following day. Credit to First Team Head Coach Jay Murray as well for opening up a channel of communication between teams underused under previous management structures.

Now lastly – and I don’t know how I’ve kept this secret beyond the odd ‘teaser’ comment on social media – our next game against Queerspace FC will be at The Old Spotted Dog at 3pm on Saturday, February 24. Everyone is of course invited for what should be a momentous occasion and a very emotional game for me on a personal level.
The footballing stars have aligned leading to this golden chance to showcase the Development team and life outside the respective first teams at the club.
Having had the privilege to play in front of our fantastic supporters on a number of occasions, I can assure both teams they are in for a memorable experience and we will be doing our level best put on a display the club can be proud of.
Many thanks to the league, the Club’s Fans Forum and Ground Committee for making this pipedream a reality and on a personal level the support the club they have given me.
Will be great to see you all at the game and who knows cheering on the next First Team crowd favourite. Rest assured I will be practising cutting my best shapes just in case lo lo lo lo lo lo’s are the order of the day at the end of the game.
Take care and enjoy your football-Regards Neil