As the Step 5 season comes to a conclusion with play-offs now completed and a handful of cup finals still to settle, the long-serving volunteers who run Holyport FC have had time to recover from the stress of successfully coming through a last-day relegation show-down.
The final Combined Counties Premier Division North match of the season for the Maidenhead-based side took them to Amersham. A win for the home side meant they’d leapfrog the Port and climb out of the bottom two. A draw or a win would be enough for the visitors. Holyport took the lead in front of 175 spectators just before half tme through Liam Mc Vicar. Kai Bartolo was one of seven players cautioned in an understandably fractious encounter but the Amersham man levelled in the second period. With time running out for Amersham, Manuel Kingsley-Nyinah settled it for Holyport in injury time but there was still time for goalkeeper Will Cullum to be sent off before the most important final whistle of the season confirmed Holyport in Step 5 and consigned Amersham to relegation.
Secretary at Summerleaze Richard Tyrell went through the mill that day like everyone else connected with the club, for him it was even more nervy, as he explains: “I only arrived at half time as I had family commitments, but waiting for an update while driving there was horrendous. The crowd we took to Amersham was fantastic and everyone was pushing the side on, we had to get through a tricky 10 minute period after they scored but when Kingsley smashed home the winner it was amazing.”
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It is fair to say that Richard has seen it all during more than twenty years of service to the club, from player to secretary to treasurer. That feeling of euphoria which is unique to football however is a bug that is difficult to shift: “Whether it’s winning a cup final or league title that feeling (at Amersham) was the same. We went through a similar situation a few seasons ago when we had to match Hounslow’s result to stay up, that day I was moving house. (Club volunteer) Richard Harvey got an alert from his I-Watch as his heart rate hit 110bps.” It has been a tough first season in charge for club legends Lee Ovens and Dan Rapley, but Tyrell has only praise for the management team: “Credit to all the management side and players as they managed the emotions and game very well. It was the win over Kidlington that made this possible.” Prior to that single-goal home win the previous Saturday, Holyport had not scored in five matches.
Tyrell continues: “We have a meeting next week to discuss next season, but massive credit goes to Lee and Raps for what they have achieved. The objective was to stay up this season, they did this with a complete squad rebuild and a new Reserve setup beneath them. They are Port through and through and we knew they would give everything to the club, both are passionate – as we have seen this season. They have had three years experience with the Reserves in the Thames Valley Premier League, this has given them a good base to move forward. We have worked closely with Berkshire College of Agriculture and developed a good relationship with Maidenhead United. The pathway is beneficial for both clubs. Our average squad age this season was 22; to have this and achieve the goal of staying at Step 5 is fantastic, but we also had a squad that wanted to learn and also play for the club, this has always been important for the club. There is also a lot of work behind the scenes with Natz (physio), Larks (GK coach), Phil (Johnson) and Mark (Camp-Overy) on the coaching and VEO side planning for games.
For now, Richard and his fellow committed committee colleagues can have their Saturday afternoons back, when not tending to the turf and fixtures and fittings at Summerleaze. They can do so in the knowledge of a mission accomplished: “It’s massive to be playing at Step 5. everyone knows we have quite a basic ground but we have worked hard to improve this and the playing surface over the last few seasons. We have also been a club that tries to promote from within and give players an opportunity to climb the non-league ladder. Young players will always get an opportunity at Holyport to prove themselves. If we could get some help from the local community then of course we would welcome sponsors to come and support us, every penny goes into keeping the club afloat and improving the ground.”
The future for HFC is interesting, with much development planned in the area. Richard continues: “It would be very welcome if the RBWM council got behind us, with the new housing at Spencers Farm starting to take shape it would be great to see Bellway Homes get behind the club as we are neighbours.” And in terms of ground improvements at the North Maidenhead venue: “I think we, like most clubs, would love an astroturf as well as a clubhouse. Having no clubhouse really hinders us as we are limited to ways we can bring resources into the club. We are the only side at Step 5 who has their own ground without a clubhouse. We have an expanding Junior section and a thriving young squad which is something we have grown organically. To grow this further we need more facilities or an astroturf to help.”
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As hinted at by Tyrell, Holyport FC is more than just a men’s first team at Step 5 – with Junior, reserve and Allied Counties League youth teams under their umbrella, HFC provide proven pathways to senior men’s football for youngsters in the area. Richard explains: “We have been looking at bringing an Allied team back to Summerleaze for a while. Nick (Phillips), Max (Noyce) and Joe (Butler) have given us an amazing season, finishing fourth with a team mostly of first year players. The football has been great to watch, playing the right way and scoring lots of goals. Credit to all the team for the season they have had. Some of these players have progressed into the Reserves and also made a few appearances in the first team. The Reserves had a tough start. Again it was a rebuild and some tough choices had to be made early on. These changes saw Callum (Parker-Stubbs) and Sam (Jones) come into the club, again we saw an influx of young technical players who play football the right way. They have progressed through the season and they will definitely be better for playing men’s football. If you are a young, talented and hungry player looking to develop then there is no better club at the moment as we have a pathway and you will get an opportunity to showcase your talents.”
If you would like to become involved with this friendly and welcoming club run by volunteers where your input will be appreciated, either as a potential sponsor, volunteer or player then please contact richardtyrell@googlemail.com .
