Co-Chairmen SHARE THEIR PROGRAMME NOTES AHEAD OF Today’s clash with MaidENHEAD…
Good afternoon, Yellows,
Welcome back to Plainmoor for today’s home game against Maidenhead.
Before we get into the football, a quick word on the one topic that has dominated life behind the scenes for what feels like an age: the weather.
The past six weeks have presented one of the biggest challenges to our pitch in many years. Plainmoor drains well, but it has struggled to cope with the sheer, relentless volume of rainwater. Data from the Quinta Road weather station shows 269.6mm of rainfall over the last four weeks, with just two completely dry days in that period.
As supporters will appreciate, that has knock-on effects far beyond the white lines.
Postponements have a very real impact on the Club’s cash flow. The simple truth is that while we’re always grateful for your support home and away, the Club typically takes in significantly less secondary spend (especially food & beverage) on a Tuesday night than on a Saturday. Those Saturday matchdays are vital to keeping everything moving in the right direction. The reassurance we want to give you is this: we are managing our way through it, carefully and responsibly, and we’ll continue to do so.
In terms of the pitch itself, we’ve not stood still. We’ve sought additional outside expertise to assess what further mitigation we can take to help the surface cope with this unprecedented spell, and we’ve brought in specialist equipment and treatments to support absorption and recovery. None of it is a silver bullet when the rain doesn’t let up, but we are doing everything we can, every day.
That brings us to the people. We want to take this opportunity to thank every member of TUFC staff who has dealt with the current challenges with an incredible attitude and work-rate. And a special word for Matt and Kyle in our grounds care team: a truly herculean effort battling the elements — and somehow always with a smile on their faces. You’ve all seen what it takes just to give us a fighting chance of football happening, and their dedication has been outstanding.
On the football side, congratulations to Paul on being named NLS Manager of the Month for January. It’s a deserved recognition for the work being done across the whole group, and for a great undefeated run of results in January that sees us coming into today’s game top of the league.
Of course, we were all disappointed with Tuesday night’s result at Chippenham. But it’s important we keep perspective and stay right behind the team. One bad result on a February evening isn’t season-defining — what matters is the response, and the togetherness we show from here.
So today, let’s make Plainmoor what it can be at its very best: a fortress. Paul and the players tell us, time and again, how much difference your backing makes. Bring the noise, stick together, and let’s drive the team on from the first whistle.
Come on You Yellows !
MBC, MW & The Board
