Firstly welcome everyone to my first drumbeat and for taking an interest in our club and wanting to know what is going on behind the scenes. The idea behind these updates is to keep everyone informed on what’s happening, stop any misinformation and to be more open and inclusive as a club as we move forward. Please feel free to comment on the social media post that this post is linked to and let us know your thoughts and what you’d like to see included going forward.

It's been just shy of two months since I took over as Chairman and I’m really proud of the progress made both on and off the pitch, the work and hours that have been put in are second to none, and that emphasises our determination to turn things around. Firstly on the 1st team front Dan has been working tirelessly to put together a strong squad but also one with the right balance and blend to succeed, this will ultimately take time to gel and come together on the pitch but one thing that has been noticeable straight away is the superb team spirit and harmony in the squad. Training numbers are brilliant week in week out and players/staff are mixing off the pitch, this is something very evident if you’ve happened to catch an England game at the Legion over the past month!. Dan and his team of Kieran, Ben and Daz have set a great environment and it’s very noticeable the players are thriving in it.

The Development team is a big passion of both mine and Simon Line’s and it was something that needed changing this year. We found last year with the team playing on the same day as the 1st team and players not being able to switch between sides unless they waited a period of 21 days totally counter-intuitive and it simply didn’t promote young players playing week-in week-out, developing, playing well and potentially getting called up to the 1st team, this is the model that must exist!. That is why we have switched to the Midlands Development league to play games on a week night (mainly Mondays) where players can play at good grounds (Hednesford, Chasetown, Sutton United) but also have the goal of playing for the 1st team, which should be every young players aim. Vesty and Nige have started brilliantly doing sessions alongside the 1st team group and already the ‘one club’ feel is back. The side will take some time to take shape and their first fixture is at home on Monday 22nd so it will be great to see them in action for the first time.

Behind the scenes I think you will notice more is happening than ever before. Due to a lot of hard work over the summer we have received funding to replace the tired pitch perimeter barrier. This will be replaced with a green barrier identical to those at 4G facilities and will make the ground look so much better, whilst also improving safety and standards for supporters. This is due to installed in the last week of July, so a big thank you to George and Mark Parton at TCF for helping with this project.

Floodlights, wow how that word has taken over my life during the past 6 months….but I am now extremely pleased to say we are very close to confirming an install date for 4 new floodlights. First of all I can see why this project has never got off the ground in the past, and the existing lights continue to be in operation well past their useful life….the amount of obstacles is un-imaginable and some of the processes and challenges has meant many a late night trying to find a solution and filling out endless forms and documents to keep traction on the project. I’m very new to all this so the help and support from Grant Robertson, Steve Walwyn and Mark Parton at the MDSA has been vital and is very much appreciated. These are 3 guys who have the community and sport & leisure at their core so really must be commended for their dedication, along with Ian Nellins at Shropshire council who has supported us the entire way. We now have a live planning application, which you’re able to view on the Shropshire planning portal (Ref: 24/02484/FUL). Please support us with your comments and pending approval we will hopefully have new floodlights in place early September at the latest as all the funding has been secured and contractors are awaiting the planning green light. What an achievement both personally, as a club and as part of the MDSA this will be once completed.

During the off season we have completely refurbished the clubhouse inside, with myself and Alex Dobson spending a number of days wondering how many coats of paint it would eventually take to complete. We have a new pool table, seating, TV, and before our next home game on the 20th we hope to have the photos, some framed shirts and a darts board in place to really complete the transformation so keep a look out for before and after photos on our socials but still very much work in progress. The reasoning behind this was to create a much more inviting social space for the players and supporters to mix and want to stay after games, but also to open up the clubhouse for other clubs/societies to hire/hold events as it is a great space currently under-utilised, more details on this will be released in the coming weeks.

Those that have attended any of our home pre-season fixtures so far will also notice the middle space between the clubhouse and hospitality has been converted to a club shop. It was always great to see supporters at games and around town in team colours and that’s something we want to grow this season. I personally braved the wind and rain and held a small stall at the Tigers presentation day (which was brilliant event so well done to Lisa, Paul, Amy and everyone for organising) and we hope to have a stall at similar community events going forward to increase our presence in the town. Wow the new kits really have gone down a storm!, they are available to pre-order online through the fused sport website now, and we will also have 10 of each in varying sizes before our first home league game on August 3rd so please bear with us as we look to grow our offering on all merchandise through-out the season. I personally love the marmite comments on the away shirt and that’s the kind of interaction and energy we need around the club so please keep them coming.

The Café/Kiosk is also under transition, you would have noticed both myself, Alex, Liner and his daughter Jen serving food during the first two home friendlies and I’m delighted to confirm to you this will hopefully be the last time for all our sakes!. Karen Nicholls from Kaz’s Café fame will be managing it for us going forward with a new menu, a couple of new windows and a fresh look to the place, which I’m really excited about. Anyone who has been Kaz’s Café in town will know the food is top notch so another positive to look forward to from a matchday experience perspective....don't worry the toilets are next on the list.

Reflecting on the first home fixtures the legends game was a brilliant initiative by Simon Line I thought, a surprisingly close game but given the level and mentality some of these former players used to play at maybe not so much a surprise at all. It was so brilliant to see a number of ex players stick around after the game, and if we manage to bring them back into the club to watch and support or more then it’s a game well worth making an annual event of and building up more and more in the future.

That brings me onto this weekend’s game v Bridgnorth held in Memory of Jason Francis and Alice Robinson and is always a great celebration of their lives and his love of sport. I had the pleasure of meeting his family for the first time last year and everyone at Market Drayton Town FC is really looking forward to commemorating his life in a way they want it done…a competitive game of football with lots of socialising afterwards. Please come along to Crown Meadow in Bridgnorth if you can, it’s a 3pm kick off tomorrow (Saturday).

Hopefully this helps to give an insight into things and that everyone is pulling in one direction to make the club a success, one last note is that Myself, a lot of the players and staff will be cheering England on once again in the Legion on Sunday so it’s a great opportunity to meet us, ask any questions or give us any feedback in an informal setting so please feel free to do so. Have a great weekend, Matt