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Chairman's Drumbeat #3
Matthew Allen17 Mar - 17:19
A Progress Update
As we approach the final stretch of the season, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the progress we’ve made both on and off the pitch...They say the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, the second best time is now and that's the approach we've taken this season, get jobs done now and put things in place now which reflect our strategy moving forward.
On the Pitch
When writing my last drumbeat we were sat 12th with a run of home games coming up which meant had we continued our great early home form we could have challenged for a playoff spot. That opportunity slipped away with home defeats to Stafford Town, Abbey Hulton, Shawbury and Eccleshall but 3 wins from those 4 games would put us in that last playoff spot so everyone knows what we need to do going forward, and having a strong home record with 200+ supporters in regular attendance is what we want to achieve and then build on next season. Myself and Daws have spoke in length about this year and the plans for achieving this next season already but having a coaching team with a year in this league under their belts, a playing squad which is 75% complete is so much better than the position we were in at the start of the season….to reiterate our dire recent record, Daws will be the first Manager of Market Drayton to complete a full season in charge since 2018 and come the end of the season he will be in the top 5 longest serving managers of the club. This new level of stability combined with our ambition will see us grow again, I fully believe in this. We’re currently sat comfortably mid-table, on 11 points more than last season with 5 games remaining so the plan is to finish the season strongly, as this will only help continue the evolution into next season
Development & Youth Growth
During my last update The Development side had played 3 games away from home all season so to see them pick up three wins and two draws since is certainly good progress from them. I think the endless postponements due to away teams not wanting to travel to us on a Monday evening has flattened off this progression curve for them and affected morale so we are actively looking at other league options for next season. What is the big positive is that often 4 or 5 of these young lads are at 1st team training or in and around the 1st team squad which wasn’t the case last season so the goal of creating a development squad of young players who grow with the club and have ambitions of playing for Market Drayton Town has been achieved, the environment created and grounds they have played on this year has been brilliant and it’s a superb opportunity for any young player, but one we can improve on also so at my season end review I will be able to give you a lot more information in and around this.
Linking into our current Development side and new for next season is our new MJPL U14 side. This has been done very much in conjunction with Market Drayton Tigers as they currently cannot host MJPL fixtures due to the requirements by the league, so some of you may have seen ‘Market Drayton Town Youth Development’ has been created and will be run by Steve Donnelly, Martin Bailey and Stuart Mansell, they have been brilliant in their preparations and getting the idea from paper to pitch and have held two extremely successful trial days at the ground recently. They are now in the process of finalising their squad so thank you to each of them for their hard work and we are looking forward to seeing young players in the red of Market Drayton Town next season.
Facility Improvements
At the ground most of you will know the floodlights are in place and have been since November, They look magnificent I must say!, there’s just something special about 4 corner stanchions rather than 3 or 4 down the touchlines so we’re all very happy with these and glad we made the extra investment to ensure some originality of the ground was kept. Within the past couple of weeks the pitch perimeter barrier has also been completed, which I’m delighted with, again this makes the ground look so much more striking and well kept. It also has a function though as pay back on the project through pitch advertising will be achieved and access in front of the main stand and behind the goals has been improved to enhance the spectator experience. A big thank you to George and Mark Parton and the team at Town and Country Fencing for completing this project for us as the installation has been flawless.
Projects planned to be completed before next season include concreting around the new barrier and the areas that are uneven so access and walkways are much better. A new toilet block featuring Mens, Womens, and Disability in one large unit is in progress and remains a priority, current facilities are shameful so we’re actively working on this solution. We’ll also be holding a few ground maintenance days over the summer for everyone to get involved in as we try and maintain our home ground, please get involved in these if you can as the pleasure of giving back and being part of something is really worth it.
Commercial Growth & Fan Engagement
The Commercial side of the club has really been driven and improved this season by Dan Hand and Simon Line in particular so their efforts along with all our generous sponsors and supporters are really appreciated, we’re currently in conversations with sponsors about having a scoreboard fitted in time for next season so we’re very hopeful on getting this over the line in time. Once again if you have supported the club through advertising, donations, or turning up most weeks and spending a little money rest assured your contributing to what we’re doing on and off the pitch and can hopefully see and experience the fruits of this on each and every visit.
Another huge positive and weight off my shoulders has been young Alfie Leech joining to do the matchday social media. I’m sure you’ll agree some of the highlights Alfie captures have been superb and he is working on more content for our socials and youtube channel all the time, as well as having a new website as a base for all our information going forward. Encouraging new, fresh minds to be involved in the club has been the plan from day one and this links back to the commercial side as we must offer businesses something unique, vibrant and creative, and this is very much the aim moving forward.
Looking Ahead
I mentioned the Greenfields feasibility study taking place on my last update in which all the sports clubs were involved in, this looked at how to make the facility fit for purpose and sustainable moving forward. As many of you would have seen a preferred proposal has now been drawn up and presented to the public a couple of weeks ago at the Town Hall in Market Drayton. This is an exciting time for all the clubs involved with real tangible plans now being acted upon and positively received. I will talk in depth more about the plans in my next update when they have moved forward a little and maybe even finalised but for now these plans give our club a medium to long term objective whilst short term we try to improve and maintain our facility as best as possible without forgetting this long term aim for the site as a whole.
Finally we welcome the league leaders Winsford to Greenfields this Saturday for what I’m sure will be a tough but appealing encounter. I’m certainly looking forward to it and I’m sure Daws and the lads will want to prove something having been on the end of two harsh scorelines against Winsford already this season…..once again let’s turn up in numbers, enjoy the spectacle, and support our club and town!
On the Pitch
When writing my last drumbeat we were sat 12th with a run of home games coming up which meant had we continued our great early home form we could have challenged for a playoff spot. That opportunity slipped away with home defeats to Stafford Town, Abbey Hulton, Shawbury and Eccleshall but 3 wins from those 4 games would put us in that last playoff spot so everyone knows what we need to do going forward, and having a strong home record with 200+ supporters in regular attendance is what we want to achieve and then build on next season. Myself and Daws have spoke in length about this year and the plans for achieving this next season already but having a coaching team with a year in this league under their belts, a playing squad which is 75% complete is so much better than the position we were in at the start of the season….to reiterate our dire recent record, Daws will be the first Manager of Market Drayton to complete a full season in charge since 2018 and come the end of the season he will be in the top 5 longest serving managers of the club. This new level of stability combined with our ambition will see us grow again, I fully believe in this. We’re currently sat comfortably mid-table, on 11 points more than last season with 5 games remaining so the plan is to finish the season strongly, as this will only help continue the evolution into next season
Development & Youth Growth
During my last update The Development side had played 3 games away from home all season so to see them pick up three wins and two draws since is certainly good progress from them. I think the endless postponements due to away teams not wanting to travel to us on a Monday evening has flattened off this progression curve for them and affected morale so we are actively looking at other league options for next season. What is the big positive is that often 4 or 5 of these young lads are at 1st team training or in and around the 1st team squad which wasn’t the case last season so the goal of creating a development squad of young players who grow with the club and have ambitions of playing for Market Drayton Town has been achieved, the environment created and grounds they have played on this year has been brilliant and it’s a superb opportunity for any young player, but one we can improve on also so at my season end review I will be able to give you a lot more information in and around this.
Linking into our current Development side and new for next season is our new MJPL U14 side. This has been done very much in conjunction with Market Drayton Tigers as they currently cannot host MJPL fixtures due to the requirements by the league, so some of you may have seen ‘Market Drayton Town Youth Development’ has been created and will be run by Steve Donnelly, Martin Bailey and Stuart Mansell, they have been brilliant in their preparations and getting the idea from paper to pitch and have held two extremely successful trial days at the ground recently. They are now in the process of finalising their squad so thank you to each of them for their hard work and we are looking forward to seeing young players in the red of Market Drayton Town next season.
Facility Improvements
At the ground most of you will know the floodlights are in place and have been since November, They look magnificent I must say!, there’s just something special about 4 corner stanchions rather than 3 or 4 down the touchlines so we’re all very happy with these and glad we made the extra investment to ensure some originality of the ground was kept. Within the past couple of weeks the pitch perimeter barrier has also been completed, which I’m delighted with, again this makes the ground look so much more striking and well kept. It also has a function though as pay back on the project through pitch advertising will be achieved and access in front of the main stand and behind the goals has been improved to enhance the spectator experience. A big thank you to George and Mark Parton and the team at Town and Country Fencing for completing this project for us as the installation has been flawless.
Projects planned to be completed before next season include concreting around the new barrier and the areas that are uneven so access and walkways are much better. A new toilet block featuring Mens, Womens, and Disability in one large unit is in progress and remains a priority, current facilities are shameful so we’re actively working on this solution. We’ll also be holding a few ground maintenance days over the summer for everyone to get involved in as we try and maintain our home ground, please get involved in these if you can as the pleasure of giving back and being part of something is really worth it.
Commercial Growth & Fan Engagement
The Commercial side of the club has really been driven and improved this season by Dan Hand and Simon Line in particular so their efforts along with all our generous sponsors and supporters are really appreciated, we’re currently in conversations with sponsors about having a scoreboard fitted in time for next season so we’re very hopeful on getting this over the line in time. Once again if you have supported the club through advertising, donations, or turning up most weeks and spending a little money rest assured your contributing to what we’re doing on and off the pitch and can hopefully see and experience the fruits of this on each and every visit.
Another huge positive and weight off my shoulders has been young Alfie Leech joining to do the matchday social media. I’m sure you’ll agree some of the highlights Alfie captures have been superb and he is working on more content for our socials and youtube channel all the time, as well as having a new website as a base for all our information going forward. Encouraging new, fresh minds to be involved in the club has been the plan from day one and this links back to the commercial side as we must offer businesses something unique, vibrant and creative, and this is very much the aim moving forward.
Looking Ahead
I mentioned the Greenfields feasibility study taking place on my last update in which all the sports clubs were involved in, this looked at how to make the facility fit for purpose and sustainable moving forward. As many of you would have seen a preferred proposal has now been drawn up and presented to the public a couple of weeks ago at the Town Hall in Market Drayton. This is an exciting time for all the clubs involved with real tangible plans now being acted upon and positively received. I will talk in depth more about the plans in my next update when they have moved forward a little and maybe even finalised but for now these plans give our club a medium to long term objective whilst short term we try to improve and maintain our facility as best as possible without forgetting this long term aim for the site as a whole.
Finally we welcome the league leaders Winsford to Greenfields this Saturday for what I’m sure will be a tough but appealing encounter. I’m certainly looking forward to it and I’m sure Daws and the lads will want to prove something having been on the end of two harsh scorelines against Winsford already this season…..once again let’s turn up in numbers, enjoy the spectacle, and support our club and town!
Further reading