kingstonian.net
[personalise the site]   [search the site]

Welcome to K's Web - home of the Kingstonian archives
The official club website can be found at www.kingstonian.com

 

April 2001

Monday 30th April 2001
Yeovil Town 0-5 Kingstonian
An amazing match saw an almost-full-strength K's team completely outplay an almost-reserve Yeovil team at Huish Park earlier this evening. Geoff Pitcher started the rout, Colin Luckett made it two and Sammy Winston grabbed a double - the first from the penalty spot - and all this in the first 22 minutes! Eddie Saunders made it five in the second half with his first goal for the club. You can vote for the man of the match now.
[top of the page]
K's are now through to the final of the Nationwide Variety Club Trophy
K's are now through to the final of the Nationwide Variety Club Trophy, where they face the winner of this Thursday's other semi-final between Chester City and Nuneaton Borough. The final will take place this coming Monday, May 7th. The match is reported to be set for Kingsmeadow, but this has not yet been confirmed.
[top of the page]
The K's reserves are in their own cup final tomorrow night
The K's reserves are in their own cup final tomorrow night. They are due to play Woking reserves in the Surrey Premier Cup Final at the Met Police's Ember Court ground, kick off 7.30pm. All support will be greatly appreciated.
[top of the page]
Player of the Year vote to close tomorrow
The Player of the Year vote closes tomorrow, so if you haven't yet sent in your vote, please do so now. The winner will be announced at the end of the week.
[top of the page]
Sunday 29th April 2001
Leigh match report
The report of yesterday's defeat at the hands of Leigh is now ready.
[top of the page]
NLP: Pitcher up for sale at ?100,000
From today's Non-League Paper:

Pitcher up for sale at 100,000

Geoff Pitcher, Kingstonian's international midfielder, is set to leave the club now they have been relegated from the Conference. The asking price is 100,000 and Stevenage Borough and Southport have both shown interest. First Division Portsmouth have also made enquiries.

The combative Pitcher was a key man in K's drive to the FA Cup fourth round. K's would use part of the cash for team rebuilding and one player who could figure in their plans is defender Lee Goodwin, whose contract talks at Dagenham & Redbridge have stalled.

[top of the page]
Boston video clips
You can now see five video clips from last week's two-one defeat at the hands of Boston.
[top of the page]
Saturday 28th April 2001
Leigh RMI 2-1 Kingstonian
The run of no wins was stretched to twelve matches today when a Colin Luckett penalty proved not enough as two first half goals won the match for Leigh. The home side had a man sent off late on, but even this didn't help K's. You can vote for your man of the match now.
[top of the page]
K's to be expelled from the Surrey Senior Cup?
There is some doubt over K's place in this season's Surrey Senior Cup. Due to play Whyteleafe away on Thursday evening, the latest rumour is that Billy Mead - who scored in the quarter-final win over Tooting and Mitcham - played for Walton and Hersham in an earlier round. If this is confirmed then K's will surely be expelled from the competition, despite the fact that Geoff Chapple explicitly asked whether Mead was able to play. We will keep you posted.
[top of the page]
The third relegation place will now be taken by either Kettering or Hayes
The third relegation place will now be taken by either Kettering or Hayes, both of whom drew one-one today, with Nuneaton and Boston respectively. Forest Green are now safe after beating Southport two-nil.
[top of the page]
One pre-season friendly has been announced
One pre-season friendly has been announced. K's will entertain Oxford United at Kingsmeadow on Tuesday July 31st 2001.
[top of the page]
Friday 27th April 2001
Chester match report
Last night's relegation report is now ready. Thanks to Press Boy Rich for doing that.
[top of the page]
Thursday 26th April 2001
Chester City 0-0 Kingstonian (Kingstonian relegated)
Kingstonian have been relegated from the Nationwide Conference after drawing nil-nil at the Deva Stadium. Both sides missed a penalty, K's hit a post but in the end it wasn't to be. You can vote for the man of the match now.
[top of the page]
Geoff Chapple speaks on Southern Counties Radio
Speaking on BBC Southern Counties Radio, Geoff Chapple said that five or six players will leave before the start of next season. He also said that Mark Boyce, Mark Jones and Ronnie Green have signed new contracts, whilst Geoff Pitcher has one year remaining on his deal.
[top of the page]
Wednesday 25th April 2001
Dover match report
The report of last night's nil-nil draw is now ready.
[top of the page]
K's must now win at Chester tomorrow night
Forest Green's nil-nil draw with Woking tonight means that K's must win tomorrow night at Chester to stand any chance of staying up. A draw or defeat will mean certain relegation.
[top of the page]
Tuesday 24th April 2001
Kingstonian 0-0 Dover Athletic
A second-half penalty save from Jimmy Glass earned a point for K's. You can vote for the man of the match now.
[top of the page]
Result round-up
Elsewhere, Kettering gave themselves a fighting chance of staying up with a four-nil win at home to Chester. The earliest that K's can be relegated is now Thursday, as Hayes are still just within striking distance. The league table is very depressing.
[top of the page]
New NVCT semi-final date announced
The semi-final of the Nationwide Variety Club Trophy will now take place next Monday, April 30th, at Huish Park, kick-off 7.45pm.
[top of the page]
Sunday 22nd April 2001
Boston United 2-1 Kingstonian
A Colin Luckett penalty wasn't enough to stop the rot at York Street, as Boston ran out two-one winners. You can vote for the man of the match now.
[top of the page]
Boston match report
The report of yesterday's defeat at Boston is now ready.
[top of the page]
Relegation comes that much closer
Should K's fail to win against Dover on Tuesday, and Forest Green beat Woking on Wednesday, relegation will become a mathematical certainty for Kingstonian. You can see the current situation on the hopelessly-misnamed Stayin' Up! page.
[top of the page]
Result round-up
The top of the table clash saw Yeovil and Rushden draw nil-nil, making the race for the title even more exciting. Meanwhile, Hednesford have been relegated.
[top of the page]
An account of Thursday's AGM from Phil Davies (aka No 7)
Below is an account of Thursday's AGM from Phil Davies (aka No 7). Thanks to him for sending this in, and please note that these are his views not those of K's Web!

Present: Alan Kingston in the chair + around 8 on top table including Gerry Desler (Finance), Chris Kelly and (late from a Conference meeting) Geoff Chapple. Also around 30 shareholders.

The main business passed without incident: the accounts were approved, also the appointment of directors and auditors.

Questions were asked on the financial impact of relegation. It was noted that the majority of income comes from sources other than gate money, such as bars, catering and hire of facilities. It was also noted that our last season in the Ryman has seen gates bigger than this year. The big football-related income is transfer fees (the last significant one being Gavin Holligan, and only 4K last year) and, more recently, money from TV rights, including the Trophy finals and the cup run. As for outgoings, the big item is players wages, and these had grown 24% in the last year. Something has to be done about this, and the board is looking at performance-related pay as contracts are up for renewal.

On more detailed finance points, we will lose 10K conference sponsorship, though there are discussions about a possible 'parachute' payment for relegated clubs. As regards the balance sheet itself, we have 250K borrowings as a commercial loan, costing around 16K/month. Premier Management invested 36K: repayment is linked to the possible future transfer of two (un-named) players, but if transfer receipts are not realised it seems that Premier don't get their money back. The 250K from the football trust was a non-repayable grant.

For the future, the board reported that they are looking to try and develop the use of the facilities to generate more income. This might include business conference use. Upsides for us are good parking and reasonable access, whilst on the downside the general location (close to the Cambridge Estate) might be regarded as unattractive. Also, improvement work is needed, not least to the toilets! The board do not presently have a strategy as such on bringing in new young supporters, but Junior K's is running well and the management do lots of school visits. We do however suffer from much more organised work by bigger clubs (Chelsea, Fulham, Dons), and youngsters we do capture often transfer allegiance to bigger clubs.

The use of the ground by Chelsea reserves was discussed. They used to have a 3 year contract but this year had just taken the one year, and offering a much reduced fee. Also, at the friendly they took 50% of the gate, the only big club to expect a share of the takings. Chris Kelly said they would only use Kingsmeadow in future if prepared to pay a reasonable fee.

On the playing front, it was said that player loyalty is very strong, and if we go down the club should be able to retain all the players we want to keep. Others will be released whatever happens as contracts expire. The general tone of the discussion here was a commitment by the board to finance a strong squad, but not at any price, with the clear objective of coming straight back to the Conference if we go down.

Geoff Chapple asked for views on whether we should change the away strip. No strong views here: some wanted white shorts, some black (one suggested hooped shorts!), some suggested we should play in yellow at home as we seemed to have more luck in these shirts. One commented that it is a pity the home crowds we visit don't see our famous red and white hoops.

Geoff then asked if anyone wanted to ask anything, particularly given the present league position. He expressed his disappointment that so many players had under-performed this year, and said he took total responsibility for the current situation, and for the lack of players coming in. The Directors had been pressing for more new faces, but he had decided to wait until January to review the situation, and thereafter had tried but failed to get several players. Some that had come in had not delivered as expected. He remained determined to see out his contract and specifically said that the red and white hoops were becoming ingrained. Whilst the board wanted him, he was happy to stay and put things right. To dispel speculation, he specifically said he had no wish to manage Aldershot. Of the team, the one player he singled out was Steve Farrelly, who he said was alone probably worth 12 points a year and had been badly missed.

In the discussion that followed, no-one seemed minded to give Geoff a hard time. One long term supporter thanked him for the excitement of the last 3 years, after nearly 50 years when we had achieved nothing of significance. His biggest regret was that Jack Goodchild hadn't lived to see the success we had achieved. This sentiment seemed to sum up the mood of the meeting, and with no-one wishing to wade in, the chairman closed the meeting and we tucked into chilli, sandwiches and wine, and lots of off-the-record chat I won't repeat here.

[top of the page]
Friday 20th April 2001
Hereford match report
The report of Wednesday's nil-nil draw at Edgar Street is now ready.
[top of the page]
Details of the Kingstonian FC AGM
The Annual General Meeting of Kingstonian F.C. took place last night and the meeting seems to have been fairly upbeat considering the current situation. Some brief "highlights" are given below - thanks are due to those people who passed on the information:

The club's core revenues will not be significantly reduced should relegation occur, as much of the income comes from off the pitch activities such as hospitality etc.

There is a strong loyalty factor amongst the players, and with the introduction of a performance-related pay scheme, hopes are high that many will still be around next season.

It seems unlikely that the annual Chelsea friendly will continue as there is disagreement between the two clubs on several issues, with the main problem being the 50/50 split of gate receipts from that game.

Geoff Chapple said that he was expecting a rough ride at the meeting as he accepts full responsibility for the problems this season. He feels that one of the main problems was the loss of Steve Farrelly. He also said that he has had no contact with Aldershot and that he fully intends to see out the remainder of his contract.

Chapple also said that, without mentioning names, some players have really disappointed him this season and that he himself has been "too loyal" to some. He also thanked the fans for the great support.

[top of the page]
Thursday 19th April 2001
Hereford United 0-0 Kingstonian
There were no goals at Edgar Street last night as K's got just one point - which puts the relegation fight out of their own hands. You can vote for your man of the match.
[top of the page]
Date fixed for the Surrey Senior Cup semi-final
The Surrey Senior Cup semi-final at Whyteleafe will now take place on Thursday May 3rd 2001.
[top of the page]
Tuesday 17th April 2001
Telford match report
The report of yesterday's defeat at the hands of Telford is now available.
[top of the page]
Vote now for the Goal of the Season
You can now vote for the Goal of the Season, although this one is just for fun. The Player of the Year, on the other hand, is a very serious affair. Which is why Butch Shakespeare of Triumph Trophies has donated a trophy.
[top of the page]
Monday 16th April 2001
Kingstonian 0-1 Telford United
A 12th minute goal from Steve Palmer was enough to hand the points to Telford as K's relegation worries worsen. The match was sponsored by K's Web (see below) and the official man of the match was Colin Luckett. You can however select your own.

Ad
[top of the page]
Result round-up
K's are now five points away from safety after Forest Green gained a point against Hereford and Kettering beat Northwich.
[top of the page]
Player of the Year sponsored by Butch Shakespeare
The Player of the Year award has been generously sponsored by Butch Shakespeare of Triumph Trophies. Thanks very much to him, and if you need any awards, corporate giftware or engraving please contact him on 020 8541 5174.
[top of the page]
Yeovil video clips
Clips of the seven goals from last week's 4-3 defeat against Yeovil can now be seen.
[top of the page]
Tooting match report
The shorter than usual (it was boring alright?!) report of last week's victory over Tooting and Mitcham is now ready.
[top of the page]
Man of the Match results
Ronnie Green won the Northwich man of the match vote, whilst Mark Beard won against Tooting.
[top of the page]
Get a K's mobile phone logo
You can now get a K's mobile phone logo by going to www.dialaring.com and entering "44533" in the search box. The logo costs two pounds and has been designed by Adam Dawkins [adam_out_of_compton@hotmail.com].
[top of the page]
Sunday 15th April 2001
Southport match report
The report of yesterday's two-two draw is now complete.
[top of the page]
Vote now for the Player of the Year
As you can see, you can now vote for the K's Web Player of the Year 2000/1. A Goal of the Season (just for fun) vote will follow shortly.
[top of the page]
Saturday 14th April 2001
Southport 2-2 Kingstonian
Another injury time goal denied K's three points after Gavin Holligan and Geoff Pitcher had twice put the visitors ahead at Haig Avenue. Dave Linighan was sent off in the last minute for Southport when K's had a three-on-two break at the other end of the pitch. You can see the line-up and also vote for the man of the match.
[top of the page]
Result round-up
In today's other games, Kettering beat Hednesford two-nil to move above K's, whilst Forest Green beat Chester with an own-goal to move four points clear of K's. The latest situation can be seen on the Stayin' Up! page
[top of the page]
Thursday 12th April 2001
Kingstonian 3-1 Tooting and Mitcham
Goals from Phil Wingfield, Billy Mead and Eddie Akuamoah were enough for an almost-first-team to come back against Tooting and Mitcham's reserves, who had taken an early lead. You can see the line-up and also vote for the man of the match
[top of the page]
It's Whyteleafe in the semi-final
K's now face Whyteleafe away in the semi-final of the Surrey Senior Cup, at a date yet to be arranged.
[top of the page]
Northwich match report
The report of Tuesday's defeat at The Drill Field is now ready.
[top of the page]
Man of the Match results
Colin Luckett won the man of the match vote against Scarborough whilst Ronnie Green won the Yeovil vote.
[top of the page]
Wednesday 11th April 2001
Northwich Victoria 2-1 Kingstonian
K's lost once again last night at The Drill Field, as a second half penalty proved enough for the home side to grab the three points. You can see the line-up and also vote for the man of the match.
[top of the page]
Details of the league table
The situation in the league is getting worse. The league table sees K's still in 20th place, but with fewer games in hand.
[top of the page]
Monday 9th April 2001
Now it's Tooting on Thursday
The Conference press release was wrong (as usual) and we are in fact playing Tooting and Mitcham at home on Thursday in the Surrey Senior Cup quarter-final.
[top of the page]
Sunday 8th April 2001
Yeovil match report
The report of yesterday's amazing defeat is now ready.
[top of the page]
Nuneaton video clips
You can now see the three goals from last Saturday's defeat at Nuneaton. The clips are once again in QuickTime format and are available here.
[top of the page]
Man of the Match result
Eddie Akuamoah won the Nuneaton man of the match with 11 votes.
[top of the page]
Saturday 7th April 2001
Kingstonian 3-4 Yeovil Town
Despite leading three times against the league's second-placed team - through goals from Gavin Holligan, Derek Allan and Ronnie Green - an injury-time winner from Warren Patmore was enough to hand Yeovil the three points. You can see today's line-up and also vote for the man of the match.
[top of the page]
Result round-up
It was a bad day for K's as both Hayes and Kettering won. The latest situation can be seen on the Stayin' Up! page.
[top of the page]
It's probably Yeovil on Thursday
K's will probably be facing Yeovil again on Thursday in the Nationwide Variety Club Trophy semi-final, although this has not yet been confirmed.
[top of the page]
It's Canvey v Forest Green in the Trophy Final
This year's FA Trophy Final will be between Canvey Island and Forest Green Rovers, as they beat Chester City and Hereford United respectively today.
[top of the page]
Thursday 5th April 2001
Kingstonian v Tooting - match postponed
Tonight's game against Tooting and Mitcham was postponed due to the weather. No new date has yet been announced.
[top of the page]
Telegraph: McDonald's parting shot
From yesterday's Daily Telegraph:

McDonald's parting shot

KINGSTONIAN'S surprise decision to dismiss coach Ian McDonald was still stirring up bad feeling around the struggling Nationwide Conference club yesterday with manager Geoff Chapple for once the brunt of criticism.

Chapple, more used to plaudits for his achievements at Woking and Kingstonian, went into last night's crucial home game against Scarborough with McDonald's parting shots still ringing in his ears. McDonald heard the news he had dreaded from chairman Alan Kingston who complained about a lack of new signings. The only recent arrival was Gavin Holligan, who returned to the club on loan from West Ham.

"I lost my job because the manager wasn't doing his job properly," McDonald said. "The only job I couldn't do was sign players yet I had been throwing players' names at Geoff all season.

"They took the easy way out by sacking the coach. Geoff is so much of an icon there they couldn't sack him. It would have meant paying out a six-figure plus compensation fee."

Chapple admitted: "Ian has carried the can. I have been too loyal to players who have served me brilliantly. They have been magnificent in the FA Cup but have not shown the same sort of consistency in the league."

Chapple has appointed Steve Sedgley, the former Tottenham and Coventry midfielder, to replace McDonald.

[top of the page]
Wednesday 4th April 2001
Scarborough match report
The report of yesterday's two-two draw is now available.
[top of the page]
Tuesday 3rd April 2001
Paul Shrubb resigns
Paul Shrubb has resigned as assistant first-team coach in support of Ian McDonald.
[top of the page]
Steve Sedgley appointed
But a new coach has been appointed, with Steve Sedgley joining the club from Wolves. The ex-Tottenham, Coventry and Wolves defender was called in by Geoff Chapple at 3.30 this afternoon, and if he likes the set-up will stay for longer. Sedgley, who was involved in tonight's match, has almost certainly seen an end to his playing career.
[top of the page]
A club statement regarding Ian McDonald
The following press release has been received from the club:

KINGSTONIAN COACH GOES

Ian MacDonald has left his position of Chief Coach at Kingstonian Football Club after 18 months in the job.

Explains Chairman Alan Kingston: "We are not a Board which lightly makes a decision that somebody should leave the Club. However, the facts are that if we continue the playing record maintained since Christmas we will very likely be relegated. We believe there is a need to create a fresh impetus and a new approach within the dressing room if the slide is to be arrested.

"For the record I should confirm that Geoff Chapple argued fiercely against the decision which was unanimous among the rest of the Board.

"In spite of strenuous efforts, we reached a situation last week where we had signed only one outfield player throughout the season with just 24 hours remaining before the transfer deadline. In fact we managed another signing right on the deadline but we felt we should take a further step to try to achieve a positive spark among the players.

Since January the Board has continually stressed to the team management that some current players should be released and new players brought in. As a point of fact the playing budget shows a 23% increase on last season further funds were available for new players.

"Without new players to provide a new dressing room impetus it was decided that a new coach with fresh ideas and different views was an option which the Board felt it should take if it was to fulfil its responsibilities to the Club.

"Such decisions are never easy, particularly when it is remembered the Club has not sacked a manager or coach for four years. This one has been taken in a genuine endeavour to meet the best interests of the team and its supporters. To have done nothing and to have kept going as we were, with a playing record which was leading to probable relegation, was not considered to be an option.

The Club hopes to make an announcement concerning a new Team Coach later today (Tuesday).

[top of the page]
Kingstonian 2-2 Scarborough
Despite the sending off of one of Scarborough's players early in the second-half, K's could only draw tonight's crucial match at Kingsmeadow. The man of the match vote is now open, and you can also see the line-up here.
[top of the page]
Result round-up
Thankfully Kettering lost by one goal to nil to Leigh tonight, whilst Dover picked up a point at home to Chester leaving K's still in twentieth position in the table.
[top of the page]
Ian McDonald was sensationally sacked by the club yesterday
Ian McDonald was sensationally sacked by the club yesterday after three years as Assistant Manager. He was informed by Chairman Alan Kingston in a meeting also involving Geoff Chapple. It is reported that the directors felt the need "to be seen to be doing something" about the current problems. No official statement from the club has yet been made.

In an exclusive interview with K's Web, Geoff Chapple told us the following: the Chairman informed Geoff and Ian that there would be a meeting some time on Monday, and Geoff and Ian reached the conclusion that "they wouldn't be offering us a box of chocolates". The decision from the board seems to have been pretty unanimous, apart from Chapple who "won't have a bad word said against him". He did cede that no man is bigger than the club, including himself, and that he was concerned for his position during the meeting.

Chapple has spent most of yesterday afternoon and evening looking for a new coach and will continue to do so today. He said that there are coaches around who are looking for work, but he believes in continuity and that this "is obviously not the best time" for this to happen - disrupting the preparations for tonight's game.

Geoff then paid tribute to Ian's involvement over the past three seasons, suggesting that a good coach certainly hasn't become a bad one overnight. He said that "the players have under-performed" and that they "must accept some responsibility for our current situation". He also remained confident that the team could pull themselves out of the relegation places. Thanks to Geoff for getting back to us so quickly.

K's Web would like to take this opportunity to thank Ian McDonald for his three years of dedication to the club, and to wish him well for the future. For more on this story (including an interview with a contributor of a certain web-site) tune to BBC Southern Counties - 104.6FM.
[top of the page]
Nuneaton match preview
There is now a preview of tonight's match with Scarborough on The Next Match.
[top of the page]
Tooting to send their reserves to Kingsmeadow
Tooting and Mitcham will reportedly be sending a reserve side to Kingsmeadow on Thursday, as their first team will be involved in a Ryman Division Two match.
[top of the page]
Monday 2nd April 2001
Nuneaton match report
For some reason the report of Saturday's defeat is very long.
[top of the page]
Sunday 1st April 2001
Nuneaton Borough 2-1 Kingstonian
K's are back in the bottom three after losing at Manor Park yesterday. Debutant Paul Barnes scored both of the home goals, whilst Eddie Akuamoah got K's. The line-up can be found here, where you can also vote for the man of the match.
[top of the page]
Result round-up
Elsewhere, there was a win for Hayes, 4-1 against Dagenham, and points for both Kettering and Dover. The latest situation can be seen of the Stayin' Up! page.
[top of the page]
Transfer deadline week transfers
According to the Nationwide site, the following transfers took place involving K's in the week running up to transfer deadline day:

   Gavin Holligan, from West Ham United, to Kingstonian, Basis: Loan
   Dylan Norman, from Old Selbornians (South Africa), to Kingstonian, Basis: Non Contract
   Donati Lorenzo, from St Priest (France), to Kingstonian, Basis: Non Contract
   Alan Flanagan, fromBray Wanderers, to Kingstonian, Basis: Non Contract
   Sean Thurgood, to Kingstonian, Basis: Non Contract
   Johan Gouttefangeas, to Kingstonian, Basis: Non Contract

[top of the page]
Nuneaton Supporters 1-3 Kingstonian Supporters
A few hours before "the main event" a match took place between Nuneaton supporters and Kingstonian supporters, in memory of the three Nuneaton fans who sadly died in a mini-bus crash just before Christmas. The K's side somehow won 3-1. Thanks to all who took part in what will hopefully become an annual event.
[top of the page]