2024/25 Pre Season and Opening Salvo. May throughearly August 2024!
Welcome to the 4th edition of our new Hillian’s Diary where we are keeping tabs on everything BHTFC. We started the journey with Edition 1 in January 2024 when Gary Mansell took the reins at Sevenoaks and produced a very entertaining away draw. We kept things moving through the business end of 23/24 and completed Edition Three with our exciting and well attended Presentation Evening. With season 23/24 confined to the history books the Club and this Diary can look forward to the Summer part of 2024 and the opening game to season 24/25. There is a lot to discuss!!
ON THE PITCH!
Jay Lovett returns as Joint Manager Alongside Gary Mansell 28/05/2024
In an online announcement Gary appraised us of the new Management Structure. ‘We are looking to utilise Jay’s experience, so he is coming in as Co Manager. Lewis Taylor will continue as Assistant Manager, Matt as Goal Keeping coach and we welcome Chloe as our Physio.
He continued ‘Jay knows the club the league and the grounds while I am at the start of my Management journey. It’s a calibrated role of getting two for the price of one. Sometimes he will take the lead roll and sometimes it will be me!’ Jay said ‘Gary and I have worked well for a number of years and we have a strong relationship. We will compliment each other and I am sure we will be very successful’ Lewis said ‘ We have two very experienced Managers and I felt there were more games in me for Burgess Hill. I will be on the playing side but also gaining further experience in the management role’ Matt said ‘ my job is simple, just to assist where ever I can. Hopefully we have the right formular to match the ambitions of the club!’
New Women’s Management Team Appointed 31/05/24
BHTFC are delighted announce the formation of a Women’s Team who will play on Sunday afternoons at the stadium and on the road.
Tom Clingo will manage the side assisted by Jacob Bennettand Callum Jewell. Vince Alfieri said ‘ Myself and the Board are hugely excited about Tom and the team joining us. We have a large girls section so this new team will create a pathway’ He added ‘ we are looking to create an enjoyable spectator experience on Sunday afternoons right here in Burgess Hill!’
Tom said ‘ I am very excited to be joining this fantastic community club. I was sold instantly!’ ‘We hope to deliver a positive experience on the pitch and our aim is to create a women’s team that the entire club and community can be proud of!’ ‘We hope to see many of you at the HomecallCarpets Community Stadium’
Player Diary by Jack Naldrett From early June till 13/6 Thanks to Jack
As soon as the new Management Team had been announced work got underway way in hiring new playing staff here in Mid Sussex. It was an extremely busy section of the year and as Jack demonstrates below, we had a lot of positive signings through the door!
Defenders
Hamish Morrison. Joins from Whitehawk where he has spent last 2 years. Promotion experience with Hawks. Spent 3 years at HH prior, was in Isthmian team of the season in 2019. Ex Brighton youngster. Tremendous signing, one of best defenders around.
Bobby Price. Joins from Horsham where he has spent last 2 years and we know how successful those have been! Previously with Carshalton for 10 years, bit of a legend down there. Won this league with them. Another really impressive signing from the Prem.
Alex Malins. Likely will be Marcus Allen’s CB partner, joins from Horsham, has played for Whitehawk but best known for playing many years at Lewes. Solid Prem defender. Solid signing again.
Marcus Allen. CB. Remains with the club after joining with Dean last year from Lancing. Frustrating first year with injuries, we never saw the best of him. Captained the side on occasions.
Martyn Box. You know all about him.
Reggie Ward. Likewise. Reg needs no introduction.
Midfielders
Ryan Worrall. Signs from Whitehawk but spent 5 years with Hastings before that, integral in the team that dominated this league a few seasons back. Another promotion winner. Terrific signing from the Prem.
Brannon O’Neil. I’m sure he needs no introduction to yourself, an ex Hillian. Joins from Bridges after captaining them to that excellent season last year. Likely will be captain.
Lewis Taylor. Needs no introduction. He will be playing more this season. People still believe he has a role to play on pitch and I agree.
Harry Lawson. Again, needs no introduction, one of our finest young talents who really broke into the team last year. He will move to a big club soon I have no doubt.
Noah Hoffman. You know all about him.
Forwards.
Dan Perry. No words needed.
Ben Pope. Again, you know all about him. A cracking partner and foil for Hitman. Goals goals goals! Another promotion winner.
Ollie Davies. One of our U18s who flew the nest to Eastbourne Town for regular men’s football. Was at Saffrons for 2 years, culminating in getting them promoted, scoring the winner in the final. Won all the awards at the Eastbourne presenting evening, managers player, fans player and supporters player. Deserves his shot back at this level and back with us. Could he really exciting!
Alex Brewer. Needs no introduction.
Tom Chalaye rejoins. Tom won league and cup glory with Steyning Town and needs no introduction to Hill fans.
Callum Chesworth Box to box mid fielder from Worthing. We welcome Callum to Burgess Hill.
Slav Huk (31) (Keeper) is a Hillian. The Dorking Wanders legend signs for the Hillian’s and is an instant hit with fans. He is shot stopper and has a reputation for saving penalties. We have a very exciting player in the squad. Huge Hillian welcome to Slav.
OFF THE PITCH
Pitch Renovation with Richard Mamoany from 13th May 2024 on going.
Regular readers will know that there are huge plans that the Homecall Community Stadium will eventually be laid by a wonderful artificial surface. However, in the meantime our grass pitch was up for Renovation this summer and it will be ‘vigorously’ used in the coming months. We caught up with Richard on 13th May as 40 tons of dirt was being dumped on the concrete. He said ‘that might look like a pile of dirt but that will be crucial to the process. It’s a mixture of soil and sand and cost around £1500 per 20 ton. In the next day or two the pitch will be mulitivated which means slitting the surface. This will bring the best of the existing soil to the surface. Then that 40 tons of soil will be spread evenly across and then finally around 14 bags of grass seed (at £100 a bag) will be sown on top. This will all be done by machinery so there is no buckets, spades and manual labour involved. As you can imagine this is quite an expenditure and we won’t see much change from £8000!’ He continued ‘we hope that high summer here in Mid Sussex is a furtive mix of sunshine, warmth but most importantly frequent rain showers’ That might not be what most of us want but to Groundstaff water us hugely important to the growing of new grass pitches. Mamoany hinted ‘if all goes well, we should have a fantastic surface to play on come that 1st pre season friendly!’
Mid May Said work is completed and the pitch is left to the summer elements through to early June.
7th June I was personally given the green light to step out there and reported ‘ Things are on track. There is a lush green appearance and rich texture to the surface!’ I learned that day that the grass was going to be given a light mow and was subject to some watering.
13th and 17th July Pre season starts
After two months of hard work and allowing the elements to work their magic the grass was mowed on 12th and later that day the pitch was marked out for play. I caught up him during our Three two loss against Brighton. Mid interview a sliding tackle went in which Richard exclaimed ‘Not on my pitch!’ A cautious Mamoany suggested ‘its gone ok but not as perfect as I might have expected. Its been a rather cool over the past few weeks and quite dry. The grass hasn’t gone mad!’
Well, this diary will park the Pitch Renovation story for a while as all settle into the new season. However, it’s a certainty that the ground is going to be used and abused over the next nine months and it will be very interesting to see how things shape up.
Stadium Improvements Ongoing through the Summer
Under the stewardship of our new Monday Club boss Tommy Manneh our volunteer’s group has gone from strength to strength with around 20 people regularly helping out. It’s meant that a lot of jobs have been able to seen to.
Back of the Net Cleaned and Restored inside and out. Mid June
Work on Back of the Net started on 3rd June with the laborious job of scraping off the outer later of moss and detritus on the outer walls. Once completed, on 10th and 11th June Bob set about re treating the walls with fresh paint. Jim cleaned and restored the outdoor lighting system. Meanwhile our new Back of the Net operatives (see further news below) were hard at work preparing the inner space for the season ahead. There was lots of sandpapering and painting going on.
Back of the Net, I am confident will be a thing of beauty come that 1st home game of the 24/25 season!
Outer Lawns and Boundaries ongoing
Many hands make light work, and it seems that our property is receiving a lot of care and attention. The outer lawns were cut very low and looked lovely on 7th June. John Goss on the mower! On 11th June a large patch of stinging nettles werecleared from the ground. Phil was getting on with clearing out foliage from the concrete paths.
All of this sort of stuff will be on going throughout the summer. It’s a certainty that Tommy will be wanting things to look at their best for that 1st home game. (13th July Brighton and Hove Albion)
John Buck Suit Gets Make Over from 11th June
Mr Buck Senior look away now. Under the guidance of Chairman Vince our corporate hospitality building the ‘John Buck Suite’ underwent the start of a major overhaul. The insides were gutted and for a short while much of the interior was lined up outside waiting for its destiny. It was a brutal day which included hints of knocking down a wall.
At 17th July The John Buck Suit is still a work in progress. However, the big news is that walls have been knocked down and there is open space and a new serving bar.
There is a lot going on here including hints of a new sponsor. We will pick this up in the next edition.
Changing Room Updates
On 10th June there was activity in the changing rooms as signs and badges were removed.
I took a look at the changing rooms and everywhere looked very smart awaiting players and staff for the new season.
24th June Terry and Michelle take over ‘Back of the Net’
The Monday Club were treated to menu samples for feedback to our new Back of the Net proprietors Terry and Michelle The Smash Burger was given high praise, but the sausage and chips samples were given a high rating.
It’s the couple’s first venture into football catering but they are very much looking to throw themselves into it. Michelle explained ‘This is a new venture for us, but we aim to provide hot tasty meals without lengthy ques that are good value for money. We hope that fans will come along and try our food but please bear with us as we bed in!’
The building itself has had a real make over with moss and detritus cleared from the exterior and repainted. Terry is a serious handyman and interior has all been cleaned up, repainted and ready for use. We hope Back of the Net is now future proof for seasons to come.
A huge welcome to Terry and Michelle they are now part of the team.
27th June. Getting Serious with the Drainage Issue Mending Floodlights and Re doing 5 a side Pitch
The ground was alive with technical experts and hard-working Monday Club member.
There is no secret that Leylands Park does have a historical problem with the 1980s drainage system. Every season there have been tales of woe and stories of people getting their hands dirty and up to their eyeballs init. Marek of Home Smart Drainage was onsite and had dug a trench down the dug-out side of the pitch. He relayed pipe and put down new aggregate. However, there was more to be done and that included investigating other channels leading towards the club house penalty area. We left him to his work! Hopefully our drainage issues will have been sorted.
A cherry picker had been driven onto the property and there was the ‘odd’ but familiar sight of an engineer standing on a platform high in the sky. Three new bulbs duly fitted to the clubhouse and Ashley Cars ends of the ground. We wontreally see the benefit of these for a while.
Meanwhile Secretary Tim Spencer had swapped his laptop for a shovel as he worked on the 5 aside pitch. Regular readers will recall that we cleaned up the site in late winter. However, foliage retook the edges over the spring, so Tim set to cut back once again. He did a tremendous job!
Late July 2024 Pitch Fence Refurb.
Over the course of a couple of weeks, Bob, John and Tom got on with the fiddly job of reinstating some new wire fence panels. It would be easy to gloss over this task but yet again it displays the vast amount of technical skill sets we have in the Monday Club. From the writer huge congrats on this piece of work. It looked complicated and difficult but very much needed!
Players Meet and Train on Club Day 27th June
BHTFC was a hive of activity as both our Mens and Women’s teams gathered for the 1st time to participate in a training session on the back pitch. On a warm and sunny evening both squads look to be having a good time as they were put through their paces. Fans were treated to sight of around 50 BHTFC players and triallists all operating on one field.
Everyone then descended back into our cosy clubhouse to watch England play their last 24 Euro group game and top the group. England might not have scored a goal that evening but there was a real feel-good atmosphere amongst all BHTFC connections.
Pre Season Begins 6th July at Montpelier Villa where Hill bag Ten!
Joint managers Jay Lovett and Gary Mansell got things off to a startling start as their squad turned on the style to overpower County league Villa. Alex Brewer enjoyed his afternoon with four goals. Hit Man Dan scored a good brace while new Keeper Slav Huk would have been pleased with a clean sheet and a penalty save.
Huge thanks to Montpelier for hosting and good luck for the season.
Friday 12th July we caught up Monday Club Manager Tom Manneh high up in the club house stand. He told me ‘on the eve of our 1st home game of the season I feel we are ready! It has been a real journey over the past 10 weeks which at some points felt desolate. However, the team have worked very hard and have finished most of the jobs we set out to do. We hope that fans come to the match, look around and say yes there has been a lot of work done to this stadium!’
Saturday 13th July It’s a narrow loss against our new friends from Hampshire
Many thanks to Hartley Whitney for making the trip to Mid Sussex and playing this friendly match. In a compelling encounter play was brisk and competitive. Hopefully both camps used the opportunity well on the perfect day for football.
It would have been a good trip back west for our visitors as they ran out one nil winners.
Tuesday 16th July Brighton Youngsters Run Out Three Two Winners
As a sharp pre match rainstorm passed over the Homecall our surface was left with a glisten which aided pacy and accurate passing. Over 300 spectators passed through the turnstile to give our match officials and outlet operators a thorough work out. There was a real feel-good factor amongst both sets of fans as Hill kicked off, decked in their yellow away kits, to the Ashley Carr end. Dan Perry opened the scoring on 14 mins with a long-range effort which flew into the bottom corner.
That woke the Seagulls who turned on the style to power three unanswered 1st half goals. It was an intense 30 mins of Brighton dominance.
With Lewis Taylor introduced as Centre Back at HT, the Hill looked very solid which allowed them to go attack. Eventually pressure told as the ref spotted a foul in the Albion penalty area. To a rousing reception Martyn Box thumped home the penalty.
The three two loss palled into insignificance as all fans would have enjoyed a gripping and skilful match. Hill looked robust, purposeful and resilient during that 2nd half while BHAFC were highly skilful in the 1st half. A brilliant evening around the Homecall!
Many thanks to all Brighton and Hove Albion connections for travelling to Mid Sussex. We enjoyed your company and good luck for the upcoming season.
BHTFC Leaflet Drop 10,000 to each BH Household 17thJuly
In a huge and expensive drive to raise gate numbers David Corney composed a beautiful leaflet giving Club details, the full fixture list and inviting new fans to come and join the ‘Journey’. Volunteers were pounding the streets all day dropping though letter boxes. Obviously, we will not fully appreciate the full effect of this exercise until the season gets underway. The aim though is to attract new visitors to the Homecall. We thank every person who helped with pounding the streets.
This exercise will be on going for several weeks but one can feel that Burgess Hill letterboxes are turning Green and Black.
BHTFC lose the Ann John Trophy. 20/7/2024
Our friends at the Beacon are going places under new Chairman and BHTFC legend Pat Harding. They really played very well on the day to claim a two nil win and pick up the Ann John Trophy for the first time since 2016. Huge congratulations and we wish you all the best for the season. Please come and join us here in the Isthmian family.
As for Hill it was another good run out for Gary Jay and the squad.
Its 8 against Knaphill 25/7/2027
Alex Brewer is having an amazing pre season and is pushing for a place in that starting line up as our striker. He is scoring goals for fun.
It turned into a great night around the Homecall perhaps boringly the most successful achievement. A clean sheet, SLAV HUK !!
Hill End Pre season in West London. It’s a four at Northwood. 27/7/2024
Hill ended their 2024 preseason in hot style with Martyn Box grabbing a 1st half brace. Alex Brewer is a player to keep a sharp eye on this season. He slid in a 3rd on half time. Tom Chalaye made it 4 in the 2nd half. Once again we keep a clean sheet SLAV HUK!
2024/25 Curtain Raiser. Hill Progress in the Fa Cup ,WestLondon Friday 2/8/24
Alex and Slav Star in One Nil Win.
All those hours of preseason were put to good use as the Hillians overcome what could have been a real banana skin at tricky Spelthone FC. The Combined County outfit put on a great show for us on a balmy Friday evening and were very much up for the fight. They covered every inch of grass and were competitive through out the match.
We had to match them with intent and endeavour every step of the way. In a very robust game of few chances Alex Brewerfired the Hillian ahead late in the 1st half. Following a right wing cross he found a yard of space to volley home.
With time running out our new keeper Slav Huk, who had had a quiet time, was forced into a point blank save as the host’s left winger was left free. His goal bound stinging shot from 6 yards was forced over the cross bar. It was a stunning and important moment in the game.
We thank Spelthorne for hosting and send messages of good luck for the season ahead. You guys will go well in the league! Also, a huge thanks to many Hill fans who made their way up for the occasion. Make no bones about it but this was a brilliant evening for the Hillians where the Management and playing staff should be rightly applauded. It’s a win that has allowed us all to breath knowing that an attractive home tie awaits, and we can now have a week to prepare for Sevenoaks in the league.
Well, that’s the end of Edition 4, Hillian’s Buzz where hopefully you have enjoyed real insights to the amount of work that has gone on over the last few months. It’s been a hectic summer both on and off the pitch where many people have rallied around to get things done. Behind it all David, Vicky, Vince and Tina have been leading us very much forward.
You get the feeling there is a ‘journey’ happening here at the Homecall Carpets Community Stadium and that FA Cup win might very well be the start of something special. Edition 5 gets underway again as we move into the Isthmian South East League and will be brought to you in the early Autumn.
Let’s Go Hill!
Cobo 3/08/2024
