Elmore v St. Austell 1 | Page 9

St Austell Aug 31_Layout 1 23/08/2013 10:56 Page 9 New season, new league...the start of a new and exciting era I am really excited about the challenge joining the South West Peninsula League brings to the club. Buxs view Having managed for more than 20 years in the Western League I felt it had lost its way and were ignoring sides from Devon. There used to be a lot of clubs from this area in the Western League but it was fast becoming a Bristol/Somerset/ Gloucester/Wiltshire-based league. By joining the South West Peninsula League we are returning to our roots as we were former members of the South Western League. The move makes sense for us geographically. There will be less travelling, which will make a massive difference to the club and create more local interest and, hopefully, bigger attendances. The standard in the South West Peninsula League is high and I know that the coming season is going to be tougher in this league than the one we have just left. I am anticipating an exciting but challenging season ahead. We have a very youthful squad here at Elmore, underpinned by a number of experienced players such as Darren Veale, Daniel Tapp, Brett Worbey, James Blake and Matt Harvey. And there are more youngsters in the second team and Under18s ready to step up – and I will not be afraid to bring them in if necessary. I must admit that the pre-season has not gone to plan, with work commitments, holidays and family commitments hampering preparations. It also meant I did not know what players would be available to the club. However, I knew that everything would come together as Tiverton Town and Willand finalised their team line-ups. This season heralds the start of a new and exciting era for Elmore FC. Buxs (Pete Buckingham) 9