Fakenham Town
CANLER & SON
Funeral Directors
Mr . G . M . Stratton Dip . F . D . N . A . F . D .
01328 862077 canler @ nnbusiness . co . uk
Highfield Road , Fakenham , Norfolk , NR21 9DH another top class volunteer in its albeit small numbers . He makes a good cup of tea too !
Nigel ’ s contacts within the professional game have already proved useful to The Ghosts , with visits of Development Squad ’ s from both Norwich City ( who he managed between 2000 & 2006 , and led to promotion to the Premier League in 2003- 2004 ) and Leicester City ( who he steered to safety from relegation at the end of the 2006-2007 season ).
Also finding himself in a new seat at the club was new Vice-Chairman Matt Hagon , who had joined the club ’ s committee a few months previously . Bringing with him fresh ideas , and a particular interest in the social media side of things , which has come on leaps and bounds in the past few months .
One of the first changes made in the new regime was to bridge the divide between the youth sides and the club . Due to the quality of the Clipbush Park pitches , some of the sides were playing at the local high school and that needed to change .
Fakenham have always prided themselves as a community based club that develops its young players , and bringing a player through to one of the senior teams is always the ultimate aim . With around 300 youngsters from as young as 6 at the club it ’ s safe to say the future is bright .
Throughout the close season , a whole regeneration program was put in place and the whole ground got a facelift . Freshly painted corridors and dressing rooms , repaired fences , filled potholes – the clubs band of helpers undertook anything necessary to freshen things up . The club also boast a new clubhouse extension , enabling Matchday hospitality to take on a classier feel .
The new-look also stretched to the club ’ s First Team Matchday programme , with the introduction of “ Park Life ”.
Designed completely in-house by the club ’ s Press Officer Tony Miles , and printed locally anything relevant to the club is now being included . The Ghosts website is also more popular than ever , with its ever changing content .
On the pitch The Ghosts are in the Premier Division of the Thurlow Nunn League , and in the Quarter Finals of the
Norfolk Senior Cup , a competition they have won on seven occasions and one that first team manager Wayne Anderson has his eyes on again .
Stability in the league is also key for the gaffer who returned to the club at the beginning of 2016 after a brief spell at local rivals Dereham Town . For the first team in years , the first team has strength in depth and a real squad ethic is in place
– much like the one that exists within the committee of the club . Title contenders in the not-too-distant future is the plan .
Fakenham ’ s Reserve side has a new management team , a stronger squad than previously with a desire to play for each other and ultimately achieve promotion out of Anglian Combination Division Three . A winning formula is also the plan for the club ’ s Ladies side , who ply their trade in the Norfolk Women ’ s & Girls Football League .
What the future holds for The Ghosts is anyone ’ s guess . In the current climates of grassroots football , it takes a massive amount of work from hardworking individuals . You need to pull together , and take the rough with the smooth . It takes time to build something great , so keep watching this space .
But at Clipbush Park at least , in the words of chairman Andrew Jarvis - “ People can see the changes , they can see the benefits , they can feel the atmosphere of the club is so much better now . Everybody ’ s enjoying themselves , everybody ’ s got a smile on their face and it ’ s a nice place to be again ”.
www . footballfocus . biz 53