Newton Flotman Host Business Houses Cup Finals

For the third year running we have had the pleasure of hosting the Business Houses League Finals. As before they were held over two days with two matches on one Saturday and one on the following Saturday. As on previous ocassions we provide the faciliites and then we keep profits from the sale of food and drink and we will see income of almost £200 from this years events.

The first two matches on 1st May were held in perfect weather and with a team from the same club in each of the finals we were gauranteed a good crowd; so good in fact that we had to go out for additional supplies. It was a very long afternoon as the second game went to extra time and penalties but our hard working team of James Baker, Mark Bunting and Jon Sparham kept at right until the end of a very busy day.

The third match was held on 8th May and the weather was particulally unkind as it was cold and wet for the whole afternoon which had an impact on attendance but did not prevent our team of James Baker, Tom Howard and Renzo Huaynates from making good sales once again.

Fred and I would like to thank these people for putting in a lot of effort for the good of the whole club and hope that we can see more club members prepared to help when this event returns next year.

Graham Burgess

Injury Update

Dave Smithwhite is to undergo his knee surgery on the 29th of April. Dave, who ruptured his knee ligaments a few months ago has been a big loss to the club and we hope that his operation goes well so we can get him back involved as soon as possible.

Dave Smithwhite

Injuries have plagued us all season, and in the last few weeks it seems to get worse. Aaron Doggett tells me his knee is hurting too much to play for the rest of the season, and so is going to rest it until next season. Mark Appleton suffered an ankle sprain in the game against Foulsham. Nick Appleton has been suffering with illness and has now damaged his ankle ligaments. Ed Sutcliffe has had problems with his foot and is now complaining of a pulled hamstring. Martin Rix has missed the entire season due to a groin problem. Danny Gaskin has missed the entire season (again) due to ruptured knee ligaments (again). Jake Clifford has been suffering with a knee complaint for weeks and is hopefully going to make it until the end of the season so he can rest and recover properly. Tom Bridges has a back problem but has been playing through the pain. Matthew Stangroom has turned his ankle and for the second time this season it is now the size of a coconut.

Despite these problems, we struggle on.

Jimmy To Coach USA Kids

Jimmy Hupton (pictured below, on the right!)is off to Providence State, USA to coach kids aged 9 to 16 in week-long "soccer" camps this summer. Jimmy wil be flying out on July 10th and returning on August 29th and this opportunity will provide him with invaluable experience as he looks to obtain his UEFA 'B' Coaching Licence. Fingers crossed that England give USA a good spanking in the World Cup, or those American kids could give our poor Jimmy a hard time when he gets there! Good luck Jimmy!

Horsemen Abroad

Newton Flotman are pleased to welcome back Nick Eagle, Tom Bridges, Martin Rix, David Bircham and Jake Clifford from their annual snowboarding holiday. Fortunately for us they went at the best time possible this year and didn't miss a game, although we possibly had better snow on some days. Here's a photo of Nick and Stubbs in all their gear with the all important Flotman jacket to keep them warm!

Vacancy on the Committee

With Owen Southgate leaving to join local rivals Long Stratton, the Club are without a Club Development Officer. If anybody is interested in applying for this position they should contact the Chairman, Graham Burgess (see contact details on Staff page) and it could be discussed at the upcoming Committee meeting.

Payne-Wilkins Returns to Flotman

Having returned to the UK from the States, Jesse Payne-Wilkins has confirmed his desire to play for the Horsemen for the remainder of the season. Jesse was leading goalscorer for the First Team last season and his return will mean competition for places will surely get hotter.

Chairman Graham Burgess Reveals Hippy Lifestyle

When asked for a photograph to grace the website, Chairman Graham Burgess produced this rather stunning shot of him dressed as a 60's hippy! What a fashionista! If you have any more funny or embarrassing photographs of anybody at the club (including me!) please email them to dannygaskin@hotmail.com. "Peace Man."

New Additions to Strengthen Both Sides This Year

First Team Manager Danny Gaskin was delighted when new boy Steve Kelly signed on for the club after one friendly. Steve had played against us just a week earlier in a pre-season friendly for Division 1 side St. Johns, and had obviously liked what he saw because a week later he was playing for the mighty Horsemen! So far Steve has already proved his versatility, playing well in a range of different positions.

Mark Appleton has agreed to re-sign, and (more importantly) play all season. Mark is a proven goalscorer at every level he's played at, so Flotman will hope he continues doing what he does best.

In addition to these two players there are several more, all of whom have been impressing so far for both the First and Reserve Teams.

As important as acquiring new players is keeping hold of the current ones. Fortunately we have managed to keep hold of the majority of those who played a massive role in last season's promotion for the First Team, so it's great that they've got the hunger to continue the fight and try to get both teams up the leagues.

Official Club Badge Unveiled

After weeks of designing, deliberation and re-designing, our distinguished Chairman Mr Graham Burgess has decided upon what is to be our official club badge and will therefore be sported on our kit, training kit and merchandise in years to come. Many thanks to Tom Bullard for taking on the rough design and turning it into something much, much better. You can visit Tom's website at www.slybadgerdesigns.co.uk

A Change of Roles for "Fred"

Nigel "Fred" Harrod, club stalwart, announced at the AGM that he would not be continuing with his dual role of Secretary/Treasurer. Secretary/Treasurer due to work commitments. CLICK HERE for more information.

No sooner had he done this, than the committee proposed him forward as the new Vice-Chairman of the club. It is with great pleasure to announce that "Fred" accepted this role and will still be around on match days to lend his support to the players/management as well as to Graham!

The role of Secretary has been taken on by Brian Glover with David Chamberlain taking on the role of Treasurer. More information on the new guys will be posted on the Staff page soon.

Jesse's Running to America

Newton Flotman player Jesse Payne-Wilkins has just been offered an academic/sports scholarship at an American college.
He will be at Cayuga Community College, New York state, for two years before transferring into a four-year American university to complete a sport-related Major and to play football.

We'll miss you Jesse, but everyone at the club is very proud and wishes you all the best! To find out more about Jesse's adventure, CLICK HERE.

2009-2010 Season

Next season promises to be an exciting one with club laying the foundations to build towards earning the FA Charter Standard, the potential additions of youth teams to the set up and some new additions to the playing and coaching staff. If you are interested in sponsoring the teams or getting involved in the club in any way, contact me at dannygaskin@hotmail.com.

Presentation Evening 2008-2009

Our annual Presentation Evening was held at The Mill Inn, Saxlingham Thorpe and the announcement that our First Team had been promoted to Division 3 was greeted with jubilant cheers from all. Well done lads! Congratulations also to those award winners on the night. Reserve Team Manager James Baker won Clubman of the Year after a difficult season in which his hard work and services were of great benefit to the club and players. The new Shaun Bunn award was given to Tom Howard in recognition of his loyalty and commitment throughout the season. The award is in memory of former Reserve Team Player Manager Shaun Bunn, who sadly passed away in September last year, and was handed out by his partner Tanya and son Ashley. First Team Player's Player was won by Nick Appleton, and the Manager's award was given to Mark Sutcliffe. Jesse Payne-Wilkins won Leading Goalscorer. Tom Bridges received the Supporters Player. The Reserve Team winners were Renzo Huaynates with the Player's Player and Nicky Talbot with the Manager's Player of the Season. David Burgess won their golden boot.

To see the photos of this event, click here!