Good afternoon and welcome to the junior 'battle of the ports’ described sometimes nowadays in a less glamorous fashion as the ‘battle of the dockyards’. I suspect in the modern idiom of dampening down any reference to conflict!
In any event we welcome our opponents Plymouth Parkway and all who have travelled, no doubt tediously this bank holiday to represent and support them. Enjoy your visit and return safely.

A start to the season best described as a mixed bag with some excellent stuff played alongside periods of mediocrity and costly mistakes.
We have as strong a squad as any, with an exciting blend of quality experience and youth and we expect and I’m sure will achieve a higher level of consistency.

Hamworthy United will prove tough opponents on their own patch with a tidy FA Cup record and we will need to improve on our current away record to win the tie. Always frustrating to be drawn away in any cup competition, but you need to beat all comers on all surfaces home or away to make progress.

Pleased to inform you that both our long term absentees ‘Billie' and ‘Woody’ are making good progress and at this point could well be back in training sometime in September. In this injury plagued start to the season it’s also comforting to hear others close to returns.

In a strengthening of our off the field squad, I’m delighted to announce that Mark Trapani a former fellow director at Pompey is involved in the reviewing and improving of our commercial and operational activities.
Mark is a well known figure locally after spending an entire lifetime growing the Snows motor group before retirement, he was a major player in the PST trust movement and still strums a lead guitar for the ‘Vagabonds’ an aptly named local group.

Alongside him Tracey Mitchell has returned to the fold and mightily pleased we are to have her back. Well known to most of you, Tracey recently had a stint here promoting hospitality and sponsorship sales before returning to her ‘day job'.
One of the many improvements at your club has of course been the welcoming approach to you all in the Boro Bar under the stewardship of Keith ably supported by Debra.
We intend to extend that approach to attract and host more functions and match day hospitality under Tracey’s brief.

One disappointing ‘performer’ here is the low level of local business sponsorship, likely the poorest in the league and at odds with your attendances currently at the top of it!
We are immensely grateful to the few dedicated sponsors we have of course and trust they feel suitably important and an integral part of the club.
In this potentially most challenging economic climate I believe that ‘local’ sport will have a key part to play in the wellbeing of its community, and the provision of affordable leisure escapism. In the same vein local businesses’ have a responsibility to contribute and forming alliances with sporting and leisure clubs is a proven path to achieve that.

In that vein we will be attempting under Debra’s ‘matronship’ to build on the success of Feed the Family and currently the Pantry scheme, to enhance our community care offerings in partnership with all who wish to team up and provide a soft landing to any hardship in any way we can. It’s our duty and privilege to do so.

And finally a huge thanks to you all for the tremendous increase in attendances currently a near trebling of the average I inherited, so can I be cheeky and ask for a further push to make it a nice round number….say 1000 …why not?
The club is on the move and you seem to feel its a great place to be. Dont be shy to tell others about it!

Enjoy the match stay safe and travel well.

Up the Boro.

Iain

Saturday 27th - Gosport Borough v Plymouth Parkway at the AEI Stadium - Privett Park - Kick off 3pm