TT BLOG

Chris Wade

@tufcchris

TALKING FIXTURES

Speaking personally, fixture release day is one of the most exciting days of the season. Who will we play first? Who will we play last? Who have we got on Boxing Day? Who have we got at the Easter weekend? All of those questions are the ones that I wanted answering when I refreshed the website at 1300 on Wednesday. And it all feels so exciting this season, and a million miles from the miserable end to last season.

Being at home on the first day of the season is great. It gets the supporters in through the gates early, it builds on the pre-season, and let’s be honest, we’re all winning the league on the first day of the season aren’t we? And the earliest opportunity to get those first three points being at home always helps.

So it’s great that on Saturday 10 August, Enfield Town will come to Plainmoor. Fresh to National League South after promotion from the Isthmian Premier Division last season, it will be a wonderful occasion from them to come to us and start their campaign. Getting a win on the board early is really important. Following that opening day encounter, trips to Farnborough and Bath City will be next, before a big game (if the bookmakers are to be believed) against Dorking at Plainmoor.

Of the expected title favourites, that early Plainmoor encounter could well be key. As the season moves into Autumn, three of last season’s leading contenders come to the home of the Yellows. Maidstone arrive on 12 October, followed by Worthing under the lights ten days later. Victories against teams around you are key in any league situation, and we all hope to see Torquay towards the top of the league this season with this brand new assembled squad.

One of the disappointing features of the National League South for supporters is that the more local matches are, in the main, played in midweek. Whilst this makes geographical sense due to the requirements of a lot of players to be working, it does mean that matches that are good days out are lost to Tuesday nights. Matches at Bath City, Salisbury, Weston-Super-Mare and Chippenham Town are all played during the week this season. But the Yellow Army will no doubt be out in full force.

Christmas time is always a special time of year for football. It is an excellent opportunity to obtain a lot of points in a short space of time, and also for crowd numbers to be high and spend special time with family at matches. This year looks the same again, with Hemel Hempstead Town at home four days before Christmas, with a trip to the seaside on Boxing Day at Weymouth, before Truro come to town for the Paul Wotton derby on New Year’s Day.

Just as Christmas is special, so is Easter, with two matches in four days against local opposition. The reverse fixtures from Christmas see a trip to the new Cornwall Stadium, before Weymouth come to Plainmoor on Easter Monday. This also happens to be the week of the final match of the season, where Hemel Hempstead again play a large part in our story by hosting us on the last day.

Looking at the schedule is nothing but exciting. The transformation at our beloved club is nothing short of incredible. Especially when you consider the shambles that we had become by the end of the last season. I am full of optimism, excitement, and hope for the future again. The start of 2024/25 cannot come soon enough.