Pitch Maintenance Barry Oakley, Barry Cavilla, Brian Barnes
Address Rowley Park, Kester Way, St Neots, Cambs, PE19 6SL
Website— www.stneotstownfc.co.uk
St Neots Town Football Club, nicknamed ‘The Saints’ - St Neots Town was formed in 1879, simply as ‘St Neots’. Operating as an amateur side in its early years, the club tasted its first major success by becoming the inaugural winners of the Huntingdonshire Senior Cup in the 1888-89 season. They dominated local cup competitions around the turn of the century while playing in the Biggleswade & District League.
The club went through a couple of early name changes, becoming St Neots & District in 1924, and joining the Bedfordshire & District League (later the South Midlands League), which they won in 1932- 33. They made their first foray into the United Counties League (UCL) in 1936 before the outbreak of World War II disrupted regional football.
Post-War Eras and Name Changes (1950-1988)
In 1949, the club became founder members of the Metropolitan League, winning a league and cup double in their very first season. They officially settled on the name St Neots Town F.C. in 1951.
The late 1960s marked one of the most successful eras for the club:
• FA Cup Run (1966-67): The Saints enjoyed their best-ever run in the FA Cup, reaching the First Round Proper, where they put up a valiant effort before falling 2-0 away to Walsall.
• The Record Streak: By 1969, the club won the Huntingdonshire Senior Cup for a staggering 12th consecutive season, setting a historic record for senior cup wins in England.
• League Double (1967-68): They rejoined the UCL and quickly claimed the Premier Division title and League Knockout Cup double.
However, the late 1980s brought severe hardship. In 1987, the owner of their long-term Shortsands Yard home sold the ground to developers. Forced to play on a borrowed works pitch and drowning in outstanding debt, the club was forced to completely disband in 1988.
Reformation and Modern Era (1990
-Present)
The club’s absence from football lasted only two seasons. In 1990, local investors stepped in to reform St Neots Town FC. Starting from scratch in the Huntingdonshire Junior League and playing on communal council pitches at Priory Park, the team won four consecutive titles to earn readmission into the UCL senior divisions by 1994.
The club climbed back up the non-league ladder, moving into their modern Rowley Park stadium in 2008. To signal their high ambitions, they even appointed former Northern Ireland internationals Steve Lomas and Michael Hughes to their management team in 2009, alongside former Fulham midfielder Sylvain Legwinski.
This ambition paid off with a dominant 2010- 11 season, breaking multiple league records en-route to winning the UCL Premier Division and initiating a rise through the Southern League systems. Following their championship campaign in the United Counties League Premier Division South, The Saints continue their journey up the English football pyramid.
Cameron Mawer was appointed First Team manager in May 2023 in first season suffered heartache in league play-off in UCL North Premier, to achieve promotion following season as champions, the progression back to step 4 & the Northern Premier League, Saints stay was short and were relegated back to UCL Premier South for upcoming season.
The journey behind this season’s NEW kit started back early October when the club reached out to Sean Pankhurst Founder / Owner / Designer of Teamex Sportwear. From initial discussions Sean presented a number of kit concepts which showed strong links to our history and to the town which really impressed us. Hopefully you’ve seen the kit release on social media and massive thanks need to go to our First Team Sponsor Amplified if you’ve seen it I hope you agree its brilliant.
The Away Kit a return to tradition away shirt colours & is celebrating St Neots Town unique connection between the CLUB and the TOWN the shirt design includes a plan view of the 4 lanterns in St Neots market square.
Also included in ALL the shirt designs is the ribbon from the St Neots sign.
The Home Kit is celebrating the 60 years on from the clubs best FA Cup run when the 1966 team reached the 1st round proper against Walsall FC –losing 2-0. A great achievement and it was fantastic to have Terry Reedman come down & support the filming of kit release and listen to his stories of that season and his time with St Neots Town FC.
Also included in shirt design is map of TOWN.
The WARM UP shirt we hope will be a fan favourite, again link reference in the club crest to River Ouse
Limited Number of shirt & sizes available via club shop hut & orders can be place via Teamex Sportswear use this link.
What a fantastic experience Darren & Ben from our First team sponsor , in supporting / producing the NEW kit launch and what a result !!!
From start to finish the professional approach / storyboard ideas / communication & execution made this a fun & rewarding project.
Here are a few images captured on the day …………...
Watch out for more social content as we celebrate 60 years of the clubs best FA run.
With Manager Cameron Mawer
Welcome everyone to the Premier Plus Stadium for our opening United Counties League fixture of the season against Northampton Sileby Rangers. Firstly, I’d like to welcome the players, staff, officials and supporters of Northampton Sileby Rangers. I hope everyone enjoys today’s game and has a safe journey home afterwards.
It’s great to finally be back. After the disappointment of relegation last season, we all had time to reflect, regroup and look at how we move this football club forward. Last season is behind us now. This is a fresh start, with a new group of players, a new belief around the club and a real determination to put St Neots Town back where we feel it belongs.
Pre-season has given us some really good tests against strong opposition. The results have never been the most important thing. It has been about building fitness, creating the right culture and giving the players time to understand what we’re trying to achieve. I’ve been really pleased with the commitment, attitude and togetherness the group has shown from day one.
We’ve also brought in some excellent additions over the summer. They’ve added quality, experience and real character to the dressing room, while the players who stayed have set the standards every day. I’d like to welcome every new player to St Neots Town Football Club. You’ve settled in brilliantly and bought into what we’re trying to build, and I’m looking forward to seeing what this group can achieve together.
Our ambitions are clear. We want to be competitive from the very first game and be challenging towards the top end of the table as the season develops. We know nothing is handed to you in this league, and every point has to be earned, but we believe we’ve assembled a group capable of competing every single week. Alongside our league ambitions, we want to go as far as we possibly can in both the FA Cup and the FA Vase. Those competitions create some of the best memories in non-league football, and we’ll approach every round with belief, determination and the desire to represent this club in the best possible way.
I’d also like to recognise the incredible amount of work that goes on behind the scenes. What people see on a Saturday is only a small part of what it takes to run a football club. Every day there are people giving up their time because they genuinely care about St Neots Town
From the volunteers and coaching staff, to the committee, the consortium and everyone working behind the scenes, there’s a huge amount of hard work going into moving this club forward. The work being done across the whole club, from the Development and our player pathway right through to the first team, is helping build strong foundations for the future. Progress doesn’t happen overnight, but there is a real feeling that everyone is pulling in the same direction, and that’s something we should all be proud of.
I also want to mention the condition of the pitch. It looks absolutely fantastic, and that accident. The amount of work, time and care that has gone into preparing it over the summer deserves enormous credit. It provides the players with the best possible surface to play on and is something everyone connected with the club can be proud of. On behalf of the players and staff, thank you to everyone who has played a part in getting it looking as good as it does.
Finally, to our supporters, thank you. Whether you’ve been here for years or you’re watching us for the first time today, your support really does make a difference. We know there will be ups and downs throughout the season, but if we stick together as one club, we’ll give ourselves every chance of enjoying a successful year.
Enjoy the game, and let’s get the season underway.
Massive Thank you to Goats Barbers for there sponsorship of U10’s Development Team
Is BACK !!!!!
£20 for season
• 10% off Bar Drinks for named cardholder
• Monthly Raffles
• 10% off Room Hire
With Chairman Barry Cavilla
Good Afternoon and welcome back Everyone for the 1st league game of the New Campaign in the United counties premier division south 26/27 season.
Welcome to our visitors today Northampton Silby Rangers players, officials and supporters to open kick of this New season at the Premier plus stadium .
Well it’s been a hectic few months in this close season for everyone connected to the club, getting players, ground and events organised and then there was the World Cup to keep our appetite going throughout, which I hope you all tried to Enjoy .
The club and its team have been working extremely hard throughout . We are delighted we have Cameron and his team determined to bounce back this season. We have been working to maintain the support from our partners and sponsors to help develop our club and make improvements to the team ,facilities and of importantly your match day experience at the Saints which we hope you enjoy our family friendly atmosphere.
We are delighted to be working with our new partner in Teamwear this season , Teamex , which we hope you will like and support our lads who will be working hard to bring back winning ways and show what a Talented Squad that Cameron and his team has put together to compete in this challenging league and hit the ground running .
We wish Cameron and the team every success for the season ahead t achieve this without the fantastic support that you Give the team home and away ,So Thankyou for your continued support and I look forward to seeing you all again and catching up with you as we travel around.
As you know clubs thrive and improve with Many hands helping and we are always looking for volunteers to help on match days or through the week with lots of different roles to play and support this fantastic club. So if you can spare some time to come and help, please let me or any of the team know your interest we would be delighted to have you come and join our family
Good luck Cameron and Team for todays game and for the rest of the season.
We are Saints
Best wishes Barry
With Club Welfare Officer Gemma Keech
My name is Gemma Keech, and I am proud to be the Club Welfare Officer (CWO) at St Neots Town Football Club.
My role is to help create and maintain a safe, welcoming, and inclusive environment for everyone at the club. This includes overseeing safeguarding procedures, responding to any welfare concerns, and ensuring that all coaches and volunteers have current FA Criminal Record Checks (DBS) and up-to-date safeguarding training.
The welfare of every child, young person, and adult at risk involved with the club is my priority. This covers players within our Development Teams, as well as Under-18 players who represent the First Team, Reserve Team, and Under-23s. I am the main point of contact for players, parents, carers, volunteers, and club members who have any safeguarding or welfare concerns relating to these groups.
I was appointed to this voluntary position by St Neots Town Football Club due to my professional background in Education and Children’s Social Care, where I developed extensive knowledge and experience in safeguarding and child protection.
I believe it is important to be approachable, supportive, and available to anyone who may need advice, guidance, or someone to talk to about a concern.
If you have any worries or would simply like to discuss an issue—no matter how big or small please don’t hesitate to contact me at sntfcwelfareofficer@gmail.com.
Alternatively, you can contact the Hunts FA Safeguarding Team on 01480 447484 or by email at Safeguarding@HuntsFA.com.
Gemma
Brian Barnes: Retired
Previous Job: Director of a construction company
Age: 83
Favourite St Neots player: Robbie Parker.
Football Team Supports: Leicester City (for my sins)
Favourite Food: Indian
How long have you volunteered at the club: 8 years.
Job Title at the club: Odd Job man/ground maintenance/ hospitality match days.
With Club President John Walker
PRE-SEASON FRIENDLY MATCHES
St Neots Town 1-1
Eaton Socon
St Neots kicked off their new season with a visit from Step Six neighbours Earon Socon. On a warm summer evening it finished all square with both teams declaring it a useful curtain raiser to the 2026/27 season. St Neots have made some significant changes to their squad for the new season and their fielded a mix of former players and new.
St Neots settled first and took the lead in the tenth minute through MJ Muyembe who finished well. The visitors hit back strongly and were awarded a penalty kick well saved by James Goff but on the stroke of half time they were rewarded when Jack Noonan netted. The half time team changes seemed to break up the rhythm of the game and the defences dominated for long periods in the second half. The pace of the game dropped, and both sides seemed happy to share the spoils.
St Neots Town 2-1 Biggleswade Town
Entertaining higher graded Biggleswade Town who had just missed out on promotion to Step Three, St Neots produced a mature performance to snatch a narrow victory in their second pre-season run out. The visitors began the better of the two sides and were rewarded after just ten minutes when the home team failed to clear and the lively Lord pounced in the penalty area to open the scoring. St Neots replied strongly and five minutes after going behind MJ Muyembe claimed his second goal in successive matches to level the scores. Both goalkeepers were kept busy as the sides searched for a second goal but before half time there were no further goals. What proved to be the winning goal came 26 minutes into the second half when recent signing Robbie Buchanan cut in to claim St Neots second.
PRE-SEASON FRIENDLY MATCH
St Ives Town 1-0 St Neots Town
With almost the final kick of the match St Ives stole local bragging rights in this pre-season meeting as they produced the only goal of a match dominated by the afternoon heat. Neither side really dominated although St Neots had begun the brighter, but the Ives keeper made a couple of good saved in the first half hour. The match was contested largely in midfield, and both sides will ned to sharpen up their finishing one the season starts in earnest.
The only point of interest came on the hour mark when the home side decided it was time for a change and they introduced no fewer than EIGHT outfield substitutes all at the same time. That pepped up their approach but the St Neots defence held firm until that final minute when one of the Ives triallists turned on the edge of the area to net with a low shot. with results unimportant both Managers will have been pleased to get some competitive time into their respective sides.
With Club President John Walker
PRE-SEASON FRIENDLY MATCH
St Neots Town 2-1 Biggleswade United
After narrow defeats in their last two pre-season outings, St Neots returned to winning ways with an odd goal victory over their Spartan South Midlands League visitors. Once again, the feature was the early season form of Magloire Muyembe who scored his third goal in five pre-season outings, and he is beginning to look a key re-signing by Manager Cameron Mawer.
His goal came in the first action of the match after just 35 seconds when he took full advantage of an early lapse of concentration by the visiting defence. That set St Neots up for a confident first half performance when they penned their visitors in their own half, but they failed to take full advantage. Twice more before the break the hosts got the ball in the net, but both efforts were ruled out by an offside flag, so they only led by a single goal at the break.
The second half saw the visiting side in a more positive mood and taking the game to their hosts they levelled the scores four minutes after the restart through Scott Metcalfe. However, the host side regained control and substitute Enoch Hussaini scored a winning goal twelve minutes from time.
PRE-SEASON FRIENDLY MATCH
Colney Heath 2-1 St Neots Town
St Neots suffered their third pre-season defeat – this time away at Colney Heath. Although results in friendly matches are pretty meaningless it does little for confidence as the season proper approaches. The match was played on a bone hard surface against a fairly mobile opposition who gave the visiting defence a testing challenge.
However, St Neots were ahead after their first attack in which they won a corner and when Harvey Henderson was bowled over a penalty was awarded that skipper Rob Parker confidently netted. The visitors stayed in front until the 38th minute when a visiting player beat the offside trap to level the scores. The second half saw the home side having the better of the exchanges and they went ahead ten minutes before the end when the visiting defence was breached for a second time.
FINAL PRE-SEASON FRIENDLY MATCH
St Neots Town 0-5
Kettering Town
Playing against their higher graded visitors in their final pre-season run-out St Neots were comprehensively defeated despite their visitors playing for almost the whole if the second half with ten men. They had a played dismissed six minutes before half time, but it never seemed to affect their overall control of the match.
The opening 35 minutes were fairly evenly contested although the visiting side had the bulk of possession. They played some patient football without bothering a determined home defence but then following a corner not cleared by the home side they opened the scoring. In the following eight minutes they added two further goals to put them firmly in control at the break. Six minutes after the restart following a skirmish the visitors were reduced to ten men, but they regrouped to continue to dominate. After 64 minutes they made it 4-0 and three minutes later the goal of the match from outside the penalty area completed the scoring. The hosts never gave up competing but finished a well-beaten side.
With four defeats and a draw in seven pre-season outings they will be hoping for better form as the new season kicks off.
New Season, New Sponsor
Floored by Ian is an independent family flooring company on the market square in St Neots town centre. We have the largest Amtico One Partner showroom in the area and have our own fitting team so you can be sure of the best service from start to finish. We also have carpets and vinyls on display with a full measuring and estimating service . For expert advice please call 01480 475486 or call into store.
Club Mascot Follow on
Last season was my very first as the official mascot of St Neots Town FC... and what a debut it was! I've been busy spreading smiles, cheering on the Saints and making plenty of memories. If you see me around the ground this season, don't be shy – come over and say hello!
Selfies? Absolutely!
I'm always happy to pose for photos, hand out high-fives and celebrate with supporters of all ages. If you spot me around the ground, come and say hello I promise I don't bite!
Racing for a Great Cause
Leading Out the Future Stars
One of my favourite jobs is leading our young matchday mascots onto the pitch alongside the first team. Seeing those huge smiles as they walk out in front of the crowd is something special. Get your youth team signed up this season for this great experience.
One of the biggest adventures of last season was competing in the Mascot Gold Cup at Wetherby Racecourse. I may not have brought home the trophy, but together we raised money for two fantastic children's charities and that's a win in my book!
Out and About in the Community
Football is about more than 90 minutes on a Saturday. I'm always looking for opportunities to visit local schools, community groups, charities and businesses to help spread the word about St Neots Town FC. If you'd like Rowley to pay you a visit, we'd love to hear from you! team signed up this season for this great experience. So, keep your eyes peeled for me around the ground this season! Come over for a high-five, a selfie or a chat - and if you're really lucky... I might even invite you onto the pitch at half-time to take a penalty against yours truly. Just don't expect me to make it easy!
Sponsorship is available for £120 + VAT (includes Match Shirt)
James Goff Riley Barratt
Robbie Parker Harvey Henderson Fahad Hussaini
Michael Amaeshike Will Grocott
Scott Joseph Robbie Buchanan Enoch Opayinka Jake Kerins
Julinho Gomes Magloire Muyembe
Caolan South
Faris Moussa Graham Horgan
With First Team Player Lewis Burgess
On your team mates ?
• Worst dress sense Harvey Henderson
• Worst dancer James Goff
• Worst music taste Fahad Hussaini
• Funniest Sammy Willis
What team do you support? - Arsenal
What are your goals for the season ? To score as many goals as I assist with throw-ins (willneverhappen)
Who is your biggest role model in football ? Thierry Henry without a doubt. Watched him tear up defences every weekend. Definitely one of the first footballer I remember as a kid.
What is your job outside St Neots Town FC? PE Teacher at an Upper School
What the best piece of advice you would give to aspiring young footballers? Play men’s football as early as you can & don’t give up within the first couple of seasons! The change is massive and it can be so easy to feel out of your depth. Football can also be incredibly subjective, so don’t believe anyone's negative opinions on your ability. Football is about hard work, lots of running & communication. Talent will shine through after.
How do you deal with disappointment ? Rest. Time can be a huge healer. Take care of yourself outside of football to then know that you did everything you could.
What’s your biggest achievement in football ? Selected for England Universities for 2 years in a row. Won the nations cup during this time beating Wales and Scotland.
Favourites
• Player Thierry Henry
• Meal Pizza
• Film Star Wars– Revenge of the Sith
• Music House, Drum & Bass
• Night out Benidorm
Lewis Burgess is sponsored by
Memorial Wall
Reserves (Development) 1st League game will be Saturday 8th August at HOME
Vs Daventry 3pm Kick Off– if you’re not going to Stowmarket for the FIRST FA Cup game, please come down to PremierPlus Stadium & support the Reserves .
SILEBY RANGERS (the rangers)
Year Founded: 1968 Chairman: David King Club Website: www.silebyrangers.co.uk
GOOD AFTERNOON AND A WARM WELCOME TO NORTHAMPTON SILEBY RANGERS OUR FIRST VISITORS OF A NEW SEASON
Our two clubs first met at our former ground in league competition 32 years ago when our visitors were playing under their former name of Northampton Vanaid.
That season was our first back at Step Six after our ‘wilderness seasons’ on Priory Park and was our championship/promotion season on our return to the United Counties League. It was a memorable return to the UCL after four seasons on Priory Park and we met Vanaid on the pitch three times. In the league matches we won twice (details below) but we suffered a rare cup reverse as our Northampton friends defeated us 4-1 in the League Cup after we had beaten higher graded Newport Pagnell in the previous round. We then had to wait 30 years for our next meeting and by then our visitors had changed their name to Northampton Sileby Rangers. Two seasons ago in their first season back in the UCL we repeated our league winning double beating our guests 2-0 here at the Premier Plus Stadium and 3-0 in the return fixture. So, this is to be only our third league meeting with our visitors at home as we bid to extend our unbeaten run against them. Last season Sileby finished seventeenth in the final league table but will be looking to improve on that this time around. In a fortnights time our two sides begin their FA Cup journey this season. We shall be on the road to Stowmarket where we last played in the FA Vase Second Qualifying Round in 2001 beating our hosts 3-2 with goals from Steve Kuhne, Vince Petty and Jason Meeds whilst Sileby are away at Blackstones. If we win in Suffolk, we shall be at away again in the next round to the winners of the Godmanchester v Newmarket Town tie, whilst Sileby’s reward for a victory would be a home tie with the winners of the AFC Mansfield v Retford meeting. Previous meeting of our teams: 1994/95 UCL Div One
Honours United Counties League
UCL PD (S)
Neots 2-0 Sileby Rangers
Rangers 0-3 St Neots
• Division One champions 1993–94, 2002–03, 2004–05, 2012–13
Northampton Town League
• Champions 1988–89, 1989–90
Northants Junior Cup
• Winners 1994, 1997, 2002, 2003
Northants Sunday Cup
• Winners 1975
The football club was formed in 1968 by employees of the Sileby Engineering company and started off as a Sunday League side playing in local Northampton based leagues
The club management decided to withdraw the Reserve team and Youth team from their respective divisions, with the first team finishing second from bottom in UCL Division 1
The club appointed the previously successful Glenn Botterill as manager and with the assistance of Matthew Green they won the UCL Division one title pipping the extremely ambitious AFC Rushden & Diamonds to the title by two points.
The start of the new season saw the club again seeking a new manager and Scott Goodwin took over with just 3 weeks to the start of the season but, after a promising start the club parted company with Scott after only 3 months in charge. Daren Young was appointed as his replacement and after a rocky start he managed to keep he club out of the relegation zone.
The last few years has seen a conveyor belt of managers coming in the space of a few seasons Lee Duffy Andy Hall, Nathan Marsh all came and went. Under the joint management team of Matt Clarke and Paul Brackwell the club almost inevitably found itself relegated to UCL Division One again.
In 2018 the club appointed Mitch Austin assisted by Craig Mander and Jim Freeman in the hope the revive past fortunes but, in midFebruary they and the players chose to leave the club leaving the club with no management team and no players. We were grateful to Marc Ansell and Marc Fisher for stepping in at short notice and putting together a team of local players to enable us to complete the season.
The 2023/24 season was under the management team of Stuart Smeathers, James Logan, Aaron Clipston and Dino Cirelli. It was a good season in the Spartan South Midland League 1 with us finishing 2 behind local rivels ON Chenecks, despite narrowly losing to Winslow United in the final we were promoted to the GCE Hire Fleet United Counties Prem Division
The 2024/25 season was steady with a 13th place finish and a confidence that we could consolidate in the United Counties Premier League.
The 2025/26 was a difficult season on the pitch with managerial changes throughout. The start of the season we had Aaron Clipston as manager with Dino Cirelli assisting along with many new signings so we were expecting a good season. It wasn’t long and by the end of August Aaron had departed despite a promising opening few games. In came Jason Burnham who saw a mass exodus of senior players. With these changes we had a lot of younger aged players and despite there best efforts the team struggled saw us heading to the bottom 4 of the table. The third managerial change at the beginning of November saw player manager Brett Solkhom come in along with the return of some of the senior players and some quality new signings Brett had one task and that was to keep us up and avoid a return to the Spartan Div 1. There were some impressive displays both home and away and along with some other teams not having too much good fortune Brett steered the team to a 17th place finish just 9 points from the drop zone.
We start the new 2026/27 season still under the same stewardship and with a few impressive additions we are hopeful of at least reaching the end of season play-offs. We are an ambitious club and want to at least maintain a step 5 level but will be pushing for promotion to step 4
The club has recently announced an initial 3-year partnership with local estate agents O’RIORDAN BOND so we are confident this can continue its progression
This is the eighth in the second series of historical records, highlighting this time another season at our Rowley Park stadium depicting both the highs and the lows in the recent proud history of the Club. After the previous season’s goal glut (128 in league and cup) the trend continued with two extra this season (80 league + 50 Cup). Those cup goals were a record as the highest number of Cup goals in a season for around 40 years. The team played seventeen cup matches in just five competitions but finished up with just one trophy – the Huntingdonshire Premier Cup for the first and only time to date! In the Final we beat Ely City 5-1 after extra time with Wes Byrne hitting a hat trick. However, there was to be no County Cup double because just five days later we were beaten in the Huntingdonshire Senior Cup Final 3-0 (also after extra time) with our former striker Paul Carey scoring all Eynesbury’s goals! We were the most successful UCL side in the FA Vase reaching Round Five of for the first time – a feat equalled only once more before our transfer to the FA Trophy.
League UCL Premier Division
Final League position: six/21
League playing record: P40 W23 D4 L13 For 80 Against 47 pts 73 Cup playing record: P17 W12 D0 L5 For 50 Against 19
50 of our 80 league goals came at Rowley Park, twice scoring six goals against Long Bucky and Wellingborough. We also hit six away at Long Buckby.
We only failed to score in one of our 20 home league matches (versus Boston Town).
Our second round Huntingdonshire Senior Cup match at St Ives finished 8-0 in our favour with Steve Kuhne and Vince Petty each scoring hat tricks and Wes Byrne the other two.
For a first game of the season at St Neots this match had everything. A first minute goal, a last minute goal, a red card and six yellows and early season league leaders Frome knocked from their perch. As those details suggest it was a feisty encounter and having led with half an hour left St Neots looked to have blown it when they conceded a second equalizer two minutes into added time. But to the crowds delight they hit back with the latest of winning goals. Without three key players in Tom Ward (suspended) Ryan Hawkins (injured) and Dubi Ogbonna (unavailable), St Neots made two team changes with Peter Clark returning in midfield and teenager Jordan Brown coming in for his first home start in the Southern League. Frome had made a great recovery late last season to finish strongly and avoid what had looked like certain relegation and with maximum points from their two first games they had started this season where they had left off in April. They will feel hard done by to have surrendered that good start but in the final analysis their reduction to ten men early in the second half may have proved pivotal. However, credit to St Neots who showed exactly what it means to keep going right up to the final whistle.
There was a really explosive start when Declan Rogers put St Neots ahead after just 29 seconds with visiting keeper Corey Harvey looking slow to get down to his 25 yards shot but the visitors roared back and three minutes later Peter Clark tripped Jon Davies who had burst past two defenders. The St Neots player was booked and had the referee judged the challenge deliberate rather than clumsy the punishment could have been greater. Frome maintained this early impetus with Darren Jefferies bringing a good save from Alex Archer and Mikey Bryant shooting wide when he had been left unmarked. The same player then headed over the bar after good work by Jefferies and Davies shot across the face of goal. The pressure paid off after 29 minutes when the speedy Jefferies was impeded by Dom Mason and the Referee pointed to the penalty spot. Jon Davies sent Archer the wrong way to level the scores – no less than Frome deserved at this stage of the match. St Neots late first half rally saw Taylor Parr head wide from a Rogers corner and James Hall denied by a good save from Harvey before seeing a second effort blocked.
The second half (like the first) began dramatically with Jordan Brown being mugged by Jordan Walker who rightly received a straight red card. In the melee that followed Dom Mason was unlucky to booked as he tried to break up the warring factions but the match settled with Frome pulling off a striker to balance up their defence. Switched from a wide berth in the first half to play along James Hall, Brown looked lively and after 62 minutes he drifted wide to provide the cross from which Peter Clark netted to reinstate St Neots lead. Lively on the break Frome saw Alex Archer make two important saves blocking Davies effort after he had gone clear of the defence and then denying Jefferies with a smart take. Taylor Parr cleared another effort from Dan Cleverly off the line but St Neots looked generally in control with A Micky Hyem first touch shot blocked on the line, and Brown testing Harvey. With 90 minutes played it looked like a home victory but after two minutes’ time added Frome substitute Jake Jackson beat the home keeper with an angled shot. St Neots roared back and in the dying seconds a Brown shot was blocked and Declan Rogers followed up to claim his second goal of the match and all three points for his team.
St Neots: Archer, Mason, Jon Hall, McGeorge, Wood, Parr, Patrick, Clark, James Hall, Brown, Rogers
Subs: Hyem (for James Hall 79 mins), Butt, Hobbs, Ogbonna and Donkin.
Cards: Clark (Y – 3), Parr (Y – 35), Mason (Y – 55), James Hall (Y – 74)
