Fairford Town finish a difficult season with the annual presentations (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Fairford Town finish a difficult season with the annual presentations

THE finale to Fairford Town FC's long and sometimes difficult season was their annual presentation night which was held at the clubhouse on the Saturday before last.

During the course of the evening, trophies were awarded as follows: First team - Player of the year, Neil Matthews; players' player, Chris Knowles; Reserves - player of the year and players' player, David Moyse.

As far as Mark Webb was concerned, though, it was perhaps his most disappointing season since taking up the manager's reins for the first team five years ago.

For with the team having made it to four cup finals over the past five years, Fairford Town unusually failed to win any silverware this season.

And hopes of a top-six place also proved beyond the Cinder Lane side, having lost their final game of the season 2-6 to Brackley Town who clinched the Hellenic Premier championship on goal difference ahead of runners-up Southall Town.

Bishops Cleeve took third place on goal difference, ahead of one-time leaders and promotion hopefuls Slimbridge who ended up in fourth.

Webb's reaction to getting his team to tenth position was: "Had we not been deducted those three points, we would have ended up in eighth place and that, at least, would have been a fairer reflection of our efforts.

"The other important thing to bear in mind is that our achievements were done on a significantly smaller budget than that of those teams above us who threw a tremendous amount of money at achieving promotion.

During the course of Fair-ford's campaign, Webb often faced the additional problem of having to field under-strength teams due to a shortage of seasoned regulars.

He explains: "At the beginning of the season, we lost several influential players which sometimes left me with no other option than to draft in those who were unaccustomed to senior football.

"In fact, things got so bad at one point that, in order to fulfil a senior fixture, I had to cancel a Reserves' match and borrow seven of their players just to make up the numbers for a 1st XI game!

"Nonetheless, on the occasions I was able to put out full first team, we showed that we were capable of beating all those teams that finished above us in the table.

"I would like to conclude by giving a big thank you to all my players who did such a sterling job for me and and club during a long and sometimes arduous campaign."

The services of one of the Fairford Town stalwarts, Lee Kilfoyle, were certainly missed by the manager. Struggling with a niggling injury for much of the season, Lee soldiered on but his attempts to continue were often frustrated.

Towards the end, it became all too obvious that what he needed was a complete rest from the rigours of football and only time, as to whether or not he makes a full recover and wants to play next season, will tell.