11:10am Friday 6th November 2009
By Dave Peters
CHESHAM United chairman Charles Manchester has launched an appeal for supporters to help finance this season’s promotion bid.
He says this season represents United’s best chance of promotion back to step three of the football pyramid and is calling on fans to dig into their pockets to help out.
Manchester has already bankrolled the club to give boss Andy Leese an exciting squad of players.
But the chairman wants to be able to strengthen the squad again as and when Leese wants to pep things up and that’s why he launched the Push for Promotion campaign this week.
Manchester said: “I would urge every supporter who wants to see Premier Division football back at The Meadow to contribute however much you can, be it £1, £5, £10 or whatever per week – it will all count.”
The contributions will be ring-fenced so that they only go into the playing budget.
Boss Leese has backed the scheme.
He said: “I am like any manager, I’ve got a very good squad of players here, but I am always looking to strengthen it.”
On the pitch, United bounced back from Saturday’s shocker at home to Soham Rangers where they blew a two-goal lead to lose 3-2, by banking an away point at Bury Town on Tuesday.
But it was a frustrating evening for The Generals who scored both goals in the game.
Defender John Kyriacou put through his own net to give the Suffolk side the lead right at the start of the second half.
But, just two minutes later, United scored at the right end with Lewis Laws producing the leveller, which was the least United deserved on the evening.
Leese said: “It was a good response after Saturday and a good away point because Bury are consistently up there and I am sure they will be a top-five team again this year.”
But, for the second match running the United chief was left frustrated by some refereeing decisions.
On Saturday he was furious about a ‘blatantly offside’ Soham goal and on Tuesday he felt the officals wrongly flagged his men offside when they were in match-winning positions.
He said: “I don’t want to be blaming the officials, because we shot ourselves in the foot against Soham, but they certainly haven’t helped us. Some of the decisions which have gone against us had to be seen to be believed.”
United are on the road again this weekend when they make the trip to Biggleswade Town looking to improve on their fourth place position in the Zamaretto Division One Midlands table.
Leese said: “Biggleswade will be a difficult game, they are newly-promoted and will have no fear.”
United travel with a doubt over Kyriacou, who has got an ankle problem but striker Darrell Cox is available again after juggling his work committments.
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