Wednesday March 7th – Swindon Supermarine (AWAY) at The Webbs Wood Stadium – kick off 7.45pm

Tuesday March 20th – Frome Town (HOME) at The Valley Stadium – kick off 7.45pm

There will be a team/supporters coach travelling to the Swindon Supermarine away game on Wednesday March 7th so if you are interested in travelling to support the lads please contact the club for further details.

1.       Jeff Sharp – Jeff will be responsible for setting up and running the Redditch United Lottery.  He will be selling the lottery to our youth team, supporters as well as setting up a chain of agents to sell within the workplace.  Make sure you are in it!

2.       Dave Jones – Dave will be concentrating on increasing attendance.  Working with a small sub-committee – he will be looking at new target areas and innovative ideas to attract more supporters.  If you know someone who is a football fan maybe you could introduce them to the team?

3.       Claire Lane – Carol will be responsible for good communication and fundraising within the youth and kids teams.

4.       Carol English – Carol will be responsible for marketing the function room throughout the Redditch area and to different communities.  She will initially be working with Claire to maximise function room income amongst Redditch United’s kids, youth and ladies teams.

Chris Swan, Chairman comments:  ”What these people are doing is extraordinary and will make a massive difference to the Club and its income streams as we go into next season.   We are planning for all of those who are going to be helping us with Friends of Redditch United to be appointed over the coming months”.

If you are interested in helping out call the team on 01527-67450.

Hyde is looking for repeat

REDDITCH United manager Graham Hyde has called on his players to find the form which lifted them into the top half of the Southern League Premier table after Saturday’s stirring performance against leaders Brackley.

The Reds went down 3-2 to the table-toppers but gave them a fright, despite being reduced to 10 men after Aaron Stringfellow was sent off.

Trailing by three goals, Jake Jones and new signing Sam Adkins, who joined last week on-loan from Leamington, both hit the target as United rallied impressively.

Now the manager wants the same impressive response to end their run of five defeats in the last six league games, a streak which has seen them slip towards the relegation zone.

“I couldn’t be happier with the way the team responded on Saturday,” commented Hyde.

“We were down to 10 men but for an hour or so we have the league leaders a real fright.

“We’ve got to remember how we played in the second-half and use it.

“We’ve got 15 games left and I firmly believe we’ve got players who are good enough to do well and move us up the table.

“Before Christmas we went on a great run and I want us to replicate that form.”

However, Hyde was unhappy with Stringfellow’s sending off for two yellow cards in quick succession during the first half, when the score was still 0-0.

“The referee had a bad day and unfortunately it has cost us,” lamented Hyde. “It’s never going to be easy against a good side like Brackley but to have something like that happen didn’t help our cause.

“Aaron was booked and I have no problem with that but two minutes later he’s collided with one of their players and was sent off.

“To make matters worse, we’ve been awarded a penalty but their player, who was on a yellow, isn’t booked.”

Hyde continued to reshape his squad last week, as striker Tom Berwick left the club.

However, he brought in Adkins and former Birmingham City youth team prospect Luke Benbow on-loan from Solihull Moors. The young hitman had previously been loaned out to Highgate United.

Hyde said: “I thought Luke added something to us going forward and he and Sam will be good additions.

“Tom Berwick’s moved on and we’ve freshened up our attack.

“It was time for a change and I wish him well at Daventry, where he’s a bit of a goal-scoring legend.”

Meanwhile, on-loan Walsall winger Jake Jones will play his final game when the Reds take on Swindon Supermarine away in the league on Saturday (3pm kick-off).

n The club is looking for matchday stewards to volunteer.

All equipment will be provided and anyone interested can call chief safety officer Jeff Sharp on 07850 917446.

Hyde is looking for repeat

REDDITCH United manager Graham Hyde has called on his players to find the form which lifted them into the top half of the Southern League Premier table after Saturday’s stirring performance against leaders Brackley.

The Reds went down 3-2 to the table-toppers but gave them a fright, despite being reduced to 10 men after Aaron Stringfellow was sent off.

Trailing by three goals, Jake Jones and new signing Sam Adkins, who joined last week on-loan from Leamington, both hit the target as United rallied impressively.

Now the manager wants the same impressive response to end their run of five defeats in the last six league games, a streak which has seen them slip towards the relegation zone.

“I couldn’t be happier with the way the team responded on Saturday,” commented Hyde.

“We were down to 10 men but for an hour or so we have the league leaders a real fright.

“We’ve got to remember how we played in the second-half and use it.

“We’ve got 15 games left and I firmly believe we’ve got players who are good enough to do well and move us up the table.

“Before Christmas we went on a great run and I want us to replicate that form.”

However, Hyde was unhappy with Stringfellow’s sending off for two yellow cards in quick succession during the first half, when the score was still 0-0.

“The referee had a bad day and unfortunately it has cost us,” lamented Hyde. “It’s never going to be easy against a good side like Brackley but to have something like that happen didn’t help our cause.

“Aaron was booked and I have no problem with that but two minutes later he’s collided with one of their players and was sent off.

“To make matters worse, we’ve been awarded a penalty but their player, who was on a yellow, isn’t booked.”

Hyde continued to reshape his squad last week, as striker Tom Berwick left the club.

However, he brought in Adkins and former Birmingham City youth team prospect Luke Benbow on-loan from Solihull Moors. The young hitman had previously been loaned out to Highgate United.

Hyde said: “I thought Luke added something to us going forward and he and Sam will be good additions.

“Tom Berwick’s moved on and we’ve freshened up our attack.

“It was time for a change and I wish him well at Daventry, where he’s a bit of a goal-scoring legend.”

Meanwhile, on-loan Walsall winger Jake Jones will play his final game when the Reds take on Swindon Supermarine away in the league on Saturday (3pm kick-off).

n The club is looking for matchday stewards to volunteer.

All equipment will be provided and anyone interested can call chief safety officer Jeff Sharp on 07850 917446.

 Football fans are being invited to drop off their old football shirts, shorts, boots, goal keeper gloves and shin pads at their local club Redditch Utd F.C. on Bromsgrove Road in Redditch where they will be packaged up by the Evo-Stik League and sent to KitAid.

Ken Turner, League Chairman, comments:  “As a League, we know only too well the importance of giving young people and adults opportunities through sport so we’re appealing to local people to consider donating their old kit to a really worthy cause. Just give it a wash and drop it off at Redditch Utd F.C. and we’ll do the rest.”

KitAid is a registered charity that collects and sends unwanted football kit to children and adults who love football but live in some of the poorest parts of the world.  The charity, which has Graham Taylor OBE as its patron, has sent out over 150,000 kits to children and adults worldwide.

Derrick Williams MBE, KitAid’s founder, commented:  “We’re delighted that the Evo-Stik League Southern is working with us to give our campaign a boost and with such a strong fan base, I am sure plenty of kit will be donated.  We see first hand the difference that these donations can make to young people in some of the poorest parts of the world and would like to thank the people of Redditch in advance for getting involved.”

Redditch Utd F.C. will be accepting donations until the end of the 2011-12 season.  For further details, call 01527-67450 or log on to http://www.southern-football-league.co.uk/

Reds fight back nearly stuns leaders

REDDITCH staged a rip-roaring fightback in a bid to defy the odds and claim something from this clash with league leaders Brackley.

Three goals down and reduced to ten men, it looked a lost cause for the Reds.

But with midfield trio Jake Jones, Sam Adkins and Lee Osborne leading by example, United’s never-say-die attitude edged them to within a goal of their big-spending visitors before running out of time.

Jones tormented the Brackley defence throughout while Osborne and new signing Adkins pulled the strings in midfield before the latter was drafted into defence to cover for Gavin Caines who was forced off after a gash to his head.

There had been little to choose between the sides until the defender’s injury forced manager Graham Hyde into a reshuffle on 27 minutes.

Ten minutes later, more changes were required after Aaron Stringfellow incurred the wrath of fussy referee Kevin Morris, picking up two bookings in the space of three minutes – his second for trying to dodge an opponent!

Down to ten men and Redditch found themselves under pressure. Steve Diggin had an effort blocked by keeper Dean Coleman’s legs and the United stopper then did well to keep out a low Owen Story shot.

Brackley finally broke the deadlock four minutes before the break when Ellis Myers pounced on a loose ball before thundering his shot home from 25 yards.

The start of the second half was a similar tale with Coleman blocking another Diggin effort before Story lashed home a second on the hour after Glenn Walker had crashed a free-kick into the Redditch wall.

Brett Solkhon fired just wide for the visitors five minutes later before Diggin tucked away a penalty after tumbling inside the area.

But while referee Morris filled his notebook with names – nine bookings in total – the Reds began their fightback.

It was Jones who kick-started the recovery on 70 minutes, swapping passes with substitute Luke Benbow on the edge of the area before netting from 15 yards.

The wily winger also pushed an effort just wide after a typically mazy run and all of a sudden Brackley were on the back foot.

When Osborne was upended by former Redditch favourite Carl Palmer on 76 minutes, Adkins marked his debut with a goal from the penalty spot and a comeback was on the cards.

But the visitors held on for the win despite an impressive second half cameo from Benbow who had replaced the out-of-sorts James Travis at the break.

Reds: Coleman 6, Stringfellow 3, Robinson 6, Forde 7, Caines 6 (Knott 27, 6), Grimes 7, JONES 8, Adkins 8, Deabill 5, Travis 5 (Benbow 46, 7), Osborne 8. Subs (not used): Moses-Garvey, Warmer, Bedford