THE 1874 COLUMN - a different perspective, with Matt Waters

WE held our annual general meeting to discuss various points of order from the last calendar year.

The evening began with a minute’s silence as we remembered those 1874 Northwich fans and volunteers we have lost in the last year, such as fantastic photographer Ian Dutton who was the epitome of 1874.

Then came ‘The Chairman’s report’ as Brian Edge gave his statement from the last year.

He said: “On the playing side, the 2018-19 season was not, of course, as memorable as the previous one ‘results wise’ but it was certainly one in which a number of pleasing and welcoming things happened both on and off the field.”

Brian praised the relationship the club has built up with landlords Barnton FC.

He said: “We quickly settled in at Barnton and with the cooperation of our landlords we quickly set about making Townfield our home for our home matches and I am pleased to say that many supporters have expressed to me how pleased they are with our new home and everything about it.”

He rounded off his speech talking about his admiration for the club.

“While we are very much a ‘fan run football club’ there have been, and of course in the future there may be, certain decisions that may necessitate quick responses and I can assure all members that your board will always act in the best interests of our football club.”

Treasurer John Coats and stadium/youth development officer Alex Dickenson were re-elected on to the board by a comfortable margin.

Discussions took place about various initiatives that could make 1874 a greener football club.

One of these initiatives is to reduce the amount of plastic waste and raise money for the club by recycling cans and bottles on a match day or during the week.

On Saturday against Ashton Athletic, we saw this initiative put forward by Toddy Barlow put into action as the club makes steps to become ‘greener’.

On hand to answer any questions were management duo Wayne Goodison and Paul Bowyer.

Whether they were being asked about insurance issues on player injuries which occur during a match, such as the Osset United incident, or the success on the pitch, they were open, honest and showed time for every member that attended.

The overall mood of the meeting was clear – the board, fans and management were all extremely happy with the progress that the club has made over the last year.

From the move from Winsford to Barnton, the effort that ‘stadium gang’ have put in the last five months to the first team playing some excellent football and deserving to top the table after some superb performances.