BOWERS & PITSEA

RYMAN NORTH

How do the fixtures look? Bowers & Pitsea line up in the Ryman North for the first time this season and it is a baptism of fire for the Basildon side.

Some big-hitters lie in wait early on, although every game is big one for Bowers this season as they look to consolidate their position following an excellent Essex Senior League campaign last term.

Four tricky away games in October, including an FA Trophy match, will need to be negotiated by Rob Small’s team, ahead of an extremely busy end to the year which can be the making or breaking of teams.

Key period: August. Matches against two relegated sides begin Bowers’ season, with the two relegated sides from the campaign before last lying in wait before the month is out.

VCD Athletic and Brentwood Town will provide tough opponents in the opening four days, before matches against AFC Hornchurch and Witham Town. If Bowers can come through this period unscathed, people may not be writing off the new boys so soon.

The manager’s view: Rob Small: “It was exciting seeing our name among the Ryman fixtures. It starts to bring it home that it’s real but the opening matches are certainly daunting. The first two are against two relegated sides from last year and there was a division between us just a few months ago. The two after that were in the Ryman Premier the season before that.

“It is a ‘welcome to the league’ start but we want to be mixing it with those teams. While they are daunting, we need to be there. We can be fairly relaxed into the first 10 or 15 games of this season, unlike last, as we aren’t under pressure to do anything special. Maybe it will be good to get the big ones out the way.

“I would like someone to show me an easy game! A trip to Brightlingsea on Tuesday will be testing, it will be our first Boxing Day fixture and we have Bank Holiday games now as well. There are a lot of local teams and no clear rival for us.

“There is an exciting team every week. It is either a big hitter, a derby or against someone at a similar level to us.

“There is no preparation we can do for an opening day opponent. It is cagey in my experience. Both want to win and neither want to lose.

“A lot will change before the beginning of the season.

“I don’t know about the managers either so it will be a learning curve for us and myself.”

Fixtures: AUGUST: 13 VCD Athletic (A), 16 Brentwood Town (H), 20 FA Cup Preliminary Round, 27 AFC Hornchurch (H), 29 Witham Town (A) SEPTEMBER: 3 Soham Town Rangers (H), 6 Cheshunt (A), 10 Dereham Town (A), 17 Haringey Borough (H), 20 Brightlingsea Regent (A), 24 Wroxham (H), 27 Romford (H) OCTOBER: 1 Bury Town (A), 8 FA Trophy Preliminary Round, 11 Maldon & Tiptree (H), 15 Tilbury (A), 18 Brentwood Town (A), 22 Aveley (H), 29 Heybridge Swifts (H) NOVEMBER: 5 Norwich United (A), 12 Thurrock (H), 19 Ware (A), 23 Romford (A), 26 Bury Town (H), 29 Brightlingsea Regent (A) DECEMBER: 3 Wroxham (A), 10 Phoenix Sports (H), 17 Waltham Abbey (A), 26 Great Wakering Rovers (A), 31 Cheshunt (H) JANUARY: 2 Witham Town (H), 7 Thamesmead Town (A), 14 Heybridge Swifts (A), 21 Norwich United (H), 28 Maldon & Tiptree (A) FEBRUARY: 4 VCD Athletic (H), 11 Aveley (A), 18 Tilbury (H), 25 Thurrock (A) MARCH: 4 Ware (H), 11 Phoenix Sports (A), 18 Waltham Abbey (H), 25 Soham Town Rangers (A) APRIL: 1 Dereham Town (H), 8 Thamesmead Town (H), 15 Haringey Borough (A), 17 Great Wakering Rovers (H), 22 AFC Hornchurch (A)