Page 8 - Keynsham Town Ladies programme

KEYNSHAM TOWN LADIES 8
View from the dugout
Reserves get promotion

Having twice won the Somerset County League two years running and yet denied
promotion because of Covid-19 affects on not completing a season, our Reserve team
applied for promotion via the FA’s Promotion Pool and were successful.

Consequently, the Reserves will be playing in Division One East of the South West
Regional Women’s League this season.

Trips are pretty local with Swindon and Laverstock the furthest away fixtures. The
League composition besides ourselves is:- AEK Boco, Chipping Sodbury, Frome Town,
Laverstock & Ford, Paulton Rovers, Swindon Town Development, Swindon
Supermarine and Warminster Town.

So far, the League has been somewhat slow in getting registrations through and the
last we heard was still awaiting authorisation from the Football Association. We are
sure that will come, but the delays mean that we still do not know the fixture list, which
is expected to kick off on the 5th September. Good luck to Sven Kierk’s team as they
establish themselves at this higher level.
Travel news

When we saw the First Team fixtures, besides being thankful for a home match on the
season’s opening day, out next reaction was to be pleased that our second game was
away at Ipswich Town, despite them having half the England U21 team in their side.
LEAGUE PLATE FIRST ROUND
At first my reaction was that it was better to get our longest away trip and probably
our only overnight stay, out of the way while the weather is fine rather than in mid
February when daylight is poor and the weather inclement. Now Ipswich play at
Felixstowe a few miles on at the coast from Ipswich itself. We tried for days to get bulk
accommodation there or anywhere within 50 miles of Felixstowe. It was impossible.
The mass staycation and just the week before the August Bank holiday made it a
nightmare.

When this was pointed out to the League, they first checked if they could find anywhere
to stay for the one night required and they could not. So, they have agreed to move
the game to 19th September instead. That’s fine and we are now looking for the
overnight stay location.
But the FA have now had their mad moment and given us a new fixture for August
22nd (next week).

Would you believe it, we now have to travel to today’s opponents in a game brought
forward from January 2022. Never heard anything so daft when there were 12 other
teams to choose. The same team twice in a week is never a good idea.