Congratulations to Craig Lyle who reached a record 500 club appearances when he played for the 3rds on Saturday (and is now on 501 after representing the Vets the following day!)

Craig's game for the Vets last weekend took him to 499 club appearances and he will become the first player to hit the big 500 the next time he dons a Ruts shirt.

Congratulations to Paul Hull, whose strike against Milford & Witley last Saturday was his 150th for the club. Only another 150 needed to catch Boony now!!

Ruts face Milford next weekend with Clayton missing somewhere between 6 and 8 regulars. The Lines Trio and Andy Flanagan are jetting off to their annual skiing trip with Steve Nash (who will be back next season!). Last weekend's man of the match Neil Marshall is also away. Daragh Corrigan and Dwayne Mitchell left the field injured at the weekend and may miss out, whilst Dave D'Rozario and Kevin Foster will be confirming their availability later on in the week.

The ORA now has Setanta in the clubhouse at Poplar Road. With regular Premiership games at 5.15pm each Saturday it would be good to see people staying on to watch each week.

The Lines trio of Phil, Mike and Richard, plus Marc Hawley and captain Andy Flanagan are in Las Vegas next weekend. Additionally Nick Raggett and Dave D'Rozario will be absent owing to work commitments. Therefore First tam manager Graham Clayton will be looking to utilise his resources for the visit to Crescent Rovers Reserves in the County Cup with at least seven changes guaranteed.

The closing date for entries is this coming Saturday 15th November. Click here for full details.

Steve Nash has finally had his knee operation and was on touchline supporting duty complete with fetching stockings at the weekend. The damage has been repaired and we wish him every success with his recovery which will hopefully enable him to play for the Ruts again next season.

Daragh Corrigan continues to receive treatment for his troublesome groin problems and he hopes to be back pre-Xmas together with Richard Lines, who suffered a setback in his return following a 2nd XI appearance a few weeks ago.

Marc Hawley came through the 2nd XI's 2-1 victory at the weekend which means he will be in contention  for Clayton's 1st XI squad for the coming weekend. Keeper Phil Lines and Striker Lee 'Trigger' Poulter are both doubtful for the visit of Esher Athletic, whereas Dave D'Rozario is unavailable owing to work commitments.

Mario Crassas is out for a few months, but will hopefully be back before the end of the season. Nick Wells is back in training although he may have over done it and tweaked a calf. And John Wood has a broken toe and is out for about six weeks.

Well done to Lee Caffell and his team for remaining unbeaten since the middle of October 2007. Caffell's team have notched up 17 wins and 3 draws during the period in a run which they will hopefully continue for some time to come.

Training now commences at 6.30pm on Tuesday nights at Poplar Road. In the event of adverse weather please contact your manager to check if it is on or not beforehand.

For those of you who haven't yet paid. You know who you are and to avoid any potential embarrassment you are wisely advised to remedy this situation by promptly paying up this weekend.

Lager and Bitter Jugs are now on 'Happy Hour' terms early on Saturday evenings - this promotion will hopefully encourage more of you to stay out and support 'YOUR CLUB' in the process!!

Daragh 'Pocket Rocket' Corrigan plans to be in contention (but not in the limelight) for the First team's Surrey Elite League opener this Saturday. Marc 'CJ' Hawley remaines sidelined alongside Richard Lines (month or so), Paul Skinner (back in training, with hopefully a pre-Xmas playing return) and Steve Nash (has an op date of 15th October which may hopefully mean he'll feature before the end of the season). 

Rob Appleyard is sidelined with a broken foot, whilst the talented James Bone has resurfaced yet again and has 'signed on' promising 'better availability' this term.

Veteran 'keeper Roland Heal is available again following a month's absence in August.

The cricket season's finale will enable the return of Kevin Foster and Darren Noonan this weekend and the possible introduction/debuts for ORCC young bucks Jonathan Mapp and George Tidey (and Ginger Poker Flanagan - no relation to Andy). Michael Dodds should also be available for selection the following weekend.

Congratulations to Danny Poulter and his good lady Annalisse on the safe arrival of their second boy Josh in the early hours of Monday 1st September. Mother and Baby are doing well and Dan is very tired. 

Never before has the toss of the pre-match kick off coin been so crucial to the First team. Why? Perhaps it is because we need to avoid kicking into the wind in the first period, or could it be because the elements are blazing the raging sun into the eyes of our team?
The answer is NO to both of the above - it's simply because the team who wins the toss in (home games) will be greeted with a 'gratis' jug of lager or beer in the clubhouse post-match!

Not surprisingly Marc 'CJ' Hawley will be out for 8-10 weeks with a recurrence of an old injury. CJ had been performing well in pre-season, but as we all know the calamity kid is injury prone (so it's amazing that he has managed a few 90 minutes so far).

Richard Lines has also suffered a setback in training resulting in a further delay to his most welcome and overdue return.

Daragh Corrigan (another CJ) sustained an injury last weekend and is now battling the clock to be available for this coming weekend.

Congratulations to Billy Finnis and his good lady (name Billy please!) who are getting hitched this Sunday coming. The club wishes you every happiness and are extremely impressed that you are still available this weekend, albeit only for the early kick off.

Last season's joint First team Players of the Year Andy Flanagan and Nick Raggett have both decided to quit Sunday football next term. This is excellent news for the Ruts as they enter the inaugural season of the new Surrey Elite Intermediate League.

Frustratingly Steve Nash's knee requires further attention and the BIG lad is focused on pursuing an alternative route to speed up his return to action. The first team midfield maestro has been a big miss and the team keenly await his return.

Richard Lines had an op last week which went well and now it's just a matter of getting fit again. He reckons he'll be running in four weeks and doing full contact sports in eight weeks, so the prediction of a September comeback still looks good.

First team captain Richard Lines received his MRI results last week and it doesn't appear to be cruciate damage. However, there is a ligament tear which his Doc says 'they can do with keyhole which ultimately means a quick recovery'.

So overall a positive outlook in the respect that we hope to unleash 'The Beast' again sometime in late September, early October.

We look forward to it BIG Fella.

Long serving 3rd XI player Graham 'Bernie' Winter has volunteered to take over this important role from Steve Nicola during the new campaign.

The training/handover will commence during the 2008/09 season, with Bernie eventually taking over the responsiblility for maintaining our Player Statistics (for awards) and eligibility records.

We have been blessed by Lynn Norton's services for the past four years. Lynn has done an excellent job for us (she even managed to gain control of the club's chequebook from El Pres!). However, she has given us notice that 2008/09 will be her last season in this crucial role and therefore the committee now urgently require a volunteer to come forward. Ideally someone willing to 'shadow her' so to speak during the coming season. 

This week midfield maestro Steve 'Tattoo' Nash advised GC and El Pres that the injury which thwarted him for virtually all of last season 'is not right'.

Nashy was out of action from mid-September until the last game of the season, when he made a 10 minute emergency sub cameo and comprehensively showed us what we'd missed! Nashy's physio is not happy with his progress and has contested his scan results. Hopefully (says El Pres) it will be cartilage only and a 6-8 week jobby.

Following the Football Club AGM on 9/5/08 the Club's Officers for 2008/09 are as follows:

Hon. Life President - Gavin Lennard (Noonan that means untouchable you Caddish Chancer ;) )
Hon Chairman - Graham Clayton
Hon Treasurer - Lynn Norton
Secretary - Gary Urbani
Fixture Secretary - Brian Kerwick
Media Manager - Steve Nicola
Membership/Registration Secretary - Richard Hayward
Social Officer - Nick Skilton
Kit & Equipment Officer - Craig Wellstead
Executive Representative - Daniel Poulter
Club Captain - Phil 'HF' Rea
Club Vice Captain - Darren Knott
1st XI Manager - Graham Clayton
2nd XI Manager - Graham Larcombe
3rd XI Manager - Vacant - TBA by the incoming Committee
Veterans Manager/Secretary - Lee Caffell

Scheduled Sub Committees (not discussed at the AGM)

Tour Committee - Roland Heal, Richard Lines, A.N.Other
Training & Team Selection - Phil Rea, Darren Knott, Graham Clayton

Cheers

El Pres

And the winner is.... Steve Nicola! Hooray for me! For the second season running I've claimed the Dream Team title by a single point winning £65, with Phil Lines taking £35 for being runner up and Wayne Alderman getting £20 for his third place finish. Full details here.

Nigel ‘Waffle’ Watford may still possibly reach his phenomenal 500th club appearance this season.

Currently on 498, Waffle is not available to hit his 499 appearance for the 3rd XI this weekend owing to other commitments. However, there is a possibility the Vets may have a final fixture on Sunday 4th May as Vets Manager Lee ‘Oggy’ Caffell is working very hard to assist ‘The Waff’ in his quest.

This would also mean that Waffle would need to feature in the final 1st XI game (if practical) at Chiddingfold on the Saturday 3rd May.

The practicalities of all of this will clearly depend on results this weekend as Chiddingfold are faced with an equally important ‘must win’ game if they are to avoid relegation.

First team captain Richard Lines' long term injury is a suspected cruciate tear according to a specialist. An MRI in two weeks will confirm whether or not this is the case and if surgery is needed. Hopefully 'The Beast' will be back in action for pre-season.

Phil 'HF' Rea and Daragh Corrigan look set to miss this weekend's action, if not more.

Marc 'CJ' Hawley is only fit enough for the bench and manager Graham Clayton will await a late update from maestro Andy Flanagan as the Ruts growing injury list continues to bulge.

Young Lewis Kelly looks set to start his first 1st team game after impressing in several substitute appearances.

Steve Nash's MRI scan revealed that his knee does not have cruciate damage. The damage was a small fracture and muscular damage. With extra physio and gym work we should see him back pre-season.

We are awaiting updates from Richard Lines, Daragh Corrigan, Marc 'CJ' Hawley and Paul Skinner. Phil 'HF' Rea is also unavailable this weekend. Trigger could be working?

Manager Graham Clayton is awaiting confirmation on whether late signing Darren Long (formerly of Shalford and Westfield) is available to come into the squad for his Ruts debut.

With neither the 2s or 3s having a match this weekend, they will play each other in a friendly on Saturday to boost their fitness levels after three weeks off.

The 3s will be looking for revenge after narrowly losing a similar match this time last year when they lost 2-1 after some dodgy refereeing decisions!

Everyone at the club wishes the best of luck to young defender Josh Allen who has relocated to Cornwall for the forseeable future.

You are welcome back anytime Josh, don't be a stranger!

The tubby blokes overcame their follicly-challenged counterparts 3-2 on Sunday. Kevin Foster (2) and Dwayne Mitchell (1) scored for the Fatties (despite being two of the slimmest blokes in the club!) and Nigel Bennett (2) replied for the Slapheads.

Gary Langton was on top form with some great one liners and shiny custard coloured boots!

Thanks to Boo and Marc Hawley for reffing — it was a good turnout and ensured the bar was well used for the afternoon.

The transfer window is now open. Managers can change up to three players without breaking their £40m budget and must tell Steve Nicola their changes by 2pm on Saturday 29th December (when the First team play Elm Grove). Click here for full details.

Dan Mahoney has reluctantly had to withdraw from Clayton's squad indefinitely owing to a career and house move to north of the river (Kilburn).

Dan has made an impressive impact in his few months with the club this season and will be missed. He will hopefully assist the squad occasionally to cover in emergencies — good luck Dan, we hope to see you back permanently in the navy blue at some time in the future.

Fantasy Football starts this coming Saturday, October 27th, so you have until then to study the prices and form and email me your team. Or you can hand your team in on a piece of paper to a committe member or manager anytime before the matches kick off on Saturday. Full rules and player values are here.

First team left back Marc Hawley joined the Ruts growing injury list after dropping a car jack on his foot on Friday (clumsy boy!) His foot is quite bruised and swollen although hopefully not broken.

Michael Lines sustained an ankle injury playing on Sunday and is also a doubt for next weekend.

Hawley and Lines join Steve Nash (knee), Dan Mahoney (knee) and Neil Whyte (ankle) on the sidelines.

Congratulations to Nigel Watford, who scored his 100th goal for the club against Maori Park Reserves on Saturday October 14th.

Martin Lambden of Woking Park FC took some photos of our recent league match and kindly gave us permission to show them on this site. Click here to see them.

Boo Boo will be running a Bonus Ball competition every Saturday. Numbers can be bought from behind the bar for £2 each Saturday for that evening's draw, with the winner receiving £50.

Fantasy Football is back for another season! This year's competition will start on October 27th, so you have three weeks to study the prices and form and email me your team.

Entry costs £10 per team. Half of the money collected will go to the Football Section and the other half will form the prize fund, which will be awarded to the top three managers. This is a good way to support your club and have a bit of fun at the same time, so please consider entering a team.

Full rules and player values are here.

Influential First team midfield maestro Steve Nash sustained a knee injury playing on Sunday and is definitely ruled out of manager Clayton's plans for the foreseeable future.

In a conversation with Clayton, Nash explained that the hospital advised him that they couldn't even take an x-ray until the severe swelling had gone down. Therefore, Nashy will have to return to hospital in a week or so to establish the severity of the injury.

From everyone at the club, we wish you a speedy recovery Steve and trust it isn't too serious for you!

Paul Hull has returned to the Ruts after his very brief spell at Colliers Wood and is in tomorrow's squad for the match with Chiddingfold.

Manager Graham Clayton said: "I am delighted he has returned, but he will now have to work to get his place back."

Joel Rogers is considering a return to football by linking up with his long term pal Lee 'Trigger' Poulter at Poplar Road. Former Rutlish schoolboy Rogers has led a journeyman career which has included Colchester United, Heybridge Swifts, Epsom & Ewell, Raynes Park Vale, Sutton Utd, Banstead Athletic (on loan) and an unpronounceable French second division side!

A Ruts footballing career is for life, not just for Christmas.

Congratulations to Leon Trowbridge who recently made his 400th appearance for the Ruts in the friendly against Merton FC. He is now closing in on club captain Darren Knott in the Hall of Fame. Knotty is on 404 appearances and sits in 3rd place.

This season's Fantasy Football will start around mid-October, giving you all a few weeks to study the form and pick your teams. Player values and entry forms will appear in the next week or so - watch this space.

First team manager Graham Clayton will have to ring the changes as Steve Nash, Nick Raggett, Mick Lines, Kevin Foster and Ryan Brown all serve one match bans this coming weekend for offences committed last season.

Paul Hull has decided to join Combined Counties Premier Division side Colliers Wood Utd, linking up with one of his old managers from his Tooting & Mitcham days.

Hull has scored 124 goals in just over 150 appearances for the ORs who he joined as a young buck fresh from Rutlish School. He then spent several seasons with Tooting & Mitcham before rejoining the Ruts linking up with then Reserve team manager Graham Clayton.

Clayton's appointment as First team manager this year saw Hull gain a first team slot and impress sufficiently enough to gain this new opportunity. "Losing Paul is a disappointment," said Clayton, "but we have the squad depth to cope and it is a good chance for one of our younger players to establish themselves."

Good luck Paul, we wish you every success and look forward to seeing you back at Poplar Road sometime in the future.

Thanks to a 50% donation from the Football Foundation we have brand new goals at Poplar Road. They will be christened next Saturday when the First team host Unis Old Boys in the League Cup.

Thanks to Roland Heal for his efforts in securing the funding required.

ORAFC would like to congratulate their Cricketing Cousins on their excellent season. The Saturday 1st XI gained promotion, the Saturday 2nd XI won their League and the Sunday 1st XI won the Sunday Old Boys League.

Congratulations to long-time OR player Jamie Shawki, who got married on Saturday 9th September. Best of luck for the future from all at ORAFC.

Nigel Watford, who tops our appearance board with a phenomenal 481 appearances, has moved to Somerset. Despite his move to Cider Valley 'Waffle' is determined to reach at least 500 games for the club. In a recent email to El Pres, Nigel said "I'm on the road to the club on Saturday with my boots in the boot! Hopefully Boo or Danny has selected me."

Good luck with the new home Nigel and let's ensure you reach the massive milestone during 2007/08.

Ruts manager Graham Clayton has named Richard Lines as 1st XI captain. When Phil 'HF' Rea returns from his wedding absence on the 22nd of September (probably worn out and overweight!) he will be vice captain.

Lines' return to the fold follows two broken arms during the last campaign and a broken toe this pre-season. Renowned for his competitive and physical style we hope his recent bad luck with bones improves this season. Drink plenty of milk Rich!

Ruts manager Graham Clayton is delighted to have signed top quality defender Lawrence Ennis for the forthcoming campaign. Lawrence holds the appearance record for Walton Casuals (235) and links up with former Casuals teammate Dave D’Rozario who joined us last season.

For family reasons long serving club legend Alan Whiter will miss the start of the season. The Player of the Year in 2003 and 2004 will hopefully be back to bolster Clayton's squad sometime in the Autumn.

Our best wishes go to another long serving club legend, Phil Rea, who marries his Swedish Sweetheart Sofia Johnsson in her homeland on Saturday 1st September. HF Rea plans to be available for selection on Saturday 22nd September.

Our thoughts go out to the female population of Merton Park - name that tune!

‘And a hundred lonely housewives clutch empty milk bottles to their hearts
Hanging out their old love letters on the line to dry
It's enough to make you stop believing when tears come fast and furious
In a town called malice’

A few ex-players have returned to Poplar Road for this season and for the past few weeks have been working hard on the training pitch with the rest of the lads (except Erol!) So welcome back to James Bone, Billy Finnis, Phil & Mike Lines and Nick Wells.