Attenborough FC

Before Saturday’s cup victory, we had a 24/25 team photo taken. With massive thanks to our sponsors Bistro 66 and Thomas Bradley Estate Agents. Attenborough 24/25 from l-r: upper; Randall (asst. manager), Humphriss, Pearson, Greatorex, Riley, Cuesta-Sarris, Brownbill, J Smith, Pursglove, Luke Smith, G Mee (manager) front row; L Caine (C), Sharma, Foster (GK), O Mee, Savage, Billson, Fendick (1st team coach)

  26/10/24 -  NSL Junior Cup AFC 6 - 2 East Leake Robins Reserves On the back of five league wins in a row, Attenborough faced potentially their stiffest task yet as higher-division opposition visited The Strand for an afternoon cup clash. East Leake Robins Reserves had endured a tough start to their Division Three campaign but a couple of recent victories suggested they would be no pushovers as Attenborough took their first foray into open-age adult football rather than the U23 opposition they'd been facing in the league to date.  With Reece Caine unable to tear himself away from Harrogate's visit to Meadow Lane, AFC were forced into a change at the back with the versatile Simon Savage stepping into the left-hand side of the now regular back three employed by manager Mee. While Louis Smith's absence up top saw Lakshay Sharma fill the void in the starting eleven and Elliot Foster played his first game of the season in goal.   Despite a good match preparation, it stil...

                   Golden Boot 📊 

 19/10/24  - League  AFC 2 - 1 Cotgrave Development After three away victories on the road in recent weeks, Attenborough returned to the Strand full of optimism ahead of a clash with a Cotgrave side that had also started the season promisingly with three wins in their first four games.  Lacking the squad depth of the previous week, Graham Mee went for the same formation and almost identical starting personnel as last time out, the exception being George Cuesta-Sarris returning to the line-up at the expense of the absent Simon Savage.  Overnight rain had turned the pitch rather boggy in places which firmly placed the emphasis on stamina, something not ideal given the management team only had one substitute to call upon.  Attenborough got off to a flyer after Luke Smith was felled for a penalty in the opening couple of minutes and skipper Lewis Caine tucked the spot-kick away in front of the Trent End. However, the early advantage rather lulled AFC into a fal...

 Current Standings in the NSL Development League

12/10/24 - League  Linby Colliery Welfare 1 - 5 AFC Despite a pitch change to a more difficult surface, a near-full strength Attenborough produced their most complete performance yet to comfortably see off previously unbeaten Linby Colliery. Having dabbled at stages this season with three at the back and wing backs, Manager Mee employed the formation from the off to great effect. Simon Savage was a revelation allowed more attacking freedom down the right and, combined with the explosive Luke Smith on the left, gave the team a perfect balance. Linby opportunities were kept to a minimum by a defence that is really beginning to gel. Model-pro Will Humphriss typically led the unit impeccably from his anchor-role in the middle of the trio and was admirably backed up by both Jack Smith and Reece Caine. Reece adding to what has been a very impressive start to the new campaign, while Jack bagged another goal as he demonstrated once more the physical boost he has given the side at bot...

05/10/24 - League  Calverton Miners Welfare 0 - 4 AFC With more depth to call upon this week, Attenborough completed a straightforward task away at struggling Calverton. A disappointing pitch meant it was hard to play with too much flair, but numerous chances were created and AFC were value for a lot more than the eventual four-goal winning margin. In terms of goal scorers, this game was notable for a first club goal for Lewie Pearson. Not known for his shooting proficiency, Lewie had worked on adding more going forward to his game and topped off the scoring with a strike from outside the box. It is impossible to deny the fact that it was deflected past the goalkeeper, but it was very much a deserved goal for a player who is an extremely influential member of the mid-field with his aggressive performances. haywood; r caine, j smith, humphriss, savage; pearson (83’) , l caine (15’ c) , billson; luke smith, cuesta-sarris, pursglove (4’) subs; louis smith (49’) , brownbill, s...

28/9/24 - League  Pegasus 2 - 5 AFC Having emerged with four points from two tough opening games, Attenborough faced familiar opposition in Pegasus FC and headed into the game as clear favourites, but poor preparation and a switch in location to the unappealing, narrow pitch 4 at Long Lane made for quite the leveler. An ill-judged team night out the evening before meant for some late arrivals, including the manager, and saw a depleted squad further weakened by a no-show on the day. With an over-age player shortage, last season's keeper Lakshay Sharma was added to the squad and started up front with the previous week's hero Pursglove. A predictably sluggish start meant AFC were clearly in for a much tougher game than the much-improved Pegasus had provided last season. Having fallen behind, Lewis Caine scored twice, including a powerful header, to put us in front before Pegasus levelled for a 2-2 half time score. Fin Haywood having also made some good saves to ensure pari...

 21/9/24 - League  AFC 3 - 2 AFC WARRIORS The first home game of the season saw immaculate conditions back at The Strand and it produced a close encounter against another impressive side. Still a little bit behind in preparation for the new season, Attenborough saw two new players start games for the first time with Simon Savage and Jack Smith bolstering the defence. While Alex Lawrence had a solid game as a makeshift goalkeeper. In a game which could have gone either way, Graham Mee's men once more showed an encouraging resolve to come from behind to win 3-2. Last season's top scorer George Pursglove was back on the goal trail in emphatic fashion by bagging an impressive hat-trick. lawrence; r caine, j smith, humphriss, savage;   pearson, l caine (c), stentiford; luke smith, louis smith, pursglove (39’, 74’, 84’) subs; billson, cuesta-sarris, mee, riley

14/9/24 - League  Newark and Sherwood 3 - 3 AFC An opening game against a well-drilled side and a frustrating referee made for a tough new beginning for a team lacking a couple of last season’s most important players. Ishy Jandu’s dominant style in the centre of midfield and Josh Wilson’s no-nonsense approach to filling the problem area at left back both left holes to be filled, but skipper Lewis Caine looked well at home playing in a deeper mid-field role and some quality set pieces caused havoc for the home side’s defence in the first half. Attenborough muscled their way in to a two-goal lead courtesy of Will Humphriss and Lucas Stentiford before an aberration by new goalkeeper Fin Haywood saw a long-range free kick bounce unchallenged into the away team’s net to give Newark a lifeline. The second half saw Fin make a couple of excellent saves to restore faith in the new signing, though the game quickly descended into something of a dogfight with the referee rapidly losing control...

Committee Gary Soal Chairman Sid Brown Treasurer Arjun Sandhu Secretary Terry Allen Management Team Graham Mee Manager Sam Randall Assistant Manager Lennon Fendick First Team Coach Ian Billson Coach Attenborough FC Registered Players  1. Fin Haywood (GK) 2. Simon Savage 3. Jack Smith 4. Reece Caine 5. Will Humphriss 6. Lewie Pearson 7. Luke Smith 8. Lucas Stentiford 9. George Pursglove 10. Lewis Caine (C) 11. Louis Smith 12. George Cuesta-Sarris 13. Alex Lawrence (GK) 14. Riley Billson 15. Oliver Mee 16. Saul Riley 17. Jack Brownbill 18. Brad Greatorex 19. Lakshay Sharma 20. Morgan Jones 21. Alistair Lee 22. Jamie Martin  23. Lennon Fendick  24. Graham Mee 25. Elliot Foster (GK) 26. Colm Keegan-O’Kane 27. Harry Morgan 28. Lewis Sanderson