Welcome back to the Abbey Stadium for our first home Blue Square Premier match of the season.

I have been Chairman for almost exactly a year now and it's been an interesting twelve months! I didn't think we'd have the difficulties we had on the pitch last year, having to sack a friend after six matches and holding on to get out of relegation by the skin of our teeth.

On top of that, taking charge of the team for three weeks was a bit strange, but enjoyable. Hopefully we won't have to get involved in any of that this season.

A big reason why we managed to stay up last season was the fantastic support we had. We had in excess of 1,000 supporters at Aldershot - and we got a result - and to get over 6,000 people for the last home match to get us across the line was phenomenal. We're going to need that support again, although hopefully this time it will be to try and get us up rather than to keep us up.

A lot of changes have been made off the pitch since we took over last year, particularly relating to the financial situation. The look and feel of the place have changed with different structures and different partners brought in; it's been a long, hard slog but for the first time in three or four years the Football Club is settled and we can compete on a level playing field.

We've given Jimmy and Alan the tools to go out and put a squad together that we think can compete this season, and we'd like to think that we can be competing for a play-off spot. If we weren't to get there then, as a club, I think we'd be disappointed.

Kershaws, who have been a fantastic supporter of the Football Club, have come to our aid again and we've got haart aboard, who are a national brand we are really looking forward to working with. We've negotiated a large brewery deal with Marstons, and with season tickets sales up it all bodes well.

There has been a lot of talk about the Robbie Simpson tribunal and it's the first subject my counterparts always want to discuss with me. They can't believe what happened. They all realise that they could be in that position with a young player, and they're all nervous now that a precedent has been set and that these players are going to be stolen away from them. I can't go into any more detail, because I'm already in trouble with the FA, so perhaps we'd better leave it like that!

We were also in trouble with our disciplinary record last season. I spoke to the players before the match last Saturday and reminded them that we want to cut out the silly bookings - the kicking the ball away, dissent and stuff like that. They're never going to have a problem with me if they mistime the odd challenge - being competitive is part of football and I don't want to take that away from them and, on Saturday, I think that was a big factor. You need to be quite physical to get out of this division and I'm not going to be one of those chairmen who say 'you can't tackle'. I'm fortunate enough to have played the game so, unlike some chairmen, I've seen both sides of the coin and I understand the players' and Jimmy's situation.

It was a fantastic result for us on Saturday. After finishing in the play-offs last year, York are going to be one of the favourites so to go up there and get a result was a cracking start. I think what it showed was a togetherness in the team. In a similar situation last year we might have got bullied in a game like that, but that's not going to happen this year. Without getting too carried away, Saturday's result is going to bode well for us.

In closing I would like to welcome the Oxford Directors to the Abbey Stadium this evening. Living in Oxfordshire, Oxford is my local club and I wish both Nicky Merry and Jim Smith well. Nothing would give me greater pleasure than for Oxford to come up with us this season.

Lee Power
Chairman

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