Chairman’s Chat

A warm welcome to Arnall Drive to the players, spectators, and management team of this afternoon’s visitors Sharpness.

Last Saturday in our second home game of the season saw us go down 1-0 to Frampton United on a really frustrating day for the club, where we wated a plethora of chances before being sucker punched in the last quarter of the game, all be it to a side that in my opinion will be a top 3 side at the end of this season.

This weekend is the last one before all of our remaining sides kick-off their respective campaigns and myself personally and on behalf of the committee wish them all the best representing this great club.

Please come and search me out or contact me through our website if you can help with sponsoring a match, player, or pitch side advertising board, or would just like to help and get involved with the running of the club. We are always looking for more help with match days, pitch works, fundraising or just being part of an active committee.

Finally, please remember ‘we win together, we lose together but most importantly we stick together’. #UTHR

Regards

SHARPNESS FC  History

Sharpness A.F.C was founded in the 1900-1901 season. Their home ground was The Port which they rented from British Waterways for a pepper-corn rate of one pound per year.

During 3 seasons of the mid 20's Sharpness won the Gloucestershire Northern Senior League. Although no football was played during both wars Sharpness players regularly wrote home to tell of their footballing achievements while they were away on duty.

After the 2nd World War Sharpness were very much to the fore and played at the highest standard in Gloucestershire football. The Sharks were very successful and in the 1962-63 season the 1st XI won the GNSL whilst the 2nd XI won the Stroud League Div 1 without losing a game, a remarkable achievement.

In 1974 a clubhouse was built and from that point Sharpness went from strength to strength. They won the Gloucestershire County League and joined the Hellenic Premier League where they were very successful for a number of years winning the title in 1986. In the 1985-86 season they got to the last 16 in the country playing in the F.A. Amateur Cup.

It was at this point that British Waterways decide they wanted to develop on the land where The Port was situated so the club had to leave in 1988 its home of 88 years. Following World War 1 a Grandstand had been built in memory of those who perished in the war, alas this was bulldozed when The Sharks had to leave The Port

For three seasons they played on Forest Greens pitch at a price far too high for that time. It became impossible to cover the costs of playing at Foirest Green so the club had

to revert to playing at a lower level. Reduced to one team now playing in GNSL Div 2 they got promoted in their first season 1991-92.

Since leaving Forest Green Sharpness have played their games at Berkeley Vale School & now at Hamfields Leisure Centre where we have put a lot of effort into improving the facilities so we could once again ply our trade in the county league.

Sharpness 1st XI have retained their position in GNSL Div 1 since 1992, even winning the league in 2001-2002, 2009-2010 & 2015-2016 for a record 11th time but alas their facilities prevented them getting promoted.

We finally started the development of new changing rooms at Hamfields in May 2018 completing the project in March 2019 just in time for inspection. The 1st XI still had to do the business on the field to secure promotion and did just that by winning the league for a record 12th time in 2018-19 which secured promotion to the Gloucestershire County league.

During our first season in the County League, we gave a good account of ourselves lying in 3rd position in the league and making it to the Semi Final of the Les James Cup before the season was curtailed early.

In our 1st full season in the Glos County League we managed to finish in a creditable 3rd place having recovered from a slow start. We also managed to take two scalps from higher league opposition in the Glos FA Challenge Trophy.

Sharpness are entering their 7th season in the Glos County League and have secured a top half finish in each season. We also made it to the Les James Cup Final in 2022-23 but were beaten on the day by Broadwell.

In 2024-25 the team finished 5th but that doesn’t tell the whole story as we spent most of the season in the top 3 beating eventual champions Almondsbury twice. Unfortunately as the games came thick & fast at the end of the year we were unable to maintain the pace and finished 5th overall just 5 points off top spot.

PLAYER PROFILES

Ben Gibbs – Ben was the club captain when we were won promotion to the County league but has now stepped up into the role of joint manager due to numerous knee injuries.

Pete Dykes (GK) – A vocal goalkeeper who will provide great experience for the team and be good to have in the dressing room.

Jamie Holder (GK) – Good shot stopper who’s very comfortable with the ball at his feet.

James Priday – Quick, strong left footed defender who likes a physical battle.

Will Payne – A quick athletic full back who loves to bomb forward and join up in forward play.

Riley Woodman – An energetic player who’s comfortable playing on either wing and can attack and defend. A great addition since joining the club.

George Thomas – a young left sided defender who will be pushing to establish himself in the first team this season.

Brad Gibbs – A young player with bags of energy, keeps it simple, not scared of a tackle & has an eye for goal.

Brad Hewer – Attack minded midfielder with composure on the ball. Likes a strike from distance when the opportunity arises.

Ben Hemmings – Good all round midfielder who’s comfortable on the ball. Good in the air and chips in with a few goals as well.

James Tainton – Talented young winger, with great technique, an eye for goal and looks like he’ll have a promising future ahead.

Tom Palmer - an old but new signing for the club this season. TP has been involved at Sharpness for several years on a part time basis but has now joined us full time. Excellent CM with great composure and does the basics really well.

Callum Dummelow © – Callum is this seasons Club Captain and will provide great leadership and versatility whether anchoring the defence or midfield.

Mikey Bryant – Mikey is a strong player with great feet and good in the air. Will provide a goal threat and be a calm head in the middle of the park.

Marley Thomas – Good all-round versatile player with bags of experience and plenty of energy. Marley will bring a wealth of experience to the squad and inspire both on and off the pitch.

Tom Frankham - Covers the entire pitch, has quick feet and is difficult to stop when in full flow.

Archie Mears - another new signing joining us from Gala Wilton. Archie is an energetic young winger with great work rate and a great crosser.

Jamie Walker – A good technical player who is adept using both feet and looks comfortable on the ball.

Alfie Jones - another young local attacker who is stepping up from the reserves this year. He has played himself into the first team plans with some impressive performances.

Kieran Bennett - a very exciting local young prospect who will be looking to establish himself in the men’s game this year. Kieran possesses excellent technique with bags of energy. A big future ahead of him at SAFC.

Will Tainton - another very exciting young prospect. Another local lad. Has already had an impact in the first team. Has a great technique and an eye for goal. Another youngster with a big future ahead of him at SAFC.

By Mark Simpson  

Frampton United now sit neatly at the top with a good three points at Arnall Drive, Henbury, and following a good mid-week win over Chalford. I’m sure they won’t have it all their own way as the season unfolds. Cribbs Reserves have had an extremely difficult start, as have fellow newcomers Tewkesbury Town.

A bright afternoon at Arnall Drive saw Frampton United visit Henbury & Rockleaze who had a frustrating afternoon. In the very first minute Harvey Moran lobbed Tom Kaye in the Frampton goal only to see the ball hit the hard ground and bounce over the top. Drew Sawdon had a good fourth minute chance from a corner but couldn’t direct the ball goalwards. On 37 minutes Sawdon had another presentable chance from Nick Jones cross but the ball went narrowly over. A few minutes later a switch from Jones to Moran saw Kaye make a superb save turning the ball round the post. From the resulting corner Sawdon’s header struck the bar, and the ball bounced along the goal-line allowing Frampton to clear.

H&R started the second half in the same vein, and on 51 minutes George James should have done better with a header from Moran’s cross. In the next minute Moran went clear but a good save from Kaye kept the scores level. In the 56th minute Frampton had their first real chance when substitute George Parker fired straight at Harry Trett. In the 75th minute Frampton threw the sucker punch when Parker stole in and fired a left wing cross past Trett for 1-0. Frampton were now in the driving seat with Jackson striking the foot of the post. Frampton saw out the remaining minutes to ensure that they took the three points back up the M5.

Despite the lack of rain the straw coloured pitch at Oldbury Lane was in great condition for Wick v Filton Athletic, who started much the brighter of the two sides preventing Wick from enjoying any possession. After 5 minutes Filton fashioned the first shot of the game, but just wide of the goal. After 8 minutes Wick lost the ball in midfield and Filton took advantage with a sweeping move that found Kieron Cooper to fire past Kai Wilson for 1-0. On 31 minutes Wick gifted the ball to Trey Merrett who broke unopposed to drill the ball home for Filton’s second. Four minutes later a deep cross from the Filton right was not dealt with by the Wick defence and Wilson made a brilliant save from a header but the ball fell to Dylan Quick who smashed Filton’s third, unfortunately leaving Wilson injured from the initial save. Worse was to come for the hosts when Merrett scored a 30 yard screamer from the left into the top corner. Wick four down and Finley Sparkes deputising for Wilson, the second half was a more even affair and on 65 minutes Wick clawed one back, substitute Ellis Clarke scoring with an excellent finish. With the damage done in the first half, there was no way back for Wick and towards the end Sparkes saved well to deny Filton a fifth but at 4-1 Filton were worthy winners on the day 

At Hamfields Sharpness were up against Tewkesbury Town, and the hosts had the best of the early play with James Tainton causing problems. Sharpness took the lead when Tainton and Alfie Jones linked up well to give Kieran Bennett a tap in. Sharpness continued to have the upper hand and doubled their lead when a good through ball from Jones sent Bennett one-on-one and he finished well for 2-0. Jones then had a great chance for the third but couldn’t find the finishing touch. Towards the end of the half Tewkesbury came more into the game

and finished the half strongly with a couple of efforts narrowly over. Tewkesbury started the second half where they left off and halved the deficit when a long ball forward caught the Sharks defence out and Beasley latched onto the ball and finished well. Tewkesbury were causing problems and had opportunities from corners and free kicks but were dealt with well by keeper Dykes and his defence. Then, against the run of play Tainton went on a mazy run and exchanged a couple of passes with Higgs and Bryant before crossing, great composure was shown by Bryant to set up Bennett with another good finish for his hat-trick. Sharks went hunting for a fourth with subs Palmer and Will Tainton both going close, but the game finished 3-1 and the Sharks secured victory against a very good Tewkesbury Town team.

At Vicarage Road, Hanham Athletic met Ruardean Hill Rangers who were on their first outing of the season. Ruardean started the stronger and keeper David Taylor did well to keep out a good effort by Ollie Mason. Hanham had their first chance on 34 minutes when Sam Archer’s effort was well tipped over by Aaron Underwood. Hill should have scored two minutes before the break when Mason shot over from six yards with the goal gaping, and they were unlucky when a fantastic effort from Luke Brown cannoned off the crossbar. Hanham’s job was made even harder when Liam Dibble got himself a second yellow and Hill made the ten men pay taking a deserved lead when Mason finished off a great move to score. They made the game safe right on full time when Steve Clarke finished off a cut back and 2-0 for three points.

At The Hawthorns Broadwell Amateurs took on Cribbs Reserves with five games played between them and not a point to show. But, it was a fast start for Broadwell and they had the lead on three minutes, Kristian Burnard getting on the end of a move he started, the ball fell kindly off a block tackle and broke for Burnard to run through and slot under Jude Brown. Well had further chances to increase their lead but were wasteful in front of goal. The second goal for Well came on 23 minutes with Harry Malcolm breaking up play in the Cribbs half and playing out wide for Jamie Belfitt who drove to the by-line and a wicked cross was turned in by a Cribbs defender under pressure from Kian Skidmore. Broadwell missed a chance for 3-0 when a penalty was awarded for a foul on Jordi Locke after a mazy run into the box. Burnard’s spot kick was saved by Brown, onto the post and out to safety. Cribbs best chance of the half came right on half time, a mix-up at the back but a rather tame shot was dealt with by Jack Watkins. Cribbs started the second half brightly and took control creating a number of good opportunities from set-pieces but Broadwell were able to weather the storm. Broadwell made the game safe on 58 minutes following a deep kick by Watkins, flicked on by Burnard which sent Skidmore through on goal finishing well low under the on-rushing Brown. And, 3-0 it finished for Broadwell.

By Matthew Badcock

IT’S easy to forget quite how big the National League System is and the broad church it represents.

“But there's been a recognition of the importance of the National League System – and the women's football pyramid – and that it is unique in how we should be servicing it at The FA. So its introduction last year for the first time was a really key moment. 

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