REIGATE PRIORY FC        

founded 1870

One of Surrey's most established clubs

REIGATE PRIORY FC  0  ROYAL ENGINEERS  1

The 23rd March 2008 will go down as another date in the clubs long and established  existence as after 137 years Reigate Priory and the Royal Engineers finally played the fixture which should have been played on the 11th November 1871 in the the first round of the Inaugural FA Cup. The day was a long time in the planning, which had absorbed the club as they linked the Event for the raising of monies for the Charity , the Children's Trust in Tadworth. The days preceding the event found the Event Committee biting their nails as wintry weather was blowing in from the North and with eyes firmly on the 5 day forecast , predictions of high winds , rain , sleet and snow left the club wondering whether the event was actually going to happen. However , with determination preparation started on the Sunday Morning at 8.30am, with the erection of the marquees and stalls. By mid day everything was set and ready to go.

 

The Easter Egg Hunt , organized by Sue Avery was always going to be challenging, as the Cold Wintry conditions probably kept a lot of families at home. However Sue persevered and the Children that did participate , and some adults too , enjoyed the sweeter side of the day.

The items received from numerous generous donations from Football Clubs across the country and items donated by individuals, made the prospect of a successful memorabilia auction a reality. Additionally 24 Raffle Items had been donated by local businesses from Reigate.

   

With Team Photographs taken and following introductions from Lisa from the Children's Trust and Ray Connolly, the Chairman of Reigate Priory ,the teams made their way to the pitch with the sounds of 'Eye of the Tiger' ringing in their ears. Shaking hands at the centre circle and being presented to the Match Officials , Phil Watling , Ian Stemp and Michael Ainsworth, the exchange of pennants was completed.

   

With a crowd of approximately 100 and probably another 30 huddling for warmth in the clubhouse and the Refreshment Tent warming their hands over the Bar b Que coals, the game commenced.

 

Match Report by Nigel Lomas.

Sunday saw Reigate Priory play their much publicised game against the Royal Engineers, some 137 years after the first two clubs were drawn in the first round of the inaugural FA Cup. Despite the cold weather the game was well supported with monies being raised on the day for the Childrens Trust in Tadworth. 
Reigate Priory started the brighter of the two sides but the first 15 minutes of the game proved to be a very tight contest with few chances for either side. The Royal Engineers looked very dangerous from a long throw routine which they used to good effect. Priory made a number of changes after 25 minutes at which point the Royal Engineers started to take control of the midfield. The Priory centre midfield paring of Chandler and Frost tried on numerous occasions to create space in order to get the Priory attack more involved in the game but without much success.   
The second half started off in the same vein as the first half with both teams struggling to take control of the game. However the Royal Engineers broke the deadlock after 15 minutes when an attack down the right hand side opened up the Priory defence. A cross into the penalty area fell to a Royal Engineers striker whose shot was placed in the top left hand corner of the Priory net. Priory made a number of changes after the restart and started to threaten the Royal Engineers defence on a number of occasions. But in a tight game one goal always looked enough to win this game. 
So the reply that took 137 years to complete finally finished in a win for the Royal Engineers. The day proved to be a great success and both sides played in a evenly fought match.
 
Reigate Priory Squad: Comben, Peters, Wilmott, Chapman, Lomas, Davies, Wait, Robinson, Norris, Cook, McManus, Lomath, Chandler, Frost, Porte, Vezza, Stephens, Besley, Connolly, Moberg.

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TEAM + ACTION Photographs

   

 

   

Action Images below courtesy of actionimages.com + copyright actionimages.com

   

With the game finishing around 3.30pm, the players, after a hard fought encounter which the Royal Engineers won 1-0 ,were keen to get back into the relative warmth of the clubhouse. After a hot shower and a light buffet, players/members and guests were now looking forward to the Raffle and Memorabilia Auction . But just before this, the 'MAN OF THE MATCH AWARD' was presented by Ken Soper of Lucas Fettes and partners , a magnum of champagne. Additionally thanks go to Lucas Fettes and Partners for sponsoring Reigate Priory's new kit.

       

THANK YOU

Now the big one , The Memorabilia Auction. There were some late donations to the Auction which included a Royal Engineers Football signed by all the players which was a great addition.Previous to this moment John Shearman had been the Event MC and had skillfully and humorously communicated the days events to his audience, but he came into his own by engaging the crowd as if he were a pro. Without going into to the details of every bid at this point , the Memorabilia Auction raised a 'whopping'£2720 which was rounded up to £3000 by member of the audience, with the Royal Engineers Football raising £160. This was an absolutely fantastic achievement which exceeded every expectation the club had on what it might raise.

THANK YOU

Click on Banner for results of Memorabilia Auction.

With the serious matters of the Charity Fund Raising over , one might think now that the club members could retire to their comfy chairs in front of a log fire , but no , the success and momentum was such that members started to relax and were up for a boogie to the sounds of the 'Silver Fox'.

 

   

   

   

And so it was , that this long and eventful day finished at 11pm to the chorus of 'You'll never walk alone !'

        

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