Hoddesdon Town finally come home this evening, and this is no ordinary homecoming. For the first time in very long memory, league football will be played at Lowfield during August as Simon Riddle’s unbeaten Lilywhites welcome FC Baresi for a 7.45pm kick-off in the Thurlow Nunn League First Division South.

For generations, the opening weeks of a new football season have meant life on the road for Hoddesdon. With Hoddesdon Cricket Club traditionally holding tenancy of Lowfield throughout the summer, the football club would normally wait until September before truly taking up residence, leaving the First Team accustomed to beginning campaigns with a succession of away fixtures while cricket remained in full swing. That makes tonight an important moment in the relationship between two proud sporting clubs who share the same home. Renewed co-operation between the committees of Hoddesdon Town Football Club and Hoddesdon Cricket Club has created the opportunity for league football to return to Lowfield earlier than usual, while still respecting the cricket club’s summer commitments and the unique demands placed upon a ground which serves two sports. The cricket club have generously accommodated occasional FA Cup and FA Vase matches during August in recent seasons, but staging a league fixture at Lowfield at this time of year represents something different. It gives the football club a genuine base at an early stage of the campaign and, more importantly, provides another example of two organisations working together for the wider sporting community of Hoddesdon.

Supporters Will Return To Lowfield This Evening To Watch League Football In August

Hoddesdon Town chairman Stuart Varney believes the occasion represents far more than simply the first home match of the season.

“This is a really significant evening for the football club because for as long as most of us can remember, August has meant starting the season away from Lowfield,” said Varney. “We have always understood the cricket club’s tenancy and their needs during the summer, but the relationship between the two clubs has developed enormously and there is now a real willingness on both sides to make Lowfield work for everybody. We are extremely grateful to Hoddesdon Cricket Club for allowing us to stage league football here in August,” he added. “There has been a lot of work behind the scenes from people at both clubs to make this possible, and I think it demonstrates what can be achieved when everyone pulls in the same direction for sport in the town.”

Hoddesdon Cricket Club chairman Ian Munday echoed those sentiments and believes the renewed spirit of co-operation can only benefit both organisations.

“Lowfield is home to two historic clubs and it makes sense for us to work together wherever we possibly can,” said Munday. “Cricket is still very much in season, but we have been able to find a way of accommodating this fixture and we are delighted that Hoddesdon Town can play an important league game on their own ground. There has been a real effort from both committees to strengthen the relationship between the clubs,” he continued. “We all want Lowfield to thrive, we all want people coming through the gates and enjoying sport here, and evenings like this show how positive that partnership can be.”

Chairman Stuart Varney Praised Both Club's Committee

Getting the pitch ready during one of the driest summers in recent memory has presented its own challenge. The prolonged hot and dry conditions have inevitably affected playing surfaces across the region, and while nobody is pretending Lowfield will resemble a pristine mid-season carpet, an enormous amount of work has gone into ensuring the pitch is safe and playable for tonight’s historic fixture. Special thanks must go to Adrian Lee and Neil Morris for their efforts in preparing the surface under extremely difficult circumstances. Maintaining a ground shared between cricket and football is demanding enough in normal conditions, but doing so after weeks of relentless dry weather has required additional time, effort and care, and the club is hugely appreciative of everything the grounds team have done to get tonight’s match on. We also thank the small army of volunteers who attended the ground on Monday evening to carry out a bit of maintenance, cleaning and tidying, fence and goalpost erecting, and similar jobs required to stage a game at Lowfield at this point of the season and of course, we thank all of them for generously giving their time to the club.

Once the whistle blows, attention will turn to a Hoddesdon side arriving back at Lowfield in excellent spirits after a hugely encouraging beginning to the campaign. Riddle’s team have played three times, all away from home, and remain unbeaten with two victories and one draw, scoring ten goals and conceding only twice.

The season began with a hard-earned 0-0 draw at Cannons Wood before Hoddesdon produced a commanding 4-0 victory over NW London at Coles Park. They then stepped up another gear on Saturday with a thrilling 6-2 success away to newly promoted East Thurrock Community, a result which propelled the Lilywhites into fourth place in the early First Division South table. Hoddesdon currently have seven points from three matches, with a goal difference of plus eight. Only May & Baker EC and Burnham Ramblers, both on nine points, and London Harts United, who also have seven, sit above Town heading into tonight’s round of fixtures.

Hoddesdon Are Unbeaten So Far This Season

Manager Simon Riddle is pleased with the foundations his players have laid but knows there is little value in admiring the table after only three games.

“We couldn’t really have asked for much more in terms of the start because seven points from three away games is a very good return,” said Riddle. “We have shown different qualities in each match as well, whether that was digging in at Cannons Wood, being very professional against NW London or showing real attacking intent and fitness at East Thurrock. The challenge now is to keep those standards high,” he added. “We are pleased with the start, but it is only a start. There are a lot of games ahead of us and we have to keep working, keep improving and make sure we approach every opponent with the same respect.”

Saturday’s victory in Essex was particularly eye-catching. East Thurrock led through Kieron Miles, but Connor Bolton levelled shortly afterwards before Hoddesdon took control after the interval, with Jack Gibbs putting Town ahead and Bolton adding his second. Freddie Wilkinson, Reggie Pegrum and Connor Casey then struck during a devastating late spell as Riddle’s substitutes helped turn a competitive match into a convincing 6-2 victory. Blue Gallagher was named Man of the Match after another influential midfield display, while Pegrum’s stoppage-time finish represented his first senior goal for the club. The goalscoring statistics demonstrate the attacking variety within the side. Bolton and Gibbs currently lead the way with three league goals apiece from three appearances, while Harrison Cage, Casey, Pegrum and Wilkinson have each contributed one.

Gaffer Simon Riddle Is Pleased With The Start To The Season

That spread is something Riddle is particularly encouraged by.

“It is always positive when goals are coming from different areas,” he said. “Connor and Jack have obviously started very well in front of goal, but we have also seen players coming from the bench and making a real difference, and that gives us options. The competition within the group is healthy, and the players know they have to perform because there are lads ready to come on and affect games,” continued the manager. “That was probably most evident on Saturday, when the energy from the substitutes helped us finish the game so strongly.”

FC Baresi, however, arrive at Lowfield carrying some improving form of their own. Their league campaign began with consecutive defeats at home, losing 2-1 to East Thurrock Community before suffering a 4-1 reverse against Hertford Heath. The response since then has been much stronger. Baresi produced an emphatic 5-2 victory over Rayleigh Town at the beginning of August and followed that with a 1-1 league draw against Enfield Borough on Saturday. They also faced AS London in the League Challenge Cup last week, drawing 1-1 before progressing 4-3 on penalties. Across their five matches in all competitions, Baresi have therefore won twice, drawn once and lost twice, scoring nine goals and conceding ten. Their league record places them 13th heading into tonight’s contest, with four points from four games and a goal difference of minus one. Those numbers, however, are shaped heavily by their difficult opening two matches, and their more recent performances suggest Hoddesdon will face a side gaining confidence.

FC Baresi Have Had A Mixed Start To The Season

Richard Arhin is one of the clearest dangers. He has scored twice in three appearances and also recorded an assist, while Israel Kabengele has two goals from only two appearances and therefore represents another obvious threat should he feature. Baresi also possess contributions throughout the squad. Amir Abbani, Edwin Saul Cruz Aguilar, Mkay Kitoko, Divine Daniel Uche Nweze and Immanuel Soetan have all found the net this season, while Soetan has also supplied two assists and both Kitoko and Nweze have registered one.

Riddle is therefore expecting a much more difficult evening than Baresi’s early league position might suggest.

“They have responded well after those first couple of results and you can see from the goals they have scored that they have plenty of attacking threats,” he said. “Winning 5-2 against Rayleigh was a strong result, and going through a cup tie on penalties also gives players confidence. We need to concentrate on ourselves and bring the intensity we showed in the second half on Saturday,” Riddle continued. “It is our first home league game and everyone is excited about that, but we cannot allow the occasion to distract us from the job we have to do.”

Tonight should provide a very different atmosphere from Hoddesdon’s opening three fixtures. Rather than meeting at a motorway service station or travelling deep into Essex and North London, the players can finally walk into their own dressing room, play in front of their own supporters and begin rebuilding the familiar rhythm of life at Lowfield. The forecast is for another warm and dry evening, providing ideal conditions for supporters even if the lack of rainfall has created considerable headaches for those responsible for preparing the ground. The club again asks everyone attending to recognise the exceptional effort that has gone into making the surface playable during such a challenging summer.

Admission is £8 for adults and £5 for concessions, while all under-16s are admitted free. Under the agreement reached between the two Lowfield clubs last season, adult members of Hoddesdon Cricket Club can attend First Team matches for just £5 instead of £8, while cricket club members aged over 65 pay only £3, with membership cards required at the gate. The Lowfield bar will also be open as usual, with Lowfield365 members receiving up to 20% off their round, adding another reason for supporters of both clubs to come down early and enjoy what promises to be a memorable summer evening.

Season Tickets are also available at the club, meaning you can support the local side for even better value than ever before and save 40%.
Adult season tickets remain at £95 and concessions (over 65s) at just £65. This works out at just £4.52 and £3.10 per game respectively.

For Hoddesdon Town, the objective remains three points and the continuation of an unbeaten start. For Lowfield itself, however, tonight represents something bigger: two clubs, one ground and a renewed relationship creating an opportunity that for many years simply did not exist.

League football in August has returned to Lowfield. A new chapter begins tonight.

MATCH DETAILS: