Chairman's Report - Andrew Maynard

“If you'll not settle for anything less than your best, you will be amazed at what you can accomplish in your lives”.

The end of another season, my first as Henbury & Rockleaze Chairman but my 15th in total. It’s been a hectic 12-months after the merger this time last year, and whilst we haven’t had the individual success we were hoping for, we continue to regularly put out 5 Saturday and 3 Sunday sides. The highlights of the season were the Sunday side winning the Senior Division and two cup finals, unfortunately we lost them, but both were fantastic days that the club can be proud of.

In my humble opinion the merger between Henbury FC and Rockleaze Rangers Senior teams has been a resounding success with players from both clubs playing for all our sides and contributing to their successes.

1st Team Review

A disappointing first half to the season was countered by a great second half with the team ultimately finishing 9th out of the 16 competing teams, the team also had a Cup Final to show for their efforts. Many of the players (ex Rockleaze) took time to adapt to playing on grass, but now they have they can look forward to next year with renewed positivity.

Pete, Lee and Jason will once again take charge of the team, and I know are already speaking to two or three new players.

Reserve Team Review

Zaki Elghami’s first full season as a manager resulted in the team finishing in 5th place which with a little more luck could easily have been 2nd or 3rd. Zaki has a large squad which I know is often difficult to juggle around, however, he has done a wonderful job with a young crop of very promising players many of whom made appearances for the 1st team over the course of the season and quite a few I’m sure are destined to be 1st team regulars in one or two more seasons.

Zaki has aspirations to push on and is determined to do even better next season, if the youngsters can keep listening, working hard and improving this ambition will be achieved.

‘A’ Team Review

Unfortunately the A team were relegated from Bristol Premier Combination Division 1 at the end of the season (not helped my other clubs folding), however, there are positives with Jamie Young coming in as the third manager of the season just after Christmas and bringing with his some good young players who given time in the right environment will improve and be the backbone of the club over the coming years.

‘B’ Team Review

Adam Buckley in his tenth and final season of managing the ‘B’ team (nine whilst at Rockleaze) did an admirable job after being promoted to Suburban Division the season before. The season was full of ups and downs however a 7th place finish was a decent end to the team’s first season at this level of football

Huge thanks to ‘Bucks’ for what he has done and achieved over the last 10-years, three cup finals, two cup final wins and two promotions aren’t a bad return. Up the Killer Bee’s and don’t be a stranger Buckers.

‘C’ Team Review

A second from bottom finish was not what Alex Hasell was looking for after the decent pre-season the team had. The lads battled hard and were rarely out classed but perhaps lacked that killer instinct in front of goal.

Alex is standing down with immediate effect and the club wishes him all the best in what comes next in his footballing journey.

Sunday Team Review

George Snowden aka ‘Spin’ once again worked miracles in the Premier Division of Bristol football. With the league format now splitting into two divisions after Christmas the team who were top of the bottom half moved into the Senior Division, which they went onto win well fairly easily in the end and then went on a cup run all the way to the Presidents Cup Final which was held at Arnall Drive. Whilst the team narrowly missed out on penalties it was a great day to be associated to this club.

Vets Review

With Valentin Pomfret (Bally) in his second season of management and the Vets moving back into the Bristol Corinthains League the season promised much. A mid table finish was about where the team is at the moment but more importantly the ‘old uns’ are back in a competitive league with lots of teams and back playing on grass.

Under 18’s Review

Paul Sealey’s young team had a superb second half of the season finishing in an admirable third place, many of Paul’s players still have two more years at U18’s football and I’m looking forward to seeing how far this team can go over this period.

Social and Fundraising

The clubhouse has been really well used by some teams less so by others; to continue to bring the club together we need all the players to use the clubhouse and attend events that we put on for the playing and social membership. We won’t be able to continue to put on food for all teams if they don’t spend money behind the bar, so you’ve been warned.

It’s not difficult chaps, we put on 2-3 events you just need to support them!!!

Social Media

A huge thanks to Ray Bright who runs the Twitter Page, creates the posters and content for both social media and the clubhouse and produces the best programme in the Gloucestershire County League.

Conclusion

We continue to put out 5 Saturday and 3 Sunday sides, when many other clubs are still falling by the wayside, we only manage to achieve this due to the constant ‘cajoling’ and work put in by the managers and helpers.

Please can I ask all players to go that extra mile and make life easier for the managers, those that don’t support managers, fundraising events, social events, and the club generally, will unfortunately become dispensable as we continue to be a club that a lot of players wish to join.

Overall the merger and the season have been a resounding success, could we do more, and do better well of course we could and that’s what we will continue to strive to do.

Achievements

1. 1st Team –Gloucestershire County League Cup Finalists

2. Sunday Team – Bristol Premier Sunday League Senior Division Champions and Presidents Cup Runners Up

3. Regularly fielding 5 Saturday and 3 Sunday teams.

4. We continue to have the highest placed 4th and 5th teams in Bristol football.

Thank you

A huge thank you to Charlie Barron (El Presidente), all of the committee, team managers and the wonderful ladies behind the bar that look after us all for their continued and selfless hard work and to everyone else see you all in a few weeks for the start of pre-season at Arnall Drive.

As the new club and the new era move into its second year, my ask is for everyone to continue to embrace it, and I know it will be a success.

Finally, please, please, please always remember our club motto.

‘We win together, we lose together but most importantly we stick together’. #UTHR

Secretary’s Report – Ian McNally

It was little over a year ago that we, formerly of Rockleaze Rangers and Henbury OB, collectively made the decision to merge our clubs to create Henbury & Rockleaze FC. This meant a move away from the great playing facilities at Hillside Gardens for Rockleaze Rangers to share our new home with Henbury OB at Arnall Drive.

I think it is fair to say that our collective experience so far when we ask ourselves ‘has it been a success?’ would provide a mixed response. Whilst there are things that we have got right and have gone well there are also other things that haven’t gone so well, and we need to improve on. If another question is asked ‘was it the right thing to do?’ then I wouldn’t hesitate to answer with ‘Yes, definitely!’. At Rockleaze Rangers we were going nowhere at (Handbrake) Hillside Gardens – whilst (with the odd exception) you could guarantee that games would always be on there was nowhere to call home socially, whilst Henbury OB were experiencing difficult times on the pitch and needed reinforcements on the playing side.

So, 1 year on have we met our dual objectives of giving the 1st team a platform to progress beyond the County League and giving the rest of the club a social hub to create more of a club atmosphere rather than a few disparate teams? Whilst there is still work to do in both of these areas it feels like we have made a big step forward in terms of progress. Winston Churchill once said, “Success is not final, failure is not fatal, it is the courage to continue that counts”. We were never going to get everything right first time but over time we will work together to achieve those objectives and to build a better, stronger club. With potential FA funding becoming available we hope to have the opportunity to develop all of the facilities at Arnall Drive to create an even better place for us all to enjoy playing, watching and socialising around football.

Now that the season has ended, we have some decisions to make based on what has gone well and not so well, around the number of teams that we can sustain and around which leagues / divisions we are going to align ourselves to.

In terms of key messages for players at the club

· Support those who volunteer for the club – the Manager’s and Committee Members who give up their time so that we can provide football across several levels of football. Help the Team Managers out by being clear on availability, paying sub’s, helping with kit, footballs and equipment on matchday and at training. It is hard work so do your bit to help where you can

· Try and be respectful to referees. In case you haven’t noticed there is a real shortage of ref’s available, especially in the lower divisions. We all know that some of them are not at the level of quality that we would all like but without them we don’t have a game so try and work with them rather than against them

· Be a good team-mate and play an active part in the club after games and at the events that are put on. Stick around for a drink and a chat after the game, get to know lads from some of the other teams. These things are vitally important to help us continue to run a successful club – fund raising is a vital part of this to cover all of the costs associated with running each team

You only get out of your club what you / we are collectively prepared to put into it, so do your bit.

Finally, thanks to all of the volunteers, everyone on the Committee, all of the Team Managers and to all of the bar staff for the work that they have put in this season.

1st Team Season Report – Pete Bradbury

The 2024-25 season has ultimately been a mixed bag. Our first preseason at the Drive was an overwhelming success, with consistently high numbers participating and a great social environment backed up by results on the pitch being very positive. A series of impressive performances and wins against higher league opposition Bitton, Cribbs, Shirehampton and Longlevens suggested that the transition to grass would be seamless, and ought to have been a platform for a strong start to the season. Alas, this could not be further from the truth, with a stoppage time equaliser in the first league game against Quedgeley deflating the preseason optimism, despite an otherwise dominating performance.

Things would go from bad to worse, with a string of lacklustre performances leading to only 1 league win in our opening 10 games. A change in approach was implemented, with the free-flowing football replaced with a more pragmatic style. Though dire to watch, this yielded a hard-fought point away at Filton, followed by a nervy away win at Ruardean. Had a corner been turned in the season? Subsequent harrowing losses to Stoke Gifford, Broadwell and Chalford suggested not, with the team 1 point off the bottom of the table with only 10 points at the halfway stage in the season.

Some respite against league misery was attained in the cups. There were big wins against Bradley Stoke and Hallen in the GFA Cup before a last 16 exit on penalties against Almondsbury. The league cup fared better, with early season triumphs against Chalford and Hanham setting up a semi-final tie against Totterdown.

In the wake of a heavy loss to Chalford early in the new year, a final change in mindset was implemented. Determined to revert back to the source of prior season successes and ‘go down swinging’, the lads were encouraged to go back to the basics of enjoying their football and expressing themselves on the pitch. Where other teams might have turned on each other and torn themselves apart, credit must be given to the squad, who instead rose to the occasion, and demonstrated a real sense of togetherness to dig deep and turn things around.

Cue a revival. A 0-0 draw away at a Sharpness side who had battered us so comprehensively earlier in the season showed character. Next up, high-flying Wick were despatched in stoppage time, with Tate Shaw’s last gasp winner prompting wild celebrations – players, management and substitutes all racing to the corner flag. One week later, the same again, grit, determination but now with emerging confidence, with Shaw once again to the rescue, despatching an injury time penalty to sink Bromley Heath. Further wins against Ruardean, Cheltenham, Totterdown and Broadwell were to follow in quick succession, and with safety all but guaranteed in a run of 2 losses in our final 16 games, the focus shifted back to the league cup semi.

On a scorching mid-March Day, we saved our best performance of the season to demolish Totterdown 5-0. Goals from Harrison, Sawdon, Williams and Buckett, before a comedy own-goal (who does a Cruyff on their own goal line!?) got the job done with aplomb. Cue more celebrations – Vamos a la Playa and Black & Gold belting out, H&R now had a cup final to plan for. Though this would ultimately end in a 2-1 defeat to a strong Frampton Utd side – injuries, a dreadful pitch and a touch of misfortune to both goals combining to go against us, this was nonetheless a remarkable turnaround from the position we found ourselves at Christmas.

On reflection on the season, we must now ensure that we take the learnings from this year into next to not end up in this predicament again. I strongly believe that this squad of players is more than capable of challenging for the league title, but the application and desire needs to match the levels of the second half of the season and not be allowed to let the standards slip to those of the first.

A massive thanks to both Lee and Jason for the support throughout the season, and for putting up with me / picking me up when things were at their toughest.

Bradders

#UTHR

Reserve Team Season Report – Zaki Elghami

As I reflect on our first full campaign under the new Henbury & Rockleaze badge, I feel a deep sense of pride in how far we’ve come as a group. Last season was about survival and stability, this year was about building identity, setting standards, and challenging at the right end of the table. We did all three.

We finished 5th in the league, just seven points off the top, scoring 45 goals across 22 games and going toe-to-toe with every side we faced. What made this season special, however, wasn’t just the results, it was the manner in which we competed. From the first whistle to the last, we played with purpose, clarity, and an evolving footballing identity.

Highlights of the season:

· A tactical masterclass and dominant 4-0 win at home against Wessex Wanderers, a true showcase of our system, style and the true level of the squad.

· Our ability to control and dominate the final 30 minutes of matches, where our superior fitness and impact from the bench consistently shifted momentum in our favour.

· The number of goals scored that reflected our method, layered possession, patient build-up, quick tempo, and collective movement.

But football isn’t just about highs.

We had our setbacks too. Coming up second best in games against other title contenders and losing points from winning positions on several occasions, most notably in both games against Old Cothamians. Ultimately, individual errors, not tactical or structural breakdowns, cost us the fine margins between 5th place and being champions.

Defensively, we were sound in structure, rarely carved open. Most of the goals conceded came from our own mistakes, something we’ll address head-on in pre-season. That said, we also proved we can outscore, outfight, and outlast teams, and that's a powerful base to build from.

This group has grown immensely, both in footballing maturity and in character. The culture we’ve built is one of humility, intensity, and accountability. Everyone contributed to this journey, whether starting each week or making an impact off the bench.

Looking ahead to next season, our path is clear: tighten the margins, stay consistent in the big moments, and turn potential into something tangible. I believe in this group, and I believe our best is still to come.

Stay humble. Turn up. Work hard. Demand more, from ourselves and from each other. Do that, and we can go all the way.

.

‘A’ Team Season Report – Jamie Young

It was a tough season for the A’s having been unexpectedly lifted into the Bristol Premier Combination Division 1 at the start of the season.

During the season there were three different managers which alongside the 77 players who represented the team in 24//25 reflects some of the difficulties the side faced.

It was a tough division which was made tougher when Patchway Town folded right at the end of the season. This wiped out six hard earned points and ultimately meant the A’s finished below Old Sodbury in the final relegation slot.

I'd like to thank players, coaches and managers for battling on courageously in difficult circumstances. Results didn't quite go our way, but we made a contest out of most of the fixtures.

The club blooded several younger players in adult football for the first time and will come back stronger for the experience.

.

‘B’ Team Season Report – Adam Buckley

The 24/25 season brought about a new home ground and a new division following promotion last season. Maybe this was all a bit too much all at once. We kicked off the campaign away at Old Cots. On what was a very hot afternoon, a credible 1-1 all draw was probably a fair result. As a team who have got accustomed to playing on 4g, as this game was, we felt more at home on this surface. Grass has always been our Achillies heel in the past.

Our first taste of our new home ground was possibly a bit more eye opening to the surroundings we would be facing in division 1. A 2-nil loss to a well drilled and fit AFC Bohemia, however as the B team never really start to get going until November, it was inevitable.

Back-to-back cup games on the League and GFA followed. Due to the lack of teams entering, we were pushed up to the higher cups. A tough away day against Wessex First’s didn’t go our way, however in the GFA under the lights away at Cosmos was a much better result. Coxy can attest from this game that you should never meet your heroes as his relationship the Goggle Box’s own Tristian Plummer is now somewhat strained. A 2-1 win against the team who went on to win our league was a super result.

League action was less fruitful as 2 losses followed; however, Hanham Abbotonians was the gift that kept on giving. Played 18 lost 18 helped give us a well needed 3 points.

Back to the cup and sadly the run was over with a loss away at Nicholas Wanders. The pick of the day was Arians goal. Lovely skill to dribble away from a couple of players before putting it in the bottom corner. This entered a little purple patch for the B team with 2 wins and a draw. Special praise to the boys for the win away at Bohemia in late December. Horrible conditions but battled for a 3-2 win.

Maybe too much enjoyment in December led to a poor January which had us staring towards the wrong end of the table. A must win game against fellow strugglers Saltford was on the horizon. Out on the 3rd pitch (and I use the terms pitch lightly) we started downhill, potentially using the advantage early to set the tone, however we came in 1 nil down at half time. I may take some blame on that as I had set the team up to play up hill with the coin toss going the wrong way. Either way, a change in formation and the introduction of Josh Arnott changed the game. Going uphill we put 5 past them and conceded none. The pick was lovely flighted freekick from captain Olly Chatfield in the top corner.

An awayday to Southmead next up, which you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemies went exactly as you expected. Southmead not known for their smarts but having one of their own lads to ref the game was a good attempt on their behalf. Multiple terrible challenges on their behalf went unpunished and even an offside flag when our lad nutmegged one of theirs and ran on to the ball. However, appreciation must go first to Alex Thomas helping out to lead the ship on the day as well as Dave Cox who by all accounts had a stormer in goal and literally saved the day with her performance.

Due to league position and with the beach beckoning the rest of the season had the feel of just going through the motions. A 7th place finish wasn’t one that we would have hoped for, however, to step up a division and at a new ground, to be able to remain in the division is credible. On a personal note, my final and 10th season in charge has felt right to step down. I wish the club, the future manager and all the lads involved all the success in the future.

‘C’ Team Season Report – Alex Hasell

This season didn’t quite live up to the expectations after a 100% pre-season record. Our league season was a disappointing one due to a huge lack of availability which meant we were not able to get a consistent team out or our strongest side. Unfortunately, losing our captain Nathan early on was a big loss and we didn’t recover from it as the partnership of Liam and Nathan was a solid pairing at centre back. Liam Swayne took the armband, with Josh Williams assisting and Harry Watts claiming the 2nd Vice role, a great leadership team who all showed passion and commitment to improving the season and putting it hardworking performances.

There were multiple great individual and team performances across the season, wins that made us feel we could push on further up the league, but it just wasn’t to be in the end, and a second from bottom finish is a disappointing one. However, multiple top class goalkeeping displays from Seb kept us in majority of games and kept our scorelines down, which made a lot of the lads’ performances better keeping them in the game.

Our Cup campaign was a much brighter run. Reaching the Quarter-Final of the Norman Goulding Cup was the highlight of our season in general and something as a group we can be very proud of. Incredible performances against Socius and FC Union meant we deservedly progressed to the quarters which lifted the spirits in the camp. However, it just wasn’t to be progressing further with opposing team Stoke Gifford cheating on the line and the referee delivering a woeful performance resulting in us crashing out the cup.

In the FA County Cup competition we also witnessed some superb wins which again included Seb saving 3 penalties in a shootout which guided us past Castle Park onto the next round.

Sunday Team Season Report – Peter Bradbury

(Manager George Snowden)

The Sunday side enjoyed its fourth season in the BPSFL, and having been runners-up in the Senior Division in 2023/24, were able to go one better in the 2024/25 season.

This success has largely been attributed to the laid-back demeanour of manager George Snowden ("Spin"), as much as the tactical mastery of playing up hill first on our ‘slopey’ home pitch.

On the pitch, this has been backed up by the goals of Josh Arnott (22 in 19 games), Zayd Alli (11 in 17 games) and the skipper, Alex "Warchief" Welford (9 in 15 games).

With our league games finished in early March, the President's Trophy offered an extension to the season, though after a couple of lacklustre performances against Spartans and Starfield Utd, the lads put in a shift to overcome Bristol Jaguars and sneak through as runners-up in Group B.

In the semi-final, despite racing into an early 2-0 lead against Digital Dash, with goals from Josh Arnott and Kai Elliott, the game ultimately finished 2-2. H&R nonetheless progressed to the final by winning the resulting penalty shoot-out 5-4, with Wyatt "Mini-Grape" Murphy saving the crucial spot-kick. On home turf, H&R came up just short have conceding a 93rd minute equaliser to ultimately lose 1-3 on penalties.

Here’s to next season in the Premier Division.

Under 18’s – Bristol Under 18 Combination – Division 2

Manager: Paul Sealey

Starting a new U18’s from scratch is always a challenge, and 1-point from the 1st 4-games was definitely a challenging start. We were bottom, player availability, often only have 12 or 13 players, and injuries were a real problem for us, we were constantly changing players positions and asking players to play in positions that were unfamiliar to them.

Our luck changed in November with the signing of a few new players, and we went into game 5 with new hope. We played Rockleaze U18’s, who had beaten us 3-1 in the opening fixture, we avenged that defeat with a 4-3 victory. Largely in part to a brilliant performance by our goalie Connor, who made 5-6 great saves in the 2nd half. We lost our next game against Rockleaze U17’s. After this defeat we changed formation to 3-5-2. This proved to be a good choice, as we only lost 2 more games all season, these were however to the teams that finished bottom of the league.

Our last games of the season were forfeited by our opposition, so we ended up finishing 3rd, with 26 points.

We played really good football throughout the season, scored some great goals and became a very good team with a brilliant team spirit, and considering our team was by far the youngest team in the league, with at least 8 players being eligible to still play U16’s football, this was a great season, and I believe there are even better things to come.