#yaxleyfc

So here we are again.

Our fith manager since January 1st 2023 has left the club.

I am old and have been around this club decades. I grew up on Dave Willis, Paul Humphreys, Jim Watson, Gary Clipston and then Brett Whaley. That's the same number of Managers from moving into the Drove (1992 to 2015) as we have had in 592 days.

Good managers, Yaxley Football Club people who drove the team to out achieve the budget and level of support it generated.

We were punching about our weight getting into the UCL and then famously got promoted to the Prem.

The portakabin that stood where the main building is now was rocking as the loyal band of players and small group of fans bonded, celebrating each win at step 5 as if it were to be cherished.

We then had the Jeff Lenton take over. He put a banner up outside the POSH ground, there was no lack of ambition!

He promised Southern League football for the club and despite it taking 18 years by which time he was looking for less not more invovlement day to day (for thoroughly acceptable reasons) Andy Furnell got us to the promised land.

As we have said so many times before that promotion to Step 4 and the lockdowns killed us in so many ways.

The club could not generate revenue and relations between the junior and senior section deteriorated during that Covid period.

Through in the move to the Nothern League and the Sammy Mould debacle and you think things just about couldn't get worse.

But the news that Simon Roberts had been sacked was a new level.

Robbo (along with Lloyd Burton) took that side of journeymen on when Sammy left and got us through to the end of a horrible season.

He also took on the job last season at step 5 and almost got us into the play offs.

Naturally, there has been a dip. A number of players left (for better money no doubt) and the start has been slow.

But with Yaxley and Peterborough City only merging in the summer there is plenty of mitigation I would suggest.

It will be interesting to see what happens next.

Will Wilks be the long term successor or is he just holding the fort until the club (who are forming their committee tomorrow night) announce a new Manager or open up an application process.

Yaxley FC and Peterborough City to merge

And so just a year after it was predicted by most people, Yaxley FC and Peterborough City FC have merged to become one new club for the village (and hopefully Hampton and Great Haddon) to get behind.

When DFC holdings took on the Leading Drove facility last summer and owner David Cattermoul formally moved in his PCFC outfit there was a lot of opinion as what that meant.

Most of the scenarios I was party to were doomsday for the Cuckoos with the new hosts taking on the stadium and YFC being pushed out. Maybe to the Peterborough League and back to their old Middletons Road base, maybe being consigned to history.

Fortunately it looks like that might have been too cynical and we now see the merger meaning the Cuckoos being back as part of the club as opposed to (what appeared to be) tennants paying a rent.

The thought of what could have happened has hung large over those involved with the club this season so to finish 7th in the UCL Prem South whilst these negotiations were ongoing (I assume) shows real positivity and dedication.

What happens going forward?

It's early days for that but the important parts of the announcement I took were the full and proper return of junior and womens football to the club and the building of a pathway that inspires the young people of the area to think there is a journey to first team football they can embark on. Whatever their age.

But what I will say is whoever reads this and is based in the area, please forget what has happened in the past and get behind the new venture.

The club absolutely needs support and volunteers to be the best version of itself.

Uh huh. Off field stuff has happened this week.

You have to feel a large amount of sympathy for Wilks, his staff and the players of Yaxley Football Club.

Whilst they don't know whether their matches are on or home matches are being played 25 miles away, they are now trying to fight a relegation battle.

Yesterday was every fan's worst nightmare. A decent first half performanc,e which still saw the team 2-0 down.

They never gave up or stopped running, but the game was gone, and fair play to Godmanchester on their win.

Not that they could celebrate with a well-earned pint. The bar was closed for some reason that appeared to have the facilities operator blaming the football club. There is clearly serious bad blood. He could barely bring himself to say "Yaxley Football Club" when reading the teams out.

Having founded his own new club Yaxley United, this week, banned the youth of Yaxley FC from the club, but I understand been keen to allow them to train if they join his club...

Oh forget it... what's the point ? There is so much positioning and smoke and mirrors going on here between everyone that the fans are getting royally dumped on from an increasingly great height.

Not that you could see that happening. The facilities operator didn't want to turn the floodlights on, complaining about an unpaid bill.

A once proud and well-respected football club is now struggling to survive.

And even if this mess over who does what and is responsible for what is ever sorted out, the reputational damage to YFC is going take years to put right.