All the talk ahead of our 2nd round tie was whether Mepal & Sutton could find a way to win this massive game without top-scoring talisman Oliver Ward, who suffered a nasty eye injury the day before the big game.

A nervy start saw Steamers looking the more dangerous team. An attempted lob by the Steamers striker was somehow kept out of the net by Ben Newman and that was the closest either team came to scoring in the early exchanges. However once Luke Brown put the hosts ahead just before half time, there was no looking back for the boys in blue.

The 2nd half brought a confident performance. The midfield trio of Rayner, Jenkins, & Brown controlled possession, & once the 2nd goal went in thanks to a solid header from Jake Sulman, the game was never in doubt. When Jordy Emms stepped up to apply a smart finish late on (at 3-0) the game was over.

A much stiffer test awaits the boys in the third round, with an away trip to Hazelwell FC in Halesowen. Match details will be available nearer the time and all support will of course be welcome. We have big plans to make this a day out to remember!

Huge thanks go out to everyone who came to The Demcom to cheer on the lads, it was another great afternoon enjoyed by all. Big thanks also once again, to Ely City FC for allowing us to use their fantastic facilities.

Without the support of our sponsors for the day, it wouldn’t be possible to host this event, so we really can’t thank you enough. Last but not least, a big shout out to Tash Lane for the fantastic photos, they’re amazing.

Starting line-up (from left):
Daniel Jeffrey, Jake Sulman, Louie Jenkins, Jordan Emms, Ben Newton, Aaron Hamer, George Rayner (c), John Falconer, Callum Fogg, Luke Brown, Dylan Ashman

Subs:
Luke Mansfield, Jake Garner, Ryan Frear, Marcus Elsom, Finley Logan

Goals:
Brown, Sulman, Emms

MOTM:
Jake Sulman

On Sunday, Ely City FC’s Demcom Stadium played host to our Sunday Team for what was their first ever appearance in the prestigious FA Sunday Cup, a competition only permitting entries from the best 128 Sunday League teams in the country. Just qualifying for this competition is a huge achievement, but progressing to the last 64 is next level – especially after losing a couple of key players due to injury the day before.

The lads came in at half time with a thoroughly deserved lead after Oliver Ward applied a smart, half-volley finish from 10 yards after good work by Callum Fogg in the Godolphin penalty box. Godolphin pulled one back midway through the second half to set a up tense finale to a high-quality match.

There’s no better way to win a match than scoring at the death. The lads showed great character and determination to force a late own-goal winner, after a far post header by Dylan Ashman was misdirected into the Godolphin goal. It took a great all-round team performance to turn the tie in our favour and send us through to the next round, but a special mention must go out to Chayse Frear, who put in a man-of-the-match performance at left back, ensuring Godolphin’s chances on our goal were limited throughout the game.

Another home tie awaits against Norwich side FC Steamers on the 9th November. DONT miss it!

All-in-all an unbelievably proud day out for all of us at the club, which was made even sweeter by the late winner. Huge thanks to Carson Silvain and his incredible team for providing the entertainment, and extra special thanks to our friends at www.elycityfc.co.uk for hosting us (and providing the beer).

Starting line-up:
Ben Newton, John Falconer, Carson Silvain, Chayse Frear, Daniel Jeffrey, George Rayner (c), Louie Jenkins, Luke Brown, Luke Mansfield, Callum Fogg, Oliver Ward

Subs:
Dylan Ashman, Jordan Emms, Tommy Rayner, James Skillen, Jacob Cullum

Goals:
Ward, OG

MOTM:
Chayse Frear

We are in desperate need for volunteers to join our great club and make a difference. Without more help we just cannot continue to offer the great service that our club provides to our local community. If you are able to help with any of the following roles then please get in touch via mailto:mepalsuttonfc@gmail.com:

• Club Secretary – URGENT!!!
• Fundraising Committee Lead & Members
• Groundsman

After 17 years of hard work and dedication, Chris has decided to step away from his duties within the club. While it’s not been an easy decision to make, he’d like to spend more time with his ever-growing family (which now includes two grandchildren that he adores dearly) so who can blame him for that. Chris has asked us to respect his decision, which of course we will, even though he’ll be sorely missed.

Chris has seen the club grow a huge amount in his time as secretary and has undoubtably contributed to it’s success more than anyone. Several years ago he helped to move the club forward after tough times, and more recently was instrumental in the merger between Sutton Rangers and Mepal Sports. 

On top of his duties as secretary, he has managed several teams over the years, and was responsible for building and managing our first ever ladies team. When you also consider that Chris is always the first to put his hand up when something needs doing, whether that’s mowing the pitches, fixing the mower, or cooking burgers at our events, you’ll start to appreciate how big a hole we are left to fill. 

On that note, we are now in a position where we urgently have to find a new Club Secretary, as this is a critical role in the club. If you would like to get involved in the running of our great club then please do get in touch ASAP. 

In the meantime, I’m sure you’ll all join us in offering a huge thank you & best wishes to Chris for his 17 years of service, we really can’t thank him enough. 

With the new season fast approaching, it would seem like a good time to give you an update on how the club is progressing……..

It’s just over two years now since the merging of the Sutton Rangers (youths) and Mepal Sports (adults), and we’ve well and truly settled into our new identity. Last season was tremendously successful for Mepal & Sutton FC, for so many reasons.

We had a record number of teams in all competitions, with youth teams in 8 out of 10 age groups. Teams including: 8 mixed teams, 2 dedicated girls teams, a Ladies team in the Alan Boswell League, 2 men’s teams in the Cambs County League, and a fantastic new Sunday side. 

The younger sides in the mini-soccer leagues seem really popular at the moment. Just two years ago we had a single U9 team. Such was the interest in that age group, we’ve now formed 3 teams from that one side alone! Add to that a new U8 team and we’ve got a full quota of mini-soccer teams from U8 to U11.

There were several promotions in the colts league teams, the U12’s, U14’s and U15’s, all earning promotion with the U14’s topping their division.
The men’s Sunday team also achieved promotion in their first season. To top it off they also reached 2 cup finals, winning one of them and losing the other by a fine margin.

All-in-all a successful season that was celebrated in style at our annual, end of season event. Once again this was a roaring success in the sunshine and enjoyed by all who attended. Huge thanks to everyone who supported the event and congratulations to all of the worthy award winners. 

For 25/26 Mepal & Sutton FC looks to continue it’s growth by adding a Veterans team. This team of legends (ahem) will be gracing the Brooklands on Sunday mornings to keep the crowds entertained with their lightning speed and boundless energy! Be sure to come down for a watch and (more importantly) share a beer in the Legion after the game. 

The Sunday team have been nominated (by Cambs FA) to represent the county in the National Sunday League Cup in recognition of last season’s exploits. These lads have well and truly put Mepal & Sutton on the grassroots map, so please keep an eye out for these fixtures. The standard of play is about as good as grassroots gets, so well worth a watch. Your support will be essential in helping them achieve what we all know they’re capable of. Exciting times. 

The numbers in the men’s Saturday teams look healthy again. We’ve made some good signings to improve some weak areas of the 1st team, so we’re expecting a significant push for promotion this year. We have players that are more than capable of playing higher up the league, so anything less will be a failure in my eyes! 
The focus of our reserve team is always about youth. It’s main objective is to provide our younger players, and local colts players, with a pathway to men’s football. We have several promising young players joining the men’s teams this season so the future is bright. We aim to provide them with the encouragement and guidance necessary when they move up from Colts, into the early years of men’s football, before (hopefully) progressing to our first team & providing us with a conveyor belt of talent for many years to come. 

We’re working hard to overcome some of the challenges that we face away from the pitch. Things such as rising costs for training facilities, ageing equipment and football kits, and the sheer workload of running such a big club, are all a constant challenge. We’re in desperate need of new goalposts & footballs, so sponsors (the more the better!) will always be welcome. We now have lots of pitches: 5v5 and 11v11 pitches at Sutton; 7v7, 9v9 and 11v11 pitches at Mepal. It takes a lot of work to maintain all these facilities, so any extra help will always be welcome. 

We need to significantly increase our fundraising efforts so we’re looking to establish a seperate fundraising committee, which will help us to fund our dreams as a club, and provide our members with best facilities and equipment in the area. None of this can happen without the help of volunteers, so we’re desperate for others to chip-in and help. Currently we’re looking for the following:  

• A coach for Mini Strikers – we’re looking to bring back this previously popular club for the little ones. 
• Veteran’s team Manager – to run the new team
• Fundraising Committee members – to plan/deliver events & apply for grants
• Management Committee members – to help with club communications, social media posts, and pitch/equipment maintenance
• Sponsors – banners, match kits, balls, tracksuits & events. Lots of opportunities to help us while getting your brand out there. 

Last but not least, we wouldn’t be where we are without those that already help us with their generosity, and those that continue to dedicate their time to ensure that there’s a game on when Saturday (or Sunday) comes. Your commitment is much appreciated.

Special thanks must go the Royal British Legion – who’ve kindly offered to support the club through their upcoming events, and also to ALL of our sponsors, supporters and players. As one club we are stronger together and we couldn’t do it without you.

On behalf of the MSFC committee, thanks for your continued support. We look forward to an exciting and successful 25/26 season. UTM&S  

Jamie.
Chairman, Mepal & Sutton FC.