Pick Of The Cherries - Dec 11th, 2003

Last updated : 17 December 2003 By Mike Robins
22 November
Half price season tickets (from £45 under-18’s, £126 Adult) are now on sale for the final eleven League games of the term, starting with the visit of Port Vale on 10 January.

25 November
Sean O’Driscoll and Peter Grant are set to take in Accrington Stanley’s Conference match at Chester City tonight.

26 November
Mel Machin received £120k as “compensation for loss of office” according to the club accounts. The accounts also show the club had debts of £4.3m in March 2003. However since then turnover has increased by some £530k, with gate receipts up 40% and commercial income up 90%.

27 November
Peter Phillips is hoping the new “Cherry Hotshots” lottery will take off as part of the effort to turn the Cherries into an all year round business.
Participants will have a unique combination of five letters, corresponding to a player (with five “mystery” ones making up the 26, including Ted Macdougall, Matt Holland, Ronnie Eyre, Ian Bishop and Luther Blissett). Matching all five drawn will give the holder a prize of £1000; second prize will be £200 if matching four plus a “bonus” player. There will also be Monthly Super draws with a variety of prizes.

2 December
Karl Broadhurst should resume training today despite picking up an ankle in jury, and likewise Marcus Browning with stitches in a shin wound. Alan Connell could get the green light from his knee specialist to resume training, and Derek Holmes will also have his progress assessed. Lewis Buxton has extended his loan spell for a second month.

4 December
Karl Broadhurst and Marcus Browning haven’t trained yet this week.
Alan Connell has been given the OK to resume full training.
AFCB are holding a memorabilia auction at Dean Court next week. All proceeds will go towards the club.

9 December
Live TV will cover the cup replay against Accrington Stanley, both clubs receiving £50k for the privilege. Ceefax rather bizarrely says “the game will not (sic) take place on Monday 15 December at 7.45 p.m.” ……..curious!
Media talk that AFCB were trying to sign Jody Banim from Radcliffe Borough (who eventually went to Shrewsbury Town) is played down “due to the club’s financial position”.

10 December
Peter Grant fears that two games in three days (Grimsby and Accrington) could prove very difficult for the squad and hopes no further injuries will rear their ugly heads.
Jason Tindall sees a specialist after twisting his knees in the recent FA Cup-tie.
Alan Connell is scheduled to appear for the Reserves at Cardiff today.
David Wilkie (the former Olympic swimmer) is now head of Health Perception, “the market leader in supplying glucosamine supplements”. Glucosamine is a naturally occurring substance that helps build cartilage tissue and can help improve recovery time after cartilage damage, and to ease joint pain for arthritis sufferers. Several of the players at AFCB are said to use the products.

11 December
Jason Tindall will be out for around 6 weeks, as he needs an operation to repair a torn cartilage pad in his right knee.