Over the course of the season interesting news releases from the FA, the Swindon Sunday League, Dorcan Old Boys FC and individuals connected from all of the previously mentioned sources will be added here. The latest news item will be the 'main' item on the Index or Home page and the last four or five items will be in the news box and linked to here. Eventually after enough accumulation there will be a 'News Archive' section.
Hodeys Present and Hodeys Future!
Congratulations to Matt and Amanda on the birth of their daughter Lilia Alamea on Wednesday, February 20th at 9.05 a.m. in a labour lasting a little over five hours. Lilia arrived naturally with a full head of hair and mum and baby are in full health, if a little tired. The name means pure (first name) and precious (middle name - Hawaiian) Amanda showed true DOB style and apart from a little gas and air she did it was all her own work! Just as well with Matt on the touchlines! A hearty congratulations to the new mum and dad and I for one want to be the first to Christen Matt with his new football nickname. Gone is 'Diego' and in comes 'Pop'!
Adam and Becky Congratulations on Adam and Becky's engagement. Are the blonde bombshells on the first steps of the path to populate the world with beautiful, cool, people with nice temperaments and blonde hair? It could be worse.....The toilet jokes can be left up to others! Graeme and Jess Congratulations to Graeme and Jess on their engagement. The huge medal is at this moment being cast and should be awarded to Jess in the near future. We liked to ask as Graeme's future wife can you please get him to go out running again! Seriously everyone at the club passes on their best wishes for the future and congratulations on the happy event. Club's Fund Raising Quiz Night a Success!
A big thank you to everyone for their support and contribution on Friday night (February 22nd). This event raised enough money to not have to worry about our second instalment on the pitch payment so a very good night and result indeed. Full marks in particular to Phillip 'Mastermind' Corcoran and Graeme 'Bamber Gascoigne' Little for a great night. Something we should certainly repeat. Christmas Challenge
The third annual Christmas Challenge has ended and what a game. The Pupils, basically the youngsters of the club lead The Masters, more or less the 'oldies' of Dorcan Old Boys, by eight goals to three with only twenty minutes to go. Yet with a cockiness and misplaced self belief that can only come from being young they managed to let the 'ancient guard' whittle away at the lead until with minutes remaining and The Masters within two goals they started to play again. By then it was too late and the two late goals amongst a host of other chances meant the score was a rather embarassing, (for them) eight all tie! Badly done lads, badly done! Website to be pared down
After due consideration and the amount of usage certain sections of this website gets and the listening to the voices of the club members the Dorcan Old Boys FC website is to be pared down from it's current form. More than likely the web polls on the front page will not longer be installed and the interactive sections will be completely deleted, along with the 'views' and 'match analysis' sections. Further amendments may take place but in the mean time trouble with the tool bar on certain companies web-servers and security settings means a second 'text link' menu will be added to each page to allow simple navigation around the website. Club Christmas Events Organised: Social Club Secretary James Domm, he of the bruised bottom, has sorted out arrangements for the Dorcan Old Boys Football Club 2007 'Christmas Club Do' We are booked into New World restaurant for an 8.30pm start on Saturday December 22nd, a Chinese-meal all you can eat buffet and karaoke. This requires a £5 deposit per person to be paid to Dommy on Sunday October 28th with a final balance of £15.90. Then on the next day, Sunday December 23rd, the time has come for the annual Christmas Challenge. The Klowns versus the Veterans. A new page for the big game will be set up shortly. Watch this space for the return to the pitch of some real football players and for more match details - one game definitely not to be missed. The Christmas Challenge here. Team Photograph Available for Purchasing: This photograph is now available in the above format/style in a full professional print in 16"x12" size and A4. Please contact Room for Views for details by clicking this link - PRICING DETAILS: 16" x 12" print £12.00; A4 print £6.00 (in black photograph frame £10) 50% goes to DOB team funds. 
Andy Affleck Club President for Life:
The club once again owe a huge debt of gratitude to Mr Andrew Affleck the proprietor of Affleck Electrical Limited, who we suggest you visit for any electrical needs, for supplying the life blood of any Sunday morning football team - money! We will not embarrass Andy or be vulgar by mentioning any figures but let's say he has been more than generous and certainly some recent displays don't warrant such altruism. Good on you Andy you're one in a million. Congratulations to Sam and Belch: Congratulations to the lovely Sam and the less lovely Belch on their engagement. Amazingly enough Rob has found a girl who took a marriage proposal seriously and such a nice one too! No doubt there will be much laughter and fun in that relationship as these two definitely know how to have a good time when they go out. Dorcan Old Boys, obviously, are invited to any parties. First Social Event Planned: This season's first organised social event arrives. Okay it's a 'mini' event and but from small acorns mighty oaks grow. The club's new social secretary James Domm has suggested a Sunday drink up whilst watching Swindon Town take on Yeovil Town on Sky TV, whilst playing pool and 'listening to Daniel Beddingfield on the juke-box at the White Hart. Personally I'd rather take a pool cue to Daniel Beddingfield but each to their own. Here is hoping the team can make it a good turn out as 'Dommy' has endeavoured to give everyone a nice six days notice, so roast dinners and family outings can be cancelled to make way for the mighty DOB machine.... Dorcan Old Boys FC Line Up 2007-08: The line up for the third, and hopefully winning season, in Dorcan Old Boys Football Club has been confirmed. The backroom staff are in place and all that is needed is the registration forms to go off to the Swindon Sunday Football League and the players to start performing. This line up is Hodey's 'dream'. Here's hoping it comes true for the original Gaffer... This season the Gaffer continues to annoy players and getting angry every week but can call on the calming and less emotional Ray 'Raaaymoooooond' Maxam - 'The Brooding Tactician' for advice and help, old duffer Strover is in the mix some where too, handing out water bottle and whatnot. New players have come in to bolster weak spots and a few have disappeared. Notably Ben Fitzgibbon is not returning to the team and is seeking pastures new, (see Past Players). Genuine 'old boy' David Strover is now full time secretary and has signed a form but hopefully will not have to play much to the relief of the rest of the club. Hodey-Ho keeps his influence by voting himself team captain. The club welcomes Barry Shedden to the team, old Nationwide team mate of Strover who is mightily relieved he doesn't have to listen to his shouting, and Gary Matthews, Neil Dix, Lee Mason and Phil Corcoran should push players for their places: The line up is as follows, obviously this will change as the pre-season ebbs and flows and once the season starts but initially, this is where it begins:
back Swindon Sunday Football League AGM June 17th saw the convening of the Swindon Sunday Football League AGM. The most important news was that next season Dorcan Old Boys FC will be playing in Division Six alongside the usual divisional rivals of Pinehurst Community, Stratton United, CATS Solutions and The Bear Hotel, Marlborough, perhaps this season DOB might be able to beat Stratton United and win the title that they should have claimed in the last two seasons? The season is scheduled to start on September 2nd 2007 and finish on May 31st 2008, also from this season onward no fixtures will be scheduled for Easter Sunday bank holiday weekend, taking pressure off many teams. Another trip to the miniscule pitch of Marlborough Recreation Ground is on the cards as The Lamb Inn from that town are now in our division and they share that venue with The Bear Hotel! Also a new rivalry is surely on the cards as the two Sunday League sides that share sponsorship of The White Hart, Stratton St Margaret are now competing against each other - yes 'The White Hart, Stratton' now will come up against the mighty Dorcan Old Boys for the beer buying rights to next season in the bar - twice! The management committee of the Swindon Sunday League changed the rule for tied teams in the league, bringing in goal difference before play-off games and next season the league will have twelve teams per division instead of the current ten. Team's not competing 50% of their fixtures for the season will have all their record expunged this changing the rule that had one team having it's entire record expunged with only two games left to play last season. Congratulations to Thamesdown AFC and The Bear Hotel, Marlborough from our division last season for winning the Mick Brennan most sporting team award and to Pennoes for winning it overall. It only remains to be say good luck to everyone and this season let's hope that Dorcan Old Boys can finally bring home a divisional title to prove how good they are instead of just boasting how good they are!
back Newquay Tournament This coming weekend, starting Friday June 15th, two teams, the As and the Bs will be heading down to unsuspecting Newquay. The Gaffer Matt Hodey is saying it is to get another tournament win under the club's belt, after last year's DIGs Six-A-Side win, but those in the know think it is more of an excuse to lash it up and attempt a world record at beer drinking in three days. Further to this the oldest club member and the worst drinking, David Strover (for it is he), is staying at home and keeping his body the temple to fitness it is and instead is sacrificing two to three hours of his life by going to the Swindon Sunday League AGM on Sunday June 17th. A full report of the machinations at this meeting and the outlook for Dorcan Old Boys for next season will be posted on this site soon. Look out for it.... back Strover to be club secretary? Preliminary talks that began in the middle of last season between the senior management of Dorcan Old Boys and David Strover have concluded with Strover being announced as the Dorcan Old Boys new club secretary. First season veteran goalkeeper Strover, 45, having retired has taken up the position of club secretary with a verve. The veteran custodian already handles the website content and publishing and for most of last season's campaign controlled the Swindon Sunday League Game Cards on match-day so the step up to secretary seemed natural and allows the old-timer to have some involvement with the day to day running of the team on Sundays. Having no natural aptitude for team management and a philosophy steeped deeply in defensive football Strover's only other attributes that that club could use to their advantage was his statistics fascination, his natural administration skills and his almost pathological need to 'get things right' with attention to detail and 'rule following'. Normally laughable traits but when added to a Sunday morning football team these can become invaluable. Club head honcho, Matt Hodey, sees no barrier to this appointment other than Strover's constant question asking and fussy worrying but as stated before this might even turn out to be a valuable asset. Any bets on the Secretary of the Season? Don't place any money at the bookies just yet you gamblers out there, David Strover may well be a lighter touch that Matt Hodey but subservient and obsequious he is not. He has already been contacted by the Swindon Sunday Football League secretary who stated he was 'a bit keen' and one club branded letter has made it's way to the league with a customised 'with compliments' slip being sent with a cheque to the Wiltshire FA. A great club or team we may not be but Strover is intending to make sure the various authorities consider him 'a bit mad'.... back Plans afoot for 2007-2008 season. It remains to be seen if Dorcan Old Boys can shrug of the title of 'also rans' after the two first unsuccessful seasons. In 2006-06 the side should have easily walked to the Swindon Sunday League Division Eight title but ridiculous, nonsensical draws against bottom two sides West Swindon Wanderers and The Red Lion, Wootton Bassett, coupled with hefty and poor defeats at The Bear Hotel, Marlborough, Thamesdown AFC and Stratton United put paid to any serious challenge. The next season the chafe had been lost and replaced with better players but despite all this a terrible last game of the season home defeat by Stratton United lost the team any chance of the title, despite having a host of chances they allowed their opponents to beat them 1-0 and hand the title to fierce rivals Pinehurst Community. Stratton United, (again), capitulated to that side in the final game of the season. Almost before the season had ended Matt 'The Gaffer' Hodey decided his 'Army' needed shoring up with some more players. On the cards is another renowned goalscorer to take the pressure of regular net-finder Dave 'Double D' Devine and Danny Clayton and solid tough defender, a tough tackling 'leader' from midfield would not go amiss either as too many times the team seemed to be bullied off the ball. It remains to be seen if any of the club's targets will sign on or indeed if the bulk of last season's squad will return but rest assured the club's 'always the bridesmaid' reputation is not sitting well with the backroom staff. back Summer Fun June is approaching and apart from it being Ben Fitzgibbon and Matt Hodey's birthdays, (6th and 4th), Mr Hodey and some selected team members will be throwing themselves out of an aeroplane in the name of charity or perhaps madness. This event is on June 2nd and is followed up with a barbeque nosh-up and the Hodey-Mansion. Then before the dust has even settled half of the club will be off to Newquay for the football festival starting on June 15th and flowing (literally!) through the weekend when the survivors will straggle back home... back | 
