In the summer, Moles goalkeeper Killian Barrett left Binfield and joined Sheffield Wednesday. Since then, he has been on loan to Solihull Moors in the National League before then joining Rochdale AFC again in the National League on loan.
Rochdale AFC are now in the National League playoffs with a chance of becoming a football league team for the first time since the end of 2022–23.
Good luck to Killian and his Rochdale teams in their playoff game against Southend on the 15th May.
A year of change and growth.
As the season has drawn to a close, we look back at amazing growth both individually and as a team.
We have played in an extremely competitive division where league places changed frequently, finishing mid table is a great achievement.
What is even more impressive is half of the squad joined during the summer as we moved to 11 a side football, with what has become a very close knit group.
We have won, we have lost and even a couple of draws thrown in. The spirit that is incorporated within this team has seen us gain more points from losing positions, then we have lost from winning ones.
From back to front we have grown week by week. As a defensive unit, it was only the league champions that conceded fewer goals, a midfield becoming more creative and learning the art of controlling games and a front line scoring some truly wonderful goals.
We are extremely proud of what this young team have achieved already and excites us as we look forward to next season.
South Reading 3-2 Binfield Fire
Fire started the game very quick today, with everything they have worked on coming out in their play.
With quick passing and through balls it was from a corner where we took an early lead. Isaac whipped a ball into the centre of the box and an onrushing Erian heading past the keeper.
South Reading then scored against the run of play, not once but twice. Both very well taken goals leaving Carter absolutely no chance.
As we have seen with this team time and time again, they came flying back. With Max, Ben, Yuvi and Oscar controlling midfield it was a quick pass that caused the keeper into an error handling just outside the box. With the ball in the perfect position for a left footer, up stepped Alex to curl the ball into the top corner leaving the game even at half time.
As with the first half, Fire were in full control with plenty of nice interplays with chances galore. On a quick counter South Reading earned a corner which was converted at the back post to take the lead.
As Fire continued to push for an equaliser, time and time again we were denied by some excellent goalkeeping and last ditch tackles. It was a day of brilliant play with a result that doesn’t tell the story of the game.
After the game, as Coach John spoke to the team, he did so with pride in his voice at what he had just watched. It was a brilliant team effort and it was one of those days that we all learn from.
A special mention was made to Evelyn for everything she has done for Fire over the years, and as she moves on to pastures new she does so with thanks from all at the club.
Team photo showing respect after the game awaiting handshakes from opposition.
The Moles U23 Development side were at the Iconic Stadium for their last game of the season in the Thames Valley Premier League Division One against Mortimer Reserves.
On a warm sunny day, they were 3-1 winners with goals from Monty Brady, George Dance and Joe Bartlett.
We are reaching out to local organisations to secure sponsorship for the annual event being held over the weekend of Saturday 31st May and Sunday 1st June 2025.
At Binfield FC our annual tournament has been running for 15 seasons and is widely known to be one of the best junior events around. Over the weekend 160 teams compete with age groups ranging from under 7’s through to under 13’s. The girls age groups are also rapidly growing and this season 30 of those teams will be girls only. In total this equates to approximately 1200 children plus families enjoying our event across the weekend.
The tournament is an important fund raising event for the club and we are looking for local companies to sponsor each of the ten age groups (7 mixed, 3 girls only) plus an overall tournament sponsor. As well as providing a great opportunity to demonstrate community engagement and goodwill as a sponsor of the event your company brand would gain exposure through:
– Logo and company profile being included on various pages of the tournament programme
– Regular PA system mentions throughout the event including at the awards ceremony
– Social media coverage across our various platforms (X, Instagram, Facebook)
– Write up, logo and company profile on our website prior to the event
Tournament age group sponsorship is available for £250 + VAT with overall tournament sponsorship being £500 + VAT. It should be noted that sponsorship of community events can also often be written off as business expenses or charitable donations.
If you are interested in either of these packages it would be great to hear from you. Please give this some consideration as it really is a great opportunity to support Binfield FC in continuing to grow and develop our youth football opportunities. We look forward to the possibility of working together and achieving great things both on and off the field.
Craig Gilbert
Vice Chairman Binfield FC
craig.gilbert@binfieldfc.com
tournament@binfieldfc.com
The Football In Berkshire awards are a great celebration of non-league football in Berkshire and their award ceremony is a fantastic end to the season. Traditionally the Moles have done well at the awards winning for our Soccer School, website and manager of the year for Rosco and the great escape.
The nominations are open for this years awards and there are 18 categories that you can vote in. You can find the full list here.
If you are stuck for ideas on who to vote for, here are some suggestions;
It’s 18 goals and counting this season for Razhir Smith-Jones, featuring in almost every game for the Moles – does he get your nomination for Player of the Season?
In his breakthrough season, CJ has produced some incredible save including multiple penalty saves but more importantly, has grown so much as the Moles No. 1
Vote Here to nominate CJ: https://footballinberkshire.co.uk/berkshire-football-awards-home/young-player-of-the-season-male-berkshire-football-awards/
Sal been by the by the team’s side through the whole season: matchdays, training and days in-between but most importantly a huge character in the dressing room
Vote Here: https://footballinberkshire.co.uk/berkshire-football-awards-home/physio-of-the-season/
Daisy Spiers has followed the team home and away this season, capturing the moments both on and off the pitch with her favourite captured here.
Vote for Daisy Here: https://footballinberkshire.co.uk/berkshire-football-awards-home/best-individual-photo-or-media-berkshire-football-awards/
Does Mitch Parker sensational free kick on our record breaking FA Cup trip to Longlevens earn a nomination for Goal of the Season?
We’ve had plenty to choose from this year but, is our historic Isthmian League cup Quarter Final victory against Hastings worthy of a nomination?
Under 16s Predators crowned Division 2 champions with great stats over 20 matches : only 1 loss, 2 draws and 17 wins.
| Played | Wins | Draws | Losses | Goals Scored | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 17 | 2 | 1 | 71 | 19 | +52 | 53 |
Along with the very impressive league win Lewis Fellman, Jayden Weeks, George Creech and Charlie Bosher all made their debut for the Allied’s Under 18s side recently with others squad members likely to follow in the near future.
Huge well done to Manager Micheal Fearn and his coaching team of Trevor Weeks, Alex Barnes, Sam Hunt & Adam Hinchin
It was a must win game for both teams. Penn & Tyler were leading the division and Reading sat 1 point behind whilst the Moles were 2 points behind in third. Whoever won the game would win the league – a draw wouldn’t be good enough.
In front of a large crowd, the home team took the lead in the 18th minute through a penalty and doubled their lead in the 35th minute. In the second half, they added a final goal to finish winners and league champions. Congratulations to Reading City U18s on winning the title.
The young Moles finished 3rd in the league only 2 point off of 2nd and just four points from 1st. A season to be proud of.
Photos: Andrew Spiers
The season is far from over the Binfield after today, with exciting promotion and title pushes for our
Young Moles.
For our development side, after back-to-back promotions, there’s an opportunity to make it three in a row this season with three games remaining. With three games remaining, they must win all three
to stand a chance of finishing in the top 2. Goring United have had an unbelievable season and will
be crowned champions but the race for second is still alive.
If our Young Moles do take a maximum of nine points, they will be guaranteed to finish above Yateley
United and into the top three of division one. But Wokingham Town Reserves need just one win from
their remaining two games to guarantee second. They have a trip to Penn & Tylers Green before
hosting Champions Goring United on the last day of the season – so not the easiest fixtures of paper.
So there’s plenty to play for with our U23s so make sure you come back down to the Iconic to get
them over the line at the end of the season.
Sat 3rd May @ 2PM – Penn & Tylers Green (H)
Wed 7th May @ 6:30PM – Reading YMCA Rapids (A)
Sat 10th May @ 2PM – Motimer Reserves (H)
Reading City U18s vs Binfield Allieds – 29 April 2025 – KO 1945
While the first team’s season was brought to a close on Saturday, the club’s season is extended to Tuesday with the Allieds who have a shot a title glory. What looked unlikely a couple of weeks ago has turned into a genuine opportunity.
A win for our Young Moles would see them lift the Allieds County Youth League for the first time since 2018. So mark the 29 April in your diaries and get down to Reading City to support the Young Moles in their title quest.
The teams met back in September when the young Moles were 3-2 winners.
Adults: £5
Under 16s: £2
Address: The Rivermoor Stadium, Scours Lane, Tilehurst, Reading, Berkshire, RG30 6AY
For the final game of the season, we welcomed our U7 Lions to the game as match mascots. They met the players and were part of the guard of honour for league champions Farnham Town.
We hope you enjoyed your afternoon at the Iconic Stadium and look forward to see you all next season.
We wrapped up the 24/25 season for the first team with the end of season awards.
Monty has played for the Moles U18 Allied and U23 sides. He has progressed to being a regular in the team and has played in a number of positions.
Both Andy and Keith have stepped up and helped manager Ross Weatherstone during his cancer treatment.
Kitman Rhys works hard behind the scenes to ensure that the team have everything they need for match day.
Moles No 1 CJ joined the Moles back in September and has played 43 games this season.
Connor won the award for his goal against Harrow Borough.
With 19 goals this season, Razhir wins the Golden Boot.
In his first season at step 4, Jamie has made an impact in his debut season and has a bright future ahead of him.
Voted for my his team mates, Rahzir takes his second award for Player’s Player of the Season.
A big presence both on and off the pitch, the award chosen by the management team goes to Luke Wayborn.
The following originally appeared in the programme for the Farnham Town game;
“Good afternoon, today we host Farnham Town FC and we wish everyone a warm welcome to the Iconic Stadium. I’d like to wish their management team, the players, all the officials and fans a pleasant stay with us and a safe journey home after the game.
Farnham Town FC have been excellent this year, the club are deserved champions of our league. I’d like to take this opportunity to congratulate Harry the owner, Johnno and his Management team, especially Givo who is a good friend of Bully and myself and all of the Farnham Town players, some who I have worked with in the past, I must congratulate you all at winning the league in 4th gear, in my opinion! Fair play!
From the start of the season I have talked about the economic demographic of this league, with a feel more of a step 3 league rather than a step 4 one! That being said, you could have the most resources in the league or like us at the lower end, our game will always be about how you work with the resources you have. This is where I don’t think Johnno gets enough credit for the work he has delivered this season, as other managers in his position have fallen well short, I have nothing but the utmost respect for the work everyone has done at Farnham Town FC and I wish them every success in Step 3, where I believe they will again be fighting for another title this time next year.
To summarise our 2024/25 season at the club; the team has played 54 games in total, 42 league games and 12 cup games, as a group we won 21 games and lost 26 games, this is a huge improvement from last season, where the club only won 8 games all season. As a club we reached one QF and one SF, we have had our biggest FA Cup win in the clubs History, all work the players can be extremely proud of. As the Manager of the club, it would only be right for me to want more and I believe we left 17 points out there in games where we could have taken points from games where we were in full control but conceded late on. This data excites me, as it tells me this young group has more to give! I am a manager that has a management team around me that is ready to guide, support and develop this group, we will use this year’s learning moments to make sure we come back stronger next season. I set a target at the start of the season to compete in every game and stay in this division at all costs, I am delighted to say we achieved both! Thank you to every player that has represented the club this season and made that happen, you all can feel proud of the work you have given to the club.
As always this club is a class act on and off the field. This year hasn’t been the easiest one for me health wise and I am still managing that as we speak. I would like to personally thank a number of people that have backed me, supported me and they don’t get enough recognition; I’d like to start by thanking Chairman Andy, our lunch in January was the best Lunch I had this year! Every game we have a debrief and I feel this has been crucial in making sure we get the whole club galvanised and heading in the right direction, Andy’s efforts to make sure the pitch is ready to deliver results has been unbelievable, which leads me onto Borders, Luke & Lewis who work tirelessly with the Chairman to make sure the pitch is right. Rob Sutton & Keiran, who as Club Secretary’s you both have supported me signing players, match days, this year has been a real learning year, but we have got through it together. Ange & Den who have been brilliant with the bar and food after, making sure the players are filled up and ready to go for the next game. Chris works behind the bar supporting everything we are doing. Salil, who has looked after the players in such style and class, through my tough times this year, our conversations always make me smile, I appreciate you and all you do. Watto, a safe pair of hands as an addition, you quietly go about your work in an efficient way but it never goes unnoticed from my eyes! Rhys who basically does everything! best kitman in the league! thank you for your help with kit, match day, you have been great in the dressing room with all the players, Andrew and Daisy, both have kept the website on point, kept up with all the signings and to Daisy, who managed to take great pictures of what we have achieved and dressing room photos that always capture that winning dressing room, it’s so important we always celebrate success. The media team, Ollie especially, who has captured the whole season through our social media platforms, a space I know our players enjoy more than anything! John, our guy on the mic at every game announcing our goal scorers, we hear you! Craig, our Vice Chair, Graham the treasurer, the lads on the Turnstile! The Junior section of the club, the Mascots on match days, all the volunteers, all your work has been appreciated by me, my management team and the players, without the work of everyone above, we wouldn’t have achieved Step 4 football for another season, it’s always A MASSIVE TEAM EFFORT.
I’d like to finish by thanking my management team; Bully & Bowes, I said it last week but I am happy to repeat myself as many times, as my words will never be enough for the support you have given me! These 2 gentlemen have been medicine to me ever since I was diagnosed in May last year! They’ve lifted me, they’ve made me smile inside & out, with constant conversations, performances & results on the pitch! This award will never be enough, to thank them for the support they’ve shown me this season. They say loyalty is a dying trait in football! It warms me to say, that isn’t the case in these 2 fine men! 2 of the finest human beings you’ll ever like to meet! Being the Binfield Way is built on the characteristics of these 2 guys, to say the club has been in safe hands in my absence is an understatement! They’ve been my voice, arms, legs, my everything to the players, something I’ll be forever grateful for. We created the great escape together & they continue to support me with my great escape also. A small token but thank you both.
I am sure I have missed key people here and I apologise if I have! But my last thank you is to my Wife and my beautiful Daughter, who have been my rocks! Especially through every procedure, you’ve watched me in my sick bed on the phone 24/7 doing everything I can do to get results for this club, I love you both more than you will ever know. A poignant moment to mention everyone’s Wives, Girlfriends, Boyfriends, Parents, family and friends who have supported us all, you’ve all played a magical part in getting us to where we are today, you all are deeply appreciated.
I always say never stop believing! I now believe this club is in a much stable place 12 months on from the Great Escape, lets all enjoy the couple of months break, as I can not wait to see what we ALL can produce for the 2025/26 season TOGETHER.
Enjoy the game.
Rosco
The following originally appeared in the match day programme for the Farnham Town game;
“Binfield FC offer a very warm welcome to everyone for today’s Isthmian Pitching In South Central League fixture against Farnham FC.
Firstly, I would like to take the opportunity of congratulating the Chairman, Players, Officials and Supporters of Farnham on winning the Isthmian South-Central Division this season. A significant achievement at the best of times, Farnham have absolutely knocked it out of the park this season and they fully deserve all the credit that is due to them. We wish you all the very best for next season, where I understand the ambition is to continue up the footballing pyramid, and I’m sure they will be there or thereabouts come April 2026. Very well done to everyone – a super achievement!!!!
The Moles come into the last day of the season on the back of another busy week of football. The lads have certainly put in a shift as they are playing 3 games over 5 days and the squad is getting tested to the max. Playing the league’s convincing championship winners is a fitting way to end to our season which in the main, has been an extraordinarily positive and memorable one.
I would like to put on record my sincere thanks to all the players who have represented Binfield FC this past season. It’s so good to see a significant number of players returning to the club from the previous season and I for one, would like to see that replicated when we return to league action in early August. To Ross, Bully, Bowes, Rhys, Shal, Becka and Carl, we can’t thank you enough for your monumental efforts in securing our status for next season. Not appropriate to write everything down here in a match day programme, but when we set our targets for this campaign, I think it’s safe to say that you guys have absolutely nailed it. The great escape of 2024 saw the club win only 8 games across the whole season and somehow Ross and the team kept the club in the division with literally a last-minute goal in our final game. We come into today’s fixture with an eye on 20 plus wins under our belts for the season, and we can all count on two hands, those close games that could have also added to our winning total. Add to this, our hugely impressive run in the league cup where we reached that semi-final against Billericay and some excitement in our “not long enough” FA Cup run, the club can rightly look back with some real pride.
Whilst on the theme of thanks, I would like to express my deepest thanks and gratitude to our wonderful 1st Team Match Day & Fixture Secretary and part time chauffer Rob Sutton. Rob has made a huge contribution to our 1st Team operation this season and for me is the club signing of the year. Keiran continues to support Rob behind the scenes, and whilst we don’t see him as often as we used to, we are nonetheless hugely grateful for what he does around the whole club and not just for the 1st Team – a statement that applies to many of our amazing club volunteers.
Our media Team continues to be relentless in their dedication in creating such quality content across all our digital platforms. Whether it’s photos from Daisy and Andrew Spiers, media posts across all our socials, together with management and player interviews, programme design and creation, Ollie Cherrill has completely crushed it for all of us across the whole season. His high pitched “girlie celebration” when Ethan Gold scored that infamous late winner on a dark Wednesday in Guernsey will be a memory that I shall take to the grave. What a late night out that was – so drunk and late for school was Jamie Hilton, (legend has it) that he got expelled – worse still, he’s still suffering the effects of alcohol poisoning to this day, as he JUST CAN’T STAY ON HIS FEET .
The media guys have helped capture some truly memorable and spectacular moments throughout the season – all of these can be found on our hugely impressive and informative website – which has now become ingrained into club culture. Andrew Spiers has worked tirelessly all season to deliver a club website that we all rely on and one that we can all be truly proud of!!! Thank you, Andrew.
Our home fixture matchday team of volunteers deserve our special thanks as they have consistently come together all season to help deliver a great footballing experience for opponents, officials, team members, visitors and supporters. Whether its Car Parking, Turnstile’s, Stewarding, food provision, bar, public announcing, programme creation, football web pages, kit washing, clubhouse prep, food ordering, bar stock, changing room cleaning – the list goes on. I haven’t even mentioned the Pitch maintenance, line painting, grass cutting, bin collections blah blah – there’s a monumental amount of effort that goes into putting the games on – not just for the 1st Team, but for all our 39 plus teams across the whole club. 1st Team Hall of Famers are Alan & Jamie, John Blamire, Oliver Pike, Simon, Stuart, Steve, Andrew, Owen, Dave J, Helen, Becky, Luke, Dave, Balders, Lisa P, Chris, Steve G, Kelly, Jack C, Nigel, Ian, Ange, Den, Ashley, Paige, Craig, Lewis – I could go on (and likely will in a different club setting later on in the summer as a number of people on this list deserve a whole page of their own) but putting these amazing people and the whole club into context – we are blessed to have so many people working together to make it all work for our 1st Team.
When our boys’ put on the Binfield shirt and represent their club, they are representing not just themselves and their families or teamates, but they are representing a whole group of dedicated people who give up so much of their time to make our football club such an important part of everyone’s lives. I’m proud of everyone who’s been involved with our great football club this season – thank you for coming together and making Binfield Football Club such a special COMMUNITY Club.
Life is all about the “journey” and the experiences that we all share together – let’s not worry too much about the “destination” as this will take care of itself if we all stick together.
“C’mon you Moles”
Andy Cotton
Chairman
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