Uxbridge Town AFC - Season 100 Review

The first AFPL season for Uxbridge Town AFC is now over, and the club has made progress much faster than anticipated. Uxbridge ended the year with a 22-6-10 record, good enough for 9th place in the league. The Lions only finished 12 points behind league champions Blackley Town in a hotly contested league table.

Club President Bertrand Jeunechamp, who took the role from the promoted Eadburt Clement in the middle of the season was very impressed by the club's rapid progress. "At the start of this year, this was a club taking its first steps in top level football" said Jeunechamp in a recent interview. "Now, we have some established talent, a first class stadium, an incredible fan base, and a mid-table finish in the league. It goes to show that this organization has amazing people everywhere. Our coaches, scouts, training staff, marketing, everyone on the pitch and off are top class. I am looking forward to our continuing work here in the coming seasons."

The Lions were very reliable throughout their league play this season. Uxbridge scored 76 goals (9th most in the league) while conceding only 54 (T10th best). They were only given 7 yellow cards all season (2nd fewest) and were the only AFPL side to not face a red card.

Manager MacCallum Barry was praised throughout the season for having his club ready to compete at a high level every week. He was very pleased with his players at the end of the season. "This really was an incredible performance for a first year at this level" said Barry at the press conference immediately following Uxbridge's final league match, a 2-0 win over FC Glastonbury. "The young players adapted well to the new game, the veterans stepped in and performed at a high level, and everyone remained committed on all facets of the game. I feel as though we have really established a winning culture here, which is the first big step in becoming a winning organization."

A number of individual players at Uxbridge had particularly impressive seasons. Perhaps the brightest was that of young Kobe Otsuka. At 18 years old, the American forward scored 27 goals, tied for second most in the league, and earned the AFPL Young Player of the Year award. French midfielder Lyle Maigny scored 15 goals in 33 matches at midfield, proving a particular menace in free kick situations. Isham Eggleston and Warrick Derricot split the second forward role, tallying 9 and 8 league goals respectively, while Tab Leigh netted 7 from the midfield. Defensively, captain Stephen Mill and left back Gaetano Gatti were the stand outs, with a solid season in net for first year goalkeeper Wynward Garnis.

Stephen Mill spoke after the final match, and carried a positive message about his teammates. "I thought we played a lot of good football" said Mill. "It took us a bit to really get started, but once we got our feet under us, we were really as good as anyone else in the league. It really leaves me believing that we can make a run at it next season. We have a lot of work to do still, but it has been nothing but promising to this point."

Mill will be one of 8 players remaining with the team next season, and those players will be expected to form the core of a team that will be looking to compete for league titles in the coming seasons.

Jaguar Named New Kit Sponsor

Uxbridge Town AFC announced in a press conference today that automobile manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover would be the club's new kit sponsor. The multi-year agreement will see the Jaguar brand feature as the front shirt sponsorship for Uxbridge, replacing sportswear company Lescon. President Bertrand Jeunechamp was pleased with the new partnership. "We are happy to be able to announce this new sponsorship" said Jeunechamp. "We believe that Jaguar Land Rover will serve as an excellent brand partner for the team. Our strategic collaboration will also allow us to expand our club's brand globally, which was one of my goals coming into this position."

A few Uxbridge players were at the press conference to unveil the new home and away kits for next season:

"Getting a prestige brand like Jaguar as our sponsor is a huge deal" said captain Stephen Mill, who was wearing the dark red home kit during the unveil. "It just goes to show how valuable we are recognized to be as a club. And I intend for us to live up to that billing and wear these kits well in the coming season."

The new kits are expected to be available for purchase next month.

Bertrand Jeunechamp Named New President at Uxbridge

Uxbridge Town AFC held a press conference today to announce that Bertrand Jeunechamp is the new President of the club. The role became vacant when Eadburt Clement resigned to accept the role of Director of Football for JR Wellington Sports Management. 

The 54 year old Jeunechamp was a renowned midfielder both in his native France and in the AFPL, where he spent 7 seasons playing for Stratford United. Since retiring, he has held a variety of front office positions, and was most recently the President of Paris Saint-Normandy for the club's first three seasons before stepping down in at the end of last year.

Addressing the media in Uxbridge for the first time, the new President was grateful to be in his new role. "It is good to be in this position" said Jeunechamp. "Always a difficult thing to join a club in the middle of a season, but I believe that it will be a smooth transition. Mr. Clement has done a fine job putting things in place, establishing a great culture, and ensuring that this club can be competitive for years to come. It is now my job to take this established team and keep things moving along as they should."

Jeunechamp's predecessor, and now boss, Eadburt Clement was on hand, and spoke highly of the new man in charge. "Mr. Jeunechamp has a long history of success" said Clement. "He was a champion as a player, he was a champion in multiple administration capacities, and now I believe that he can build a championship team here in this role. I look forward to working with him and watching this club continue to flourish."

Clement is expected to remain in Uxbridge for the next couple weeks as a part of the transition team before departing for the JR Wellington offices in Kensington.

Eadburt Clement Resigns, Promoted to New Role

At a press conference today, Eadburt Clement announced his resignation as Club President, as he was promoted by JR Wellington Sports Management to be their new Director of Football. The move came as a bit of a surprise, and leaves Uxbridge Town AFC in search of a new head man.

Clement addressed the media today, and was both excited about his new opportunity and disappointed to not be able to see the rest of the season through with his now former club. "Obviously, it does hurt a bit" said Clement. "I enjoyed my time here, and was pleased to see how much we have been able to accomplish in such a short time frame. The stadium is immaculate, the team is thriving on the pitch, and the club is in a position to have a great deal of success for years to come. But, this was an opportunity that I simply wasn't able to turn down. It's an opportunity to oversee three clubs in the early stages of development, and help provide the resources necessary for them to grow and thrive."

Manager MacCallum Barry had nothing but positive things to say about his former boss. "Eadburt is one of those people who excels in every part of this business" said Barry. "He was an excellent player, transitioned that into a successful front office career, and now finds himself in a position like this. Could not have happened to someone more deserving. I have every confidence that he will be able to help this team immensely in his new role, and install a replacement that will do the same."

There has been no word on who the likely candidates for the new presidency might be.

Uxbridge Town AFC - Season 100 Midseason Review

While there were some that predicted that Uxbridge Town would be a mid-table side this season, no one could have foreseen just how successful the team would be in their first AFPL season. The Lions currently sit in 5th place in the league with a 13-1-5 record, only 4 points behind Rebel Nation FC for the league lead. Meanwhile, they are 0-1-7 in SuperCup action, and will miss the knockout stage of the tournament.

Club President Eadburt Clement expressed excitement about the club's progress in a recent press availability. "This has by all accounts been a very successful season so far" said Clement. "Our stadium is now a building worthy of top-tier football, the supporters have been phenomenal, and the play on the pitch has been world class. Our hope is that we can continue to grow and improve over the course of the remainder of the season, and in the years to come."

Uxbridge has scored 45 (6th best in the league) goals thus far, while conceding 29 (12th best). While the team has been very middle of the pack in terms of generating chances (224 shots, 10th best), they have been very good about making the most of those opportunities (120 shots on goal, T6th best). Uxbridge has only received 7 yellow cards and has yet to have been shown a red in league play.

Several players have stood out individually at Uxbridge thus far this season. American teenage phenom Kobe Otsuka already has 17 goals in 16 league matches played, putting him in second in the league in scoring. Otsuka has padded that total a lot recently with 8 goals in his last 3 league matches. Not to be outdone, midfielder Lyle Maigny has 11 goals, putting him tied for 6th in the league, with a particular knack for putting free kick opportunities to the back of the net. Forwards Isham Eggleston and Warrick Dericott have 5 goals each. Young goalkeeper Wynward Garnis has 4 clean sheets to his name in his first 16 AFPL matches.

Manager MacCallum Barry, favoured by many to be the league's manager of the year, had nothing but praise for his team thus far. "It really continues to be an incredible year" said Barry after the club's 6-0 victory at Gravy FC. "The team has been gelling together so well and we have been such an impressive force on attack. It's amazing coming to training every day and seeing a squad full of players ready to go to work. It makes my life as a manager so much easier."

At just 18 years of age, defender Stephen Mill seemed an odd choice by many to be the captain of this team. But after this impressive start, Mill has been praised as an inspired team leader. "It has been a whirlwind of a year" said Mill at a recent press conference. "When I take the pitch, I know that all eleven of us know what our job is and how best to execute it. Having guys like Lyle [Maigny] and Tab [Leigh] there to guide us has been an immense help too. Can't speak highly enough about this group."

The Lions will look to continue their recent success in their next AFPL match, on the road against Narangba Henty Eagles next week.