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.
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