Some tough decisions have been made at Temple Fortune over the summer. Club chairman Nigel Kyte tells us why
Competitions entered: We decided to take a voluntary demotion to the MGB(S)FL Division Three, a decision made with great reluctance having held a stable position in Division One. This is because we are keeping the majority of last season's B team which would obviously have been out of its depth in Division One. We'll be in the CA Cup as per usual but will probably decline the Peter Morrison Trophy – the First Team did relatively well in the PMT but I do not see the purpose of entering this latest Temple Fortune team into that kind of competition
New signings? We have signed or are going to sign a few players to add to what is essentially last season's B team, but until we see the forms and fees coming in I cannot be more specific!
Which of the signings excites you most? No names as yet until the whole squad has been assembled and signed up!
Have any players left? Yes, fortunately we have seen the back of those undesirables from the A team who caused the Club so much disciplinary trouble last season. We had to deal with 40 misconduct cases from that team alone, more than double the number from the previous season so it was a great relief to finish the season and have a few trouble-makers leave. We've lost a few B-team players too but the loyal and committed backbone of the team have remained and we are building a new-look side around them
Hopes for the season: Our primary aim is to get Temple Fortune back on track after an unenjoyable 2012/13 season, mainly caused by the indisciplined A team. Thankfully, the snarling, disrespectful and discourteous individuals have departed, leaving us with mainly dedicated B-team players, the kind of members we want here. Basically, we want enjoyment back and hopefully the players we have remaining will give us a decent season to get us back on track, as I've said. Our primary objective is to ENJOY the season and if we are fortunate enough to challenge for promotion, then that will be a bonus
Which players would you describe as the 'ones to watch' and why? If Terry Jeffries and John Kemp stay together as a formidable striking partnership, they could do well for the team. As I've said we are looking at bringing in a few others under the new leadership of Jonathan Cohen (who has replaced Lee Fegan at the helm) so we will see what happens
Which team/s do you consider your strongest challengers? The bottom division is always an unknown quantity and is extremely unpredictable – who knows if King Crown, for example, are the next MGB(S)FL Premier Division champions of the future or another bunch of basement boys like Boca Jewniors (with respect to our friends at Boca)? Our B team finished seventh last season and I'm sure there are several good teams in Division Three, so I'm hoping that Fortune will challenge the best teams – we will see!
Captain: No idea at this point
Sponsor: We will be using the same playing kit originally sponsored by Daniel Stewart & Co, in our traditional colours of yellow shirts and red shorts. Although, because I had a boxful of spares in the garage, the team will be wearing green socks! Well, Cameroon wear green, red and yellow, so Temple Fortune have gone all 'Cameroony', although in a different order! A sight for sore eyes!
Home ground: We are remaining at the Roger Bannister Sports Centre on the Uxbridge Road, having lost The Hive, and having turned down Gosling Sports Park and a few less than desirable Barnet Council pitches. I was offered Ludgrove Playing Fields but the playing surface was poor and with Barnet Council you need to erect goal-nets – I know the RBSC is no Wembley but at least the nets are up!
What will your team bring to the league this season? Hopefully the Club's highly respected reputation of being well run and generally sporting over the 36 seasons prior to 2012/13 blip will return. Bringing in a few players who did not respect what this Club stands for was an eye-opener, but we had to persist with them or lose our A team last season. Now, it's all change and we'll see Temple Fortune back on track with a nice crew on board!
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