Read what Ben Clasper had to say in his programme notes ahead of our National League South clash with Dover Athletic from Boxing Day.

After being told that we would probably have to wait until the end of January for the Judge to hand down their judgment on the judicial review brought by Phil Addison against Southwark Council we instead get to celebrate the 4th anniversary of our return to playing matches at Champion Hill with a judgment already in hand that dismissed Mr Addison’s claim on all grounds. As Christmas presents go, it wasn’t a bad one.

The "Al Crane" derby against Dover Athletic marks the end of an eventful year and as challenging as it has been I have seen enough to know that the club is better placed now to deal with the incidents and accidents that pebbledash our existence than at any time in my relatively short involvement. We began the year being hit by the final swish of the Covid tail, before enduring a collapse in form that not only felt like one of those dreams in which you are falling for longer than appears physically possible but also managed to cross over into the new season as if shaken awake only to realise we were still in the nightmare.

The resulting change of manager was a traumatic experience for all involved but we find ourselves finishing the year with play-off league form even if the lack of fixtures has meant the points have not yet delivered the league position they deserve. We have played 6 games fewer than some in the National League South and it is not just misfortune but also the predictable result of some questionable fixture setting that we have already raised with the league. Assuming our festive double header against local rivals Dover (surely some mistake? I refer you to previous comments on questionable fixture setting) goes ahead it will leave us facing 25 league games to play with only 17 weekends and 16 midweek slots available so we will already be playing more than every other Tuesday. Injuries have not been kind and the financial constraints caused by the loss of so many Saturday fixtures mean we are limited in what we can do to bolster the team.

So I would predict another rollercoaster on and off the pitch in the second half of the 2022-23 season but if Paul Barnes can continue delivering a 50% win rate we will not be looking over our shoulder much longer and we can start our planning early for next season. We have committed to moving the club forward in terms of our sporting provision and implementing the plans that are a critical part of the new stadium. We hope that physical progress will be made with the stadium development before the end of this season not just legal progress and the board are starting to take proactive decisions to build for the future not just reactive ones to deal with the latest emergencies. I hope you will forgive me for ever thinking I may never see ‘long term planning’ on a board agenda again and I hope you will also forgive me for thinking the days of an atmosphere like the one during our game against Chelmsford were also largely behind us.

From my spot on the terrace the crowds in general have taken a turn for the better this season, there are still the day trippers but more are facing the right way and I love hearing the Rabble back in full voice but Chelmsford was something else. It felt like the whole world was riding on one result. I may not condone everything that happened that night but you need a spark to light a fire. Fans and players are dependent on each other and I have been present at plenty of matches where there is a gap but when it clicks there is no better feeling and that proximity and that passion is why I love non-league football.

So it is appropriate that my final word goes to someone whose passion for non-league football is simply heroic. Our Vice-President, Programme Editor and Ever-Present supporter John Lawrence celebrates his 75th birthday this week and his support is something we should all aspire to. It is total and it will endure come what may but it is not blinding or unconditional, John was invaluable when I joined the club in standing up for what needed preserving in a time of extraordinary change. He holds us to high standards and represents us in board rooms up and down the country when other board members have only known the terraces. John shows how the new and old can work together to be greater than the sum of their parts and that is a foundation on which we can preserve the club for many more years to come