Hello and thank you for coming along to Longmead Stadium for this afternoon's Bostik League 2018/19 season's play off final. A warm welcome to our guests today from the Bostik League especially Chairman Nick Robinson and League Secretary Kellie Discipline as well as to today's match officials and to the players, officials and supporters of Merstham FC.

It has been a long hard struggle and today is not the last fixture of theseason as the wiliness of the game today will play in the super play off final on Saturday 11 May.

Today is a special day as it evokes memories of our last play off final when we played Lowestoft FC in what was a game that had all the elements that a great game of football required.

I do hope that everyone has a great time with us and I wish you all a very safe journey home.

It has been a fantastic roller coaster ride this season and we are in a game which at the end of December looked so far away and an impossibility. The team has achieved what was considered unthinkable and I thank them for their hard work and endeavour to get the club to this position.

The home and away support has been fantastic. The last few games have provided ecstasy and bewilderment but the support of the fans has always been there.

This game is the icing on the cake and it is a pity that the winners have to clear a further hurdle to gain promotion.

We are already looking forward to next season and are making plans to push on to provide a sustainable community football club. We do have very generous sponsors and benefactors and I do hope that whatever the result today the effort that is put in by all involved with the club will help us to expand and build on what has been achieved over the last twelve months.

In the next few weeks the season ticket prices will be announced for the 2019/20 season please take the opportunity to take advantage of the discounts for the 'early bird'.

There will be a charity game at Longmead on 8 May when the U15's managed by Todd will be playing against Langton Green for the Henry Groonvelt Cup. For those of you who never met Henry he was the nicest person you could ever wish to meet. He was the club's coach driver and nothing was ever too much trouble for him he not only took the first team to matches but also our youth teams. All details will be on our website. There will be an admission fee with all money being donated to CRY to enable further heart screening to be carried out at the club.

Yet again I will make an appeal for volunteers to help at our various events. We will need stewards as well as help at the catering outlets.

The club is looking for sponsorship for next season and we are more than happy to consider any reasonable offer and I have asked the club's commercial team to put forward packages that can be offered and these will be available soon.

Please visit our new marquee website www.tafcmarquee.co.uk. There will be link to the main TAFC website in due course. If you know anyone looking for a venue to hire for a function please contact us.

We all have moments when you think can this be right? My most recent one was when I was litter picking the stands a couple of days after a game and I saw what I believed to be a demised creature along one of the rows of seats. I made my way along the row and being the brave soul that I am I prodded the 'dead' object with the litter picker. I have to admit that there was a sense of relief and embarrassment to find that the subject of my inquisitiveness was nothing more that a hot water bottle in a furry cover. If someone wants to claim it it is in the club shop awaiting its owner.

Finally thank you to everyone whom has supported the club over this last season through thick and thin, home and away, excitement and disappointment, it is never easy being a football supporter. I do hope to see you next season whichever league we are in.

All the best and happy close season.

Dave