Didcot have had a bid for Hungerford's Darren Howell rejected.   Howell, who is on contract at the Berkshire club, is currently recovering from surgery.  Didcot manager Stuart Peace was philosophical about it while he continues to try to bolster his squad: "We tabled a bid for Darren, through the proper channels, but until he is fit again and training it seems that his club are not open to offers.  We will have to wait and see what transpires but he is just the sort of player I'm looking for to improve us."

Town started their League campaign with a bank-holiday derby win at Milton yesterday.  Match Report follows:

Monday 29th August 2005
GLS Football Hellenic League Premier Division
Milton Heights, Milton
Milton United 1-3 Didcot Town
Milton: Durkin 27 mins
Didcot:Concannon 21 and 46 pen, Ward 90 mins
Att:354
Didcot overcame a spirited and extremely competent Milton United 3-1 in the Bank Holiday derby at the Heights on Monday.
It was Didcot's first League game and points of the season and they will be grateful to striker Ian Concannon for his brace in a hotly contested match.
Concannon almost won Didcot a first minute penalty but his protests were waived away.
In the opening half Milton always looked capable of scoring and James Clarke headed over from Gary Hartley' cross.
For the visitors Stuart Beavon then volleyed wide after excellent work from Patrick Malone.
Bradley Ward was then denied by a smart save from ex-Didcot keeper Gareth Walker.
Concannon missed a great chance from Chris Webb's massive goal-kick before Dave Green headed wide from Matty Jack's cross.
Green's goal-line clearance kept Didcot in it when Paul Davis had rounded Webb and it was a pivotal moment because Town took the lead shortly after.
Walker made a great save from Jack and Concannon shot home via the inside of the post.
Milton bounced straight back and Webb's fumble gave Lee Durkin the chance to lift the ball home from just inside the box to restore parity.
Malone nearly gave Town an immediate reply but Walker saved well and Paul Taplin cleared.
Didcot came out firing after the break and took the lead for the second time moments after the re-start.  Paul Powell went down in the box under a mis-timed challenge and Concannon coolly stroked home the spot-kick.
Town managed to restrict the home side to relatively few chances in the second half.  Adam Greenaway shot wide twice when well placed for United but Didcot had the last word in injury time.  Subtitute Glyn Jones was fouled just outside the box and Ward curled home a superb free-kick to make it 3-1 and Didcot had their first League win of the season.

Didcot are next in action on Saturday with a League match at the npower Loop against Fairford.  Please note that kick-off is 1pm so you can watch Diddy and them watch England's world cup qualifyer on our big screen at 3pm!

Town produced a good performance this afternoon in beating Carterton 3-0 to set-up a 1st Qualifying Round tie with Herne Bay of the Kent League at the npower Loop on the 10th September. 

Town raced into a 2-0 half-time lead although things could have been very different had referee Stowe given the home side two hotly disputed penalties.
Didcot began very brightly and Ian Concannon will be disappointed with a weak finish in the 3rd minute following excellent work from strike partner Stuart Beavon.
However Beavon broke the deadlock after 7 minutes with an excellent goal.  Bradley Ward released Beavon with a pinpoint pass and Beavon coolly rounded Scott Rose before firing home.
The first contentious decision against Carterton came in the 20th minute when Darren Beckett clipped the heel of  Chris Blakely.  It looked like a foul in the box but nothing was given.  James Mortimer-Jones then hit the loose ball wide.
A Mark Threlfall corner created havoc in the Didcot box before Dave Green cleared as the home side exerted some pressure.
Didcot went two up when Matty Goodwin brought down Paul Powell in the box and Concannon slammed home the resulting spot-kick.
Carterton had their second claim for their own penalty shortly afterwards.  Paul Sherwood seemed to have been pulled back by Danny Campbell but again the referee waived away the home side's protests.
The impressive Mortimer-Jones was then denied by Chris Webb's save and shortly after Sherwood missed with a good headed chance on the stroke of half-time.
Paul Bedwell then missed with a headed chance before Didcot made the game safe.   Substitute Paddy Malone induced Karl Dodd's into a mistake and he slid the ball home past Rose for an unfortunate own-goal to give Town a 3-0 lead.
Beavon was denied by Rose in the closing stages and Concannon shot over from the edge of the box as Town almost added a fourth.
The final whistle came shortly after and with Didcot assured a home tie in the 1st Qualifying Round Didcot will be looking to make a rare appearance in the 2nd Qualifying Round of the FA Cup.

Didcot travel to fellow Hellenic Premier outfit Carterton this Saturday for an FA Cup Preliminary Round tie. 

It's a massive game for both clubs with a home draw against either Herne Bay or Sevenoaks Town awaiting in the First Qualifying Round.  Both these teams play in the Kent League, also at Level 5, so a lot is at stake for all of us with the significant prize money that will be earnt by the side that reaches the Second Qualifying Round.

Carterton started their League campaign with an indifferent result (1-0 defeat) at Kilkenny Lane against Pegasus Juniors.  But we at Didcot have suffered many times at Carterton in recent seasons and nothing less than a good display will almost certainly end in a cup exit.

Jamie Heapy is definitely out serving a suspension carried over from last year.  Paul Powell should return and Stuart Beavon will hopefully have recovered from his gastric problems that meant he played only 10 minutes of the Andover game.

Striker Ian Concannon will be hoping to carry-on his excellent form and his second goal on Tuesday (below) gave him his 202nd goal in Didcot colours - a remarkable achievement at almost a goal-a-game.

Just as impressive last night was that Didcot earned a victory without the suspended skipper Jamie Heapy, the absent Paul Powell and Stuart Beavon who left the pitch feeling lousy last night.  Powell and Beavon should be back in contention for the Carterton game.

If the Carterton game is a draw then we would play the replay at the Loop on Tuesday and the Bank Holiday fixture at Milton Utd would be postponed.

A sizeable contingent of Didcot supporters travelled to Hampshire yesterday for one of the most exciting matches Didcot have been involved in for years.  they witnessed a 4-4 draw at Andover in the extra-prelimnary round of the FA Cup, and a game that swayed one way and then another.  Both teams try again Tuesday evening at the npower Loop.  Kick-off 7.45pm.  Admission is £4 adults, £2 senior cits and £1 children.

This game had almost everything and while Town will be disappointed not to have won the tie already, they can take great heart from outplaying their Wessex League opponents on their own pitch for long periods.  And they will be hoping to finish the job at the npower Loop Meadow on Tuesday.
Andover started brightly and the impressive Danny Lewis brought a terrific save from Didcot's Chris Webb after two minutes.
Stuart Beavon always looked likely to score for the visitors and only a goal-line clearance prevented him from doing just that after he had rounded keeper Colin Hopkins.
A super move saw Town open the scoring in the 11th minute.  Paul Powell, Bradley Ward and Ian Concannon set-up Beavon with a point-blank header he comfortably converted.
However, Town looked vulnerable at times at the back and Bobby Swayne headed wide when well placed on the quarter hour.
Ward shot a stunning 30 yard effort inches over before Andover levelled slightly against the run of play.  Phil Andrews nodded  a Danny Lewis free-kick into the net past Webb.
In a game of swinging fortunes Ian Concannon shot home after a mix-up in the Andover defence to give Didcot a 2-1 lead at the break.
Ten minutes into the second half Andover equalised in controversial circumstances.  As Andover prepared to take a corner a second match-ball flew into the middle of Didcot's penalty box.  Inexplicably the game re-started and as both balls sat in the penalty area the 'match' ball was turned home by Andrews.
The Didcot players were irate but referee Hicton was unmoved and awarded the goal.
Grant Goodall was then denied his first ever goal for Didcot by a smart save by Hopkins.
Andover took the lead for the first time in the match when Dave Asker thumped a brilliant shot past Webb from 25 yards.
With time running out Didcot deservedly made it 3-3 when Andy Parrott headed past Hopkins after Powell crossed into the box.
But the scoring was far from over and Town looked to have won the game with 8 minutes left.  Beavon showed great skill to turn his marker before converting from 10 yards.
Andover looked spent but credit must go to them for mounting one last break in the final minute.  Justin Bennett broke into the box and Didcot skipper Jamie Heapy was adjudged to have pushed him over.
Bennett slotted the penalty home to make it 4-4 and this action packed thriller ended soon after.

Didcot may have Dave Green back for the replay after he came through a Reserve friendly match unscathed yesterday.

Andover's Justin Bennett (No 10) scores in the last minute from the penalty spot to take the match to a replay (Pic: S Kelly)

The talking is almost over - Didcot's new campaign proper starts tomorrow with a tough-looking FA Cup extra-preliminary round tie at Wessex Leaguers Andover.

Didcot are likely to be at full strength with no new injury worries this week.  This means Darren Beckett and Patrick Malone may make their first appearances in a competitive fixture for us.  One absentee however will be Stuart Peace who is away so assistant Paul Noble will take charge with Carterton away next Saturday awaiting the winners in the preliminary round stage.

Andover are a good side and a number of Didcot players and staff watched them at Thatcham in midweek.  They lost 3-1 in that one but showed enough to indicate that on their own patch they will be a handful.

Didcot's pre-season form has been scratchy although we have played some outstanding sides while the defeat to Grays, 5-1, was brought into perspective this week when they beat Gravesend 6-1 in the Conference.  We should take little notice of the results against these sides, although the performance against fellow Level 5 outfit Thatcham will have caused concern.  An abject display and 4-0 defeat certainly disappointed Stuart, and he will be demanding a much better display in Hampshire.

If there is no need for a replay then we host Witney United in the first League match on Tuesday.  Please note that the kick-off is 7.45pm for our home midweek matches this year.

Didcot went down 3-2 this afternoon at the Loop to Ryman Division One outfit Tooting & Mitcham Utd.  But that only tells half the story.  Didcot dominated the first half, raced into a 2 goal lead courtesy of goals from Paul Bedwell and a stunning team effort rounded off by Stuart Beavon, and could have extended things before the break.  A dead-leg saw Jamie Heapy leave the pitch and the re-organisation did little to settle the side as a revamped Tooting took over following a stern talking to at the interval by stand-in boss Keith Dublin.

Three goals for the visitors in the space of 15 second half minutes gave the visitors the win but Paul Powell probably should have equalised with a shot in the last minute that was cleared off the line.

No more games to play now before the big kick-off next Saturday at Andover in the extra-preliminary round of the FA Cup.  There is a coach going from the club for that, leaving at 12.30pm approx, and suupporters are welcome on a first come first served basis.

With just one pre-season game to go before the season proper gets underway, Didcot went down 4-0 at Thatcham Town last night. 

Two goals in each half for the Wessex League outfit, who have already put 5 past Abingdon United in pre-season, while Didcot failed to convert any of a number of chances.

A few things for us to put right on Sunday when we face another strong side in Tooting & Mitcham.  Please note that kick-off is 2pm.

The club have brought forward the Fairford Town League match kick-off on the 3rd September to avoid clashing with England's World Cup Qualifyer with Wales.  It's now at 1pm.

Didcot went down 2-0 at Uxbridge yesterday but performed reasonably well at their higher League opponents.

Arguably Didcot had the better of a tight opening 45 minutes with Ian Concannon coming closest to opening the scoring with a shot midway through the first half.

Uxbridge changed things round at the break and then raced into a 2 goal lead within 4 minutes of the second half.  Town keeper Chris Webb made a couple of good late saves while Concannon hit the side netting at the other end.

Didcot are back on the road on Tuesday with a friendly at Thatcham Town.  First news on that match can can be found here online.

Didcot were beaten 5-1 last night in their latest pre-season friendly against the pros of Conference club Grays Athletic.

But this was no disgrace, Grays showed why they are 4 Leagues above Didcot with a clinical display of football.  At the same time Town also played their part and created opportunities themselves - plenty of plus points for manager Stuart Peace to reflect upon despite the scoreline.

Next up is Uxbridge away on Saturday.  First reports on that fixture as always can be found here on Sunday.

Darren Beckett was the latest recruit to join Didcot's squad when he signed on for us yesterday.  A versatile player who has won the Hellenic League with Brackley - excellent news.

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Tomorrow sees Didcot take-on FA Trophy holders Grays Athletic for what will be one of Town's toughest work-outs imaginable.  Grays are one of the best non-league sides around and will fancy themselves to be contesting at the top end of the Nationwide Conference this year.

The big news of course is the chance to see all three major FA trophies with the FA Cup, FA Trophy and FA Vase on display.  This really is a very rare honour for Didcot Town so we hope that you come along and take advantage of this opportunity.  Admission is just £4 for adults, £2 senior citizens and £1 children under 16.

The club will be arranging a photo opportunity for supporters to have their picture taken with the cups.  You will receive your picture on the night (unframed).  Ask a club official on the night if you're interested in this but it would be wise to ask early.  Turnstile is likely to be open by 7pm for 7.45pm kick-off.