Bowden happy with early transfer business at Hungerford Town

Hungerford Town’s season has only just ended, but the job never stops for chairman Cris Bowden.

Since their final Southern League Premier South match on April 26, the club has been a hive of activity.

An end-of-season awards night, a beer and music festival and the announcement of eight pre-season friendlies have kept everyone at the club busy.

They’ve wasted no time in building Danny Robinson’s squad for next season either.

Curtis Angell, Jordan Rose, Luke Softley, Joe Shepherd, Brad Hooper, Kyle Tooze, Jacob Bancroft and Conor McDonagh will all return next season,

But it’s the new signings which have excited fans the most.

Fan favourite Luke Cairney has returned between the sticks, replacing the departing Ryan Clarke.

Former Frome, Thatcham and Bath striker James Ollis arrives in attack, as well as former Gloucester defender Ty Duffus.

An exciting pair have arrived from Swindon Supermarine, too.

The creative Zack Kotwica should add a spark to the side, hopefully providing ammunition for fellow new recruit Harry Williams, who won the league’s golden boot in 2022/23.

“In the last couple of years we started slowly, that was quite evident,” said Bowden.

“If we had started quicker we would have probably been in the play-offs.

“We have a good strategy. We identified what we wanted and what we could afford.

“Harry Williams was our main target, as Conor McDonagh has worked with him before and they had a phenomenal record.

“We’re happy with the nucleus of the squad, it was a case of giving Danny the best options possible.”

Bowden is not afraid to be honest regarding the club’s finances.

He admits that the club cannot match the money paid out by the division’s larger clubs, and prefers to search for ways to bridge that gap.

“Budgets are always difficult, as you’re trying to predict the future,” he explained.

“This year we have a budget which should allow us to compete at the right end of the table.

“I would argue that our budget is mid-table, but we’ve been creative and our ambition is play-offs.

“We have a shrewd manager who gets value for money, but some clubs are spending even more than last year.

“We had a defined plan and we’ve stuck to it.”

Bowden has made an effort to make the best use possible of the club’s Bulpit Lane home.

The club has also expanded the opportunities available to sponsors, in an effort to further strengthen their bond with local businesses.

“We recently held our beer festival which was successful, and a large junior tournament,” he said.

“We hold lots of different events at the club such as private parties and Hungerford Comedy Club are running two shows here.

“But we’re more creative now regarding what we can offer businesses.

“We have a raffle to win sponsorship of the shirt, and all who enter automatically get a pitch-side advertising board.

“The package they get for their money is really good now. We’re trying to raise money for the club, but also give back to the community, promoting small local businesses.

“We’re a community club. We want to give back instead of just ‘take, take, take’.”