“Non-League Day is our opportunity to show West Midlands fans what Alvechurch have to offer"

Alvechurch FC chairman Richard Thorndike believes Non-League Day is the perfect opportunity to show professional West Midlands club supporters what they have to offer when they host relegation-threatened Bedford Town at Lye Meadow on Saturday.

The annual event takes place during the March international break, and with no games for Aston Villa, Birmingham City or West Bromwich Albion, there is a special offer for any season ticket holders of these clubs’ entry to the match for £5.

Thorndike says the offer will attract an extra 100 or more supporters and is really pleased the event has finally landed on a home fixture.

Thorndike said: “I’m really looking forward to Saturday, it gives us the chance to attract the fans of pro clubs who would normally be having a day off from football, there’s a lot of Villa, Blues and WBA fans in our area who have no football this weekend, so it’s our opportunity to show them what Alvechurch has to offer.

Alvechurch chairman Richard Thorndike - Photo credit: Stephen Denny

"We haven’t had many Non-League Days when we’re playing at home, our games in recent years have mostly been away so we need to make the most of this one, we’d usually expect around 200 fans, mostly home fans on a typical matchday, but because of the event we’re anticipating an extra 100 or so which is great for the club and the team.”

The Church currently sit 14th in the Southern Premier Central division and just five points above the relegation zone heading into Saturday’s game. Their inconsistent run of form has seen them take just 10 points from the last 21 available, but after an impressive victory over Barwell on Tuesday evening, Thorndike is hoping more of those types of displays will see them enter a healthier position come the end of the campaign.

Thorndike continued: “Including the FA Trophy game earlier this season we’ve already beaten Bedford Town twice by the same 3-0 scoreline, but it’s always going to be tough beating the same side three times when they’re looking for revenge, they aren’t in great form but are fighting for their lives down the bottom so it’s not going to be a straightforward afternoon.

“We suffered a hangover from the FA Cup which has seen inconsistent results, but we had a decent result on Tuesday against an in form Barwell, so if we can repeat the performance levels in that game we’ll start to creep away from the wrong end of the table.

“If we can start putting a run of results together with nine games to go, seven of which are at home, it’ll put us in good stead for the run in and help us with preparations and recruitment for next season."

Thorndike finally commented on the contribution Jamie Soule has made since his arrival to Alvechurch in January this year.

The 22-year-old was a former West Bromwich Albion U21s prospect, and represented England at U17s level, but he failed to make a senior appearance at the club and was released by The Baggies in the summer of 2022.

After a short spell at Dover Athletic, Soule made the decision to return to the West Midlands and drop down to the seventh tier of English football in a bid to revive his career, and the Cheltenham-born forward has impressed for Ian Long’s side so far, netting three times in five appearances.

Thorndike added: “I’ve known Jamie (Soule) since he was a youth player at West Brom, he’s had some bad luck with injuries over the past two years but since he’s arrived to us, he’s shown in training just how talented he is.

“He was outstanding on Tuesday and he’s now transferring his training performances onto the pitch on match day, he’ll be massive for us on the run in and he has a real chance here to reinvent himself and get back to where he belongs which is higher up the football pyramid.”