Adams bids to end Crockenhill's sad demise

JOHN ADAMS faces the biggest challenge of his managerial career this season - lifting Crockenhill out of it’s sad demise, writes Stephen McCartney.

Dartford resident Adams, 61, still has the burning desire to bring glory back to the Wested outfit, despite finishing rock bottom of the Vandanel Kent County League premier division during the past two seasons.

The club have slumped to Division One West this season, despite the former Erith Town and Sevenoaks Town manager promising so much last summer.

“We want to make Crockenhill a force to be reckoned with this year,” Adams told www.kentishfootball.co.uk on the first day of August last year.

Crockenhill return to pre-season training next Thursday at Bourne Road, Crayford, and Adams is on the look out for hungry youngsters to claw the club out of it’s sad demise.

“Sadly Crockenhill have been declining over the years,” Adams told www.kentishfootball.co.uk tonight.

“I just couldn’t get the players up there. It’s a bad catchment area. I think when you’re down the bottom you always need a bit of lady luck.

“This year our under 18’s become men as they say and we’re looking to go for more youth this year.

“I did try at the end of last year but sadly the gulf (between youth football and first team football) was sadly too great for them.”

Adams vows to clinch promotion back to the premier division of the Vandanel Kent County League next season to salvage some pride for this well known club - one that sent Tony Cascarino on his way to fame and glory during the 1980’s - moving to Gillingham for a set of tracksuits.

“The easiest thing was to walk away, the hardest thing is to stay,” said Adams.

“There’s some lovely people up there and I’ve stayed.

“It’s a club, I started off there years ago in 1967 playing for them and it’s like all things.

“The club hasn’t changed from the way of the stadium from all those years ago. It needs a revamp, a lottery grant, it needs to go forward.

“Can it go forward? Yes! We’re applying for lights believe it or not. We want to get lights and play midweek games and attract a better standard of players.

“Before you get any grants you need to know if the ground has got a lease. Nobody’s going to give you a grant for lights if you’re going to be off in one or two years time.

“The club’s negotiating with the farmer, who owns the ground, a lease, so we can improve the ground.”

Adams admitted Vandanel Kent County League top flight champions Norton Sports clinching promotion into the Kent League is a bitter pill to swallow for him.

He said: “We’ve gone into the western section, we’ve been relegated down. The disappointing thing for me, Norton Sports have gone into the Kent League and made it a team short in the senior division again.”

On last season’s failure, especially after making bold statements in pre-season, Adams replied: “We’ve all got big plans, we thought it was going to be a good season for us.

“We did have some good players up there but sadly we couldn’t keep them. The reasonable players, their aim is the Kent League. I think the Kent County League is a good league but people want the Kent League these days.

“The idea now is to naturally come straight back up. We’ve got to come straight back up, there’s no other way.”

Players can contact John Adams for a trial by calling him on 07956 618 469 - please mention that you read this article on www.kentishfootball.co.uk.