Beales has given us a selection headache, admits impressed Sawyer

Thursday 16th July 2009

TRIALIST defender John Beales says he has recovered from his horrific knee injury sustained last year and is fit enough to earn a deal with his home-town club Dartford, writes Stephen McCartney.

The 24-year-old, former Bristol Rovers target, sustained the injury whilst playing for Tonbridge Angels against Hendon in April 2008, and has been using the excellent facilities at Princes Park to battle back to full fitness.

Dartford fans have been impressed with Beales’ solid and composed performances at the back against full-time Coca-Cola League One sides Norwich City and Gillingham, where he has clocked up 102 minutes.

“It’s been good, I’m just happy that I’ve got through the minutes with no problems at all,” a satisfied Beales told www.kentishfootball.co.uk, following Gillingham’s 4-2 win at Princes Park on Tuesday night.

“I’ve come out of (the two games) with no swelling, nothing wrong with my knee. I’ve been out for a year and a bit, I didn’t play all of last season, but it’s good to be back.”

Beales is hopeful that such impressive performances at the back, remember he can play in more than one position, will earn him a contract with the title-chasing Ryman Premier League club.

He does know that he has competition from the likes of John Guest, Adam Flanagan, Jamie Coyle and Billy Burgess, but Beales is relishing such a challenge.

“They’ve got good centre halves here so that’s good competition,” he said. “Hopefully I’ll get my head down, keep playing well, keep my knee nice and sweet, then hopefully it will give Tony a problem.”

Beales wants to repay boss Tony Burman and the club by giving him a chance to resuscitate his career.

“I live around the corner, I’m quite local, ten minutes away, so it’s been good of them to let me train down here,” he said.

“I was down here when I had my injury, helping me out with my re-hab, it’s been good down here.”

Reflecting on their last game, when they fought back from being 2-0 down to level at half-time, courtesy of goals from Adam Burchill and Flanagan, Beales is confident that it will be a very successful season.

“We are playing well, I mean they’re a pro club, they’re going to be good,” he said of Gillingham.

“But I think we knocked the ball around well, we didn’t show ourselves up so there’s some positives out if it anyway.”

After battling against Norwich and Gillingham, Dartford travel to Ryman League Division One South side Metropolitan Police on Saturday.

“That’s where we’ll obviously see how good we are, what stage we’ll be at, at the start of t he season,” said Beales.

And on the club’s aspirations of clinching promotion at the end of the season, Beales predicted, “I think we’ve got a good chance, it looks like Tony’s got some good players in, so hopefully we’ll be up there, if I am involved.”

But it appears that he will be involved with the Darts this season, going by the reaction of assistant manager Paul Sawyer.

“Bealsey’s done great, considering the amount of time that he’s been out,” praised Sawyer.

“He doesn’t look like he’s been away, which is a great complement to Bealsey and he’s given us a nice headache.

“We’ve got Flan (Flanagan), Guesty (Guest), Jamie Coyle and Billy Burgess, who has come in (from Braintree Town) who can play centre half but Bealesy’s done himself no harm at all.”

Looking ahead to the trip to Imber Court on Saturday, Sawyer added: “We’ve said to the boys it was always going to be difficult against Norwich and Gillingham.

“Met Police and then (Blue Square South side) Welling and then (Ryman One North side) Witham, that’s more sort of our level and it’s for us to dominate games and show what we can do.”

With goalkeeper Andrew Young picking up a dead leg against the Gills, Sawyer confirmed that goalkeeping duties against the Met will be shared by Sam Mott (a trialist who has been number two goalkeeper at Blue Square Premier neighbours Ebbsfleet United) and Tony Kessell (who has returned to Princes Park following a season at Ryman One North neighbours Thamesmead Town).

Visit Dartford’s websites: www.dartfordfc.co.uk & www.dartfordfootballclub.co.uk

Metropolitan Police v Dartford

Pre-Season Friendly

Saturday 18th July 2009

Kick Off 3:00pm

At Metropolitan Police (Imber Court) Sports Club, Ember Lane, East Molesey, Surrey KT8 0BT