Our aspirations is to win it and get out of out of the league, says Beckenham Town assistant Billy Walton

BECKENHAM TOWN assistant Billy Walton says his side’s aspirations are to win the Southern Counties East Football League Premier Division title this season.

Beckenham completed their pre-season campaign by humiliating Meridian VP 7-0 at Eden Park Avenue last night.

Two nil up at the break, courtesy of goals from Ryan Hall and Harvey Brand, unearthed find, Steve Townsend, 20, came off the bench to score five goals from six of his chances.

Townsend scored 63 goals in Farnborough Old Boys Guild’s reserve side in the second division of the Orpington & Bromley District Sunday League last season and on that clinical performance, Jason Huntley and his management staff face a battle to keep him at Eden Park Avenue.

Beckenham Town kick-off their league campaign with a home game against Punjab United on Saturday.

The Gravesend-based side finished in the bottom four last season in their debut season at this level.

“The pre-season has gone well for us, it’s gone really well for us,” said Walton.

“I just hope if we can play like that on Saturday, we’ll do very well.

“I mean, every first game of the season you don’t know what’s going to happen.  You don’t care who you play or where you play, everyone’s up for it, so we just have to be switched on, do what we’ve been doing pre-season and I’m sure we’ll be ok.”

Jamie Humphris has been ruled out with a knee injury that he picked up last night but Huntley has at his disposal Mathieu Ramsamy, Stefan Cox, Shameek Farrell and Townsend to choose from and former Dulwich Hamlet playmaker and free-kick specialist Ashley Carew in their ranks too.

“We’ve got a very strong squad and it’s going to be very hard to pick a starting 11 for Saturday,” added Walton, who faces a fight to keep all of those players’ happy if they are not selected.

“You keep them happy because they like being at a club, they like playing on the pitch and they like the style of football we’re playing.

“I think this group of lads, they want to achieve something, so that’s how you keep them happy, just keep winning games and play a good style of football that’s the thing and enjoy playing here.”

Beckenham Town started last season like a house on fire by winning their first nine league games but complacency crept in and they eventually had to settle for a disappointing fifth-placed finish.

“The League will be tough as usual. I’ve been in it for nine years’ now and it’s just tough every year,” said Walton.

“We had a fantastic start last year and we sort of messed it up ourselves but yes I think there can be one or two surprises but I think the normal suspects will be up there.

“Our aspirations is to win it and get out of the league. We really want to win it, we really, really want to win it and not only win that, win the cups as well.

“You don’t go into things if you’re not going to win it.”

When asked about Beckenham Town’s budget this season, Walton replied: “About the same as last year, 30 bob. It’s about the same as last year.

“The good thing about it, there’s no big time Charlie’s here, none at all. There’s no one who thinks their better than anyone else. They all mix and get on well.  Ryan Hall, Ashley Carew, great, great people, great lads. I can’t speak highly of them.  They just come here and they work hard and they listen to what you say. They don’t think they’re better than you.”

Visit Beckenham Town’s website:  www.beckenhamtownfc.com

Beckenham Town  v  Punjab United
Southern Counties East Football League Premier Division
Saturday 3 August 2019
Kick Off 3:00pm
at Eden Park Avenue, Beckenham, Kent BR3 3JL