Come and join us and prove how good you are!

Monday 26th March 2007

Alan Cotton claims his West Wickham side are one of the best sides in Kent – after winning the Amateur Football Alliance Kent Surrey Senior Cup on Saturday, writes Stephen McCartney.

Although that feat will not have Kent football’s super-powers quaking in their boots, Cotton claims not many teams will beat his Corkscrew Hill outfit.

Goals from Jon Waite, Chris Rose and Marcus Elliott saw off The Honourable Artillery Company at the Bank of England ground in Roehampton.

That was the same venue that Alf Ramsey used to train the victorious England World Cup winning squad in 1966.

“We are one of the best sides in Kent and not many teams would beat us,” claimed Cotton.

West Wickham play Old Hamptonians in the AFA Cup Final on 14^th April.

“This is a major cup competition with over 110 sides entering it each year,” he added.

“An interesting point – if we had beaten Whitstable Town in the semi-final of the Kent Senior Trophy, which we should have done, we would have had to play the final on the day following the AFA Final.

“This would have tested our resolve but I am confident that we would have acquitted ourselves very well.

“We are still in with a big chance of winning the league but our fixtures are piling up and it will be a hectic finish.”

And he added: “I know you don’t cover our Leagues but the standard of football is as high or in most cases higher than the Leagues that www.kentishfootball.co.uk covers.”

I would confidently say that Liam Daish and Adrian Pennock, managers of Nationwide Conference clubs Gravesend & Northfleet and Welling United respectively, and managers of Ryman and Kent League clubs would disagree.

West Wickham, a Southern Amateur League club, are NOT involved in the non-league football pyramid and play teams from, for example, Bank of England.

If they claim to be “one of the best sides in Kent”, the proof is in the pudding and I challenge them to ground share a local ground and enter the Kent League next season and prove to us just how good they are.

After all, the Kent League are crying out for more member clubs but there is a big difference playing The Honourable Artillery Company and Kent League clubs over a 32-match campaign.