Dalers boss asks for improvement

HOLMESDALE kick off pre-season on Saturday and manager Tony Beckingham admits his side must do better in the ten months ahead, writes Stephen McCartney.

The Dalers start their pre-season campaign with a double header against Bly Spartans, a side that sealed promotion into the top flight of the Vandanel Kent County League.

The games between the two club’s first and reserve sides kick off at Langley Park Sports Ground in Beckenham on Saturday at 1pm - the first official matches in the Garden of England.

“Saturday is more of a training game really rather than an all out competition pre-season friendly as it’s so early,” Beckingham told www.kentishfootball.co.uk.

“We’re trying to fragment the game so players are getting 20-30 minutes at a go instead of hitting them with a 90 minute game as a first sort of run out.”

The Bromley outfit suffered during their inaugural season playing Kent League football as they finished their 32-match campaign with only Lordswood and perennial whipping boys Sporting Bengal United below them.

Beckingham, however, pointed out his aspirations ahead of the new season.

“Well, obviously we haven’t got to do an awful lot to better last year but there were reasons for that which I’m not going to bore you with,” said the 41-year-old.

“But we would hope to improve with a midtable position, that will be an improvement certainly and looking to make a steady improvement season on season really.”

Beckingham has retained the services of former Bromley and Croydon goalkeeper Danny Harwood, former Erith & Belvedere defender Ricky Hardie, who can play anywhere in defence, and central midfielder Ted Hart, who had signed from neighbours Beckenham Town.

Holmesdale return to their Oakley Road ground next Thursday, 10^th July, with a pre-season friendly against neighbours Cray Wanderers, which kick’s off at 7:15pm.

The Wands suffered heartbreak at the end of last season, losing their Ryman League Division One South play-off final at Tooting & Mitcham United.

Cray Wanderers manager Ian Jenkins is expected to field his first team squad for what will be his side’s first game of the new season.

“That will be supposedly with their first team although I would imagine Ian would play a few trailists but that is really going to be a tough game for us,” warned Beckingham.

“We’ve had a few new faces come down pre-season training on Tuesday and it would be nice to have a look at them against some quality opposition.

“Some of the lads are now thankfully fit and off the treatment table and we can look at how far we are away from that sort of level.”

The Holmesdale boss, meanwhile, is looking forward to playing floodlit matches at their Oakley Road ground this season.

He said: “That is imminent as we speak. Arrangements are underway, there’s no problem with them going up, certainly before the start of the new season.”

Visit Holmesdale’s website: www.holmesdalefc.co.uk