Faversham enjoy Euro adventure

Tuesday 25th July 2006

By JAMES BROWN

Terry Cordice hailed his Irish Rovers after their three-day tour to Cork, insisting: The lads have done themselves and the club proud.

Faversham Town boss Cordice has travelled all over the world with the national prison service side and readily admits that scrapes are almost inevitable when teams travel abroad.

Yet he had nothing but praise for the behaviour of his mix of first team and reserves who acquitted themselves well both on and off the pitch in the Republic.

Faversham Town lost 3-0 to Euro heroes Cork City but Cordice said the tour had been a very worthwhile exercise.

He revealed: "It was a great tour and I can have no complaints. The lads behaved very well. I've been on tours to Australia, America Canada, Thailand, France, you name it and I have to admit that a group of lads can be a bit of a nightmare abroad.

"But I cannot fault any one of the lads. They did the club themselves and the club proud."

Cordice is expecting to introduce a couple of new faces as Faversham Town welcome Folkestone Invicta to Salters Lane on Wednesday night (kick-off 7.45pm) before looking for revenge at Sittingbourne in the Bob Amor Cup on Saturday (kick-off 3pm).

Former Leyton Orient and Chelsea youngster Mark Roberts, 21, is trying his luck at Faversham Town this summer and Cordice is also hoping to have a look at former Margate defender Wes Hammond.

Cordice said: "The two new lads should be involved over the next two games. Both these matches are going to be tough but we played really well in our first game last season against Sittingbourne.

"We had 1500 people in for that game which was just brilliant. I don't suppose they'll get that many at Sittingbourne but we'll be looking to put on another good show."

The Kent League have finally released their opening fixtures and Faversham Town entertain VCD Athletic on the first day of the season on 12 August. They then play their first derby with a trip to Herne Bay on Tuesday, 15 August.

Report from James Brown
Cork City 3-0 Faversham Town

Terry Cordice has been there, done it and bought the T-shirt as a non-league footballer but even he has never found himself sandwiched between two Champions League games.
But that was exactly what came to pass as Faversham Town took on Cork City as part of their mini Irish tour on Saturday.

On Wednesday, the Irish League champs play Red Star Belgrade in the second qualifying round of the Champions League at a sell-out Turner's Cross, less than a week after seeing off Cypriot outfit Apollon Limasol.

So with more than a few Faversham Town players encountering "refuelling" issues in the land of Guinness and Bulmers, taking on Cork City was always going to be every bit as arduous as their 4am airport check-in time on Friday.

Sides far better than Faversham Town have come unstuck in these parts - Premiership giants included - so Cordice was philosophical about a second successive pre-season defeat.

Cork's line-up included more reserves than first team but Cordice said: "C'mon now, three of their lads will be playing Red Star Belgrade! It's been a very good weekend and the lads will have learned a great deal from that match.

"Of course, I am disappointed with the result but we found out certain things about the players.

"Former Whitstable Town striker Andy Martin did well up front and I thought Mark Smith did well too. If we had taken one or two of our chances it'd been different but we can have no complaints.

"We were flagging in the last 20 minutes. Let's just say the night before could have caught up with a few of the players but there you go. They knew the deal, you can go out but be ready to play at 3pm.

"To be fair, Cork City are a very good side who really knock the ball around well. They are full time too and it showed. In fact, they have lads with football league experience, are doing well in Europe and Spurs are chasing their winger. They're certainly no mugs.

"Having said all that, I think that for half an hour we gave a good account of ourselves. And in all honesty, they didn't create too much."

First-teamers Killian Lorden, midfielder Admir Softic and Vinny Sullivan warmed up for the Red Star showdown by starting for a Cork side also featuring 25-year-old Brian O'Callaghan who has played more than 150 Football League games for Barnsley, Crewe and Notts County.

A Cork City player you will not have heard of is Brendan Daly but that could all be about to change with Tottenham Hotspur closing in on the talented right winger.

Daly has a formidable box of tricks up his sleeve - just ask Bradley Maguire.

The Faversham left back was left for dead for the opening goal on 34 minutes when a great piece of Daly skill down the flank allowed him to break free and send in a super near-post cross.

Sullivan produced a good parry from stand-in goalkeeper Brett Harrison but 18-year-old James Sexton - who won the FAI Youth Cup with Cork last season - pounced on the rebound from close range.

New boy Andy Martin had a glorious chance just seconds after the restart when he beat the offside trap to latch on to Kris Parker's long ball but his lob flew just over the bar.

Martin was also on the end of Faversham Town's best chance a few minutes later when he had a shot cleared off the line following Mark Smith's corner in from the left.

Teen striker Sexton made it 2-0 on 57 minutes with a half-volley from 12 yards but it was more than a shade harsh on Harrison who later insisted he had been fouled after claiming a corner from the right.

Sarayevo-born Softic fired the third after Cork sprung Faversham Town's offside trap on 67 minutes but the tourists came away with their heads held high on a day they will remember for the rest of their lives.

Who knows, one day Faversham Town might have enough money to let them swap shirts.

Faversham Town: Brett Harrison (Terry Cordice 87), Nathan How (Gary Stock 60), Kris Parker (Kris Browning 75), James Holder, Richard Gamble (Darren Mills 60), , Bradley Maguire (Ben Holbrook 45), Ray Turner, Julian Beal (Jason Mills 45), , Mark Smith, Andy Martin, John Goodwin (Gary Roberts 45).

Article courtesy of www.favershamtownfc.co.uk