We have set our goals and targets as a club on the pitch which the staff and players are full aware off and are working tirelessly towards to achieve, says Forest Hill Park boss Lee Roots

FOREST HILL PARK manager Lee Roots says he is looking forward to taking charge of the club for the first time against Welling Park tomorrow.

The Ladywell Arena based outfit finished in the bottom four in the Southern Counties East Football League First Division and Roots is preparing his side for the new season.

“I have been absolutely delighted with how pre-season has started and is going for us at Forest Hill Park,” said the former Chipstead (Kent) and Holmesdale manager.

“Obviously coming in to any new club as the new manager has its leg work that goes with it behind the scenes in regards to players, but the application and attitudes from all of the players in training and from the management staff has been of a real high top quality.

“We’re now coming to the end of our third week together and we have covered a lot of bases already within our work.

“We’ve had five sessions together and a behind closed doors friendly as a squad. There is a real buzz around the squad and within the players which is evident to see and we now together move onto our first friendly on Saturday of six pre-season friendlies.

Roots has signed 13 players from his former side Holmesdale. 

Callum O’Shea, John Burtonshaw, Robbie Locke, James Teodorescu, Justiniano Junior, Kazim Bishop, Kameiko Pope-Campbell, Adam Toubal, Shane Masiello, Adriano Lawson, Jerome Richards, Jamie Richards and Jack Spedding.

Forest Hill Park have signed Thomas Jewers (Tonbridge Angels); Marius Chiorescu (London Tigers), Andre Cordozo (Caxias in Brazil) and Tim Beckford (Rochester United).

Akin Lawal, Tommy Rose, Luke Kimberley, Joshua Cella, Tyrone Palmer, Douane West, Aaron Hall, Damilola Oluokun, Andrade Caetano, Memsur Gorda, Ryan Fopossi, Matt Hoy, Kevin Cozma, Michael Baloye and Jon White have all signed League forms.

Roots said: “We are delighted with the squad currently. It will still need to be condensed down as and when we draw closer to the start of the season but I am over the moon to have secured the signatures of all of the player targets I acquired this summer.

“We have set our goals and targets as a club on the pitch which the staff and players are full aware off and are working tirelessly towards to achieve. We will go quietly about our business each week on week and we will be well prepared and drilled come the start of the season.”

Looking forward to tomorrow’s game against Harry Newman’s Welling Park, Roots said: “I’ve known Harry Newman there for a long time and it’s a perfect opening fixture for us and them. I’m expecting them to be a very hard-working team, organised and well drilled as they’ve been together as a squad for a few seasons now.

“It’s the classic cliché pre-season quote at this stage, but for us tomorrow it really is about getting everyone some minutes on the pitch.

“The game on Saturday allows me and my staff to assess the players and talent we have acquired and the main objective from the game is getting the players a minimum of 45 minutes. We will be fielding two teams, one team each half and this will probably be the only game that will do that.

“Next Tuesday evening, we travel away to face Sittingbourne of the Bostik League and we then face Croydon of the Southern Counties East Football League Premier Division on the following Saturday 14^th, which will be two great games but very tough challenges for us as a squad and these are games where we will take one squad of around 18 into both of those games.

“We are all very much looking forward to the friendlies and the weeks ahead as we work towards kicking off our season on Saturday 4 August.”

Welling Park  v  Forest Hill Park
Pre-Season Friendly
Saturday 7 July 2018
Kick Off 12:00pm
at Samuel Montagu, 122 Broad Walk, Kidbrooke, London SE3 8ND