We’re spending an awful lot of money on the pitch in the close season so the chance of games being called off next year will be pretty minimal, says Greenwich Borough chairman Perry Skinner

GREENWICH BOROUGH chairman Perry Skinner says the club are ready to win promotion into the Ryman League.

The Borough sit proudly at the top of the Southern Counties East Football League table with five games remaining, having collected 70 points, a point clear of Hollands & Blair who have four games remaining.

The club are vacating Dartford’s Princes Park Stadium to take over as the landlords at Cray Valley’s Badgers Sports Ground at Middle Park Avenue in Eltham, close to Greenwich Borough’s old ground at Harrow Meadow, which is now a housing estate.

“It’s ours to lose to lose basically but I’d like to say I can’t see us slipping up,” Mr Skinner said of his club’s title aspirations.

“Ashford last game of the season, that could be a massive game. Hopefully we’re four points clear going into that game but if we’re not I’m sure we’ve got the players that would like to play on their 3G pitch with the speed players we’ve got now.

“I think Gary Alexander and John Mackie (assistant) have brought a lot more professional attitude in training, attitude towards the game, manage the game better. If you’re in a winning position they don’t concede a winning position. First of all, if you don’t concede you can’t lose games.”

But when asked what his thoughts would be if Hollands & Blair seal the sole promotion place at the end of April, the Greenwich Borough chief replied: “Basically it will be another year in the Southern Counties East Football League! It’ll be bitterly disappointing but we’ll have to take it on the chin and say ‘fair play to Hollands & Blair’.

“If they do pip us they thoroughly deserve it so we just have to hold our hands up and say ‘look we have to go again next season.’”

Greenwich Borough have already made their mark on their new ground, installing extra seats (in red and black), outside toilets, extra turnstile and infilled the pitch perimeter fencing.

The club will also improve the much-criticised sloping playing surface, which suffers from waterlogging nearly every time it rains.

“We’ve done all of the ground grading down at Cray Valley, making it look like a proper stadium now,” revealed Mr Skinner, who confirmed the pitch will remain a grass playing surface next season.

“Everything’s in structure there. We’ve spent a lot of money, the pitch is going to be done in close season and be as good as Beckenham’s. Drainage is going in, re-laid, re-seeded by the same man that does Beckenham’s pitch.  We’re spending an awful lot of money on the pitch in the close season so the chance of games being called off next year will be pretty minimal.”

Greenwich Borough announced that they have secured a 30-year lease to play at Badgers Sports Ground, although the club’s dream stadium at the former ground of The Gaelic Athletic Association Sports Ground at 132 Avery Hill Road, Eltham, London SE9 2EY – which hasn’t staged Gaelic football since 1992 – is still in their longer-term plans.

“With Cray Valley’s ground, we’ve got a deal with the guy that owns the ground who’s a member of Cray Valley’s but it’s Greenwich Borough’s ground, next season it will be known as the DGS Marine Stadium,” revealed Mr Skinner.

“The GAA site, Lindon Homes’ appeal is sometime in April. We’ve got the backing of the council. The outline approach was approved a month or so ago.

“That will be long term to have a Dartford model there. Down at Cray Valley, which will be the easiest stadium that will be the club base for youth, academy, reserves so we’ll still use that but it’s a long way ahead.

“We wanted to get back in the borough as quickly as possible. When the opportunity came with Badgers it was too good to refuse and it got us back earlier than we were expecting.

“Crowd have been disappointing this year, baring our league position. I was hoping to pull in a few more Dartford supporters when they were playing away. We’ve got a hardcore probably 20-25 that do come along but we haven’t got actually gone out in the local area and sold games at all. It’s been hearsay and people want to be on board.

“Next year we’re going in all the local primary schools handing out season tickets to all the under 11s in the borough so hopefully they can bring their parents along and we can build a fan base.”

Mr Skinner was full of praise for the people that have put in the hours to ensure Greenwich Borough are back in their home town in May.

He said: “I just like to thank all the people putting the hard work with getting the ground grading. Stuart Marlow was a big influence in that and also Peter Palmer at Beckenham, he’s come down and put a lot of hours helping us. He knows what needs to be done with ground grading so I give a massive thank you to Peter as well and everyone whose done work in the background, even the likes of the manager coming down and painting the boards with the Academy manager so it just goes to show how committed the people at the club are to move it on.”

Hollands & Blair, meanwhile, are also making a huge effort to ensure that their Star Meadow ground at Darland Avenue in Gillingham meets Ryman League ground grading criteria.

The club has come a very long way since winning the Rochester & District League Premier Division title in 2010 and are pushing Greenwich Borough all the way in the title race.

Blair attracted their record crowd when 405 fans watched a disappointing goal-less stalemate against Greenwich Borough in the top-of-the-table clash on Easter Saturday, only to suffer a 2-0 defeat away to third-placed Ashford United yesterday.

Ashford United would have played a part in the title race but they were deducted ten points through their off-the-field troubles, although the club are appealing that decision.

Danny Lye’s side have won all of their last five games since the points deduction and would have been a couple of points behind Greenwich Borough before their points punishment.

Hollands & Blair have installed extra covered seating, a couple of new turnstiles, infilled their main stand and installing a toilet block ahead of the deadline.

“We’ve done everything,” said manager Paul Piggott.

“We’ve had a grounds inspection, we’ve done almost everything that they’ve asked us to do now. We’ve got a couple of bits to finish off before Tuesday’s inspection but we’ve done everything they’ve asked and our ground will be ready if we were to win it.

“What’s gone on in the last couple of weeks is unbelievable. People at the club have worked so hard, they’ve put their hands in their pockets, they’ve worked so hard to get this ground how it is and that’s what our players’ are reminded off, which people do to help them progress.

“The club is doing their bit at the moment and the players by far are doing their best at the moment.

“There’s nothing worse than having nothing to play for come the end of the season! We don’t do that! We want to be in the hunt. We want to be playing games with an edge to it and that’s what brings the best out of us and makes us hungry.”

Hollands & Blair’s efforts may spell the end of Whitstable Town’s Ryman League status after the Oystermen were relegated yesterday despite claiming their only back-to-back wins of the season over the Easter period.

Whitstable Town are rooted to the foot of the Ryman League Division One South table on 20 points and were banking on Hollands & Blair winning the league below and not fulfilling ground grading criteria to earn a reprieve.

Whitstable Town are nine points adrift of free-falling Walton & Hersham, who occupy the highest relegation place and Scott Porter’s side have four games left to get up to that position to be in a position to play the get out of jail card.

Visit Greenwich Borough’s website:  www.greenwichboroughfc.co.uk

Visit Hollands & Blair’s website: www.hollandsandblair.co.uk

Updated: 20:00 – Tuesday 29^th March 2016