Hamilton-Omole thankful for his time on loan at Folkestone

VERSATILE Marvin Hamilton-Omole wants to settle his future following Folkestone Invicta’s home clash against Staines Town at Cheriton Road on Monday night, writes Tom Marchant and Andy Bown.

The on-loan Gillingham player told www.folkestoneinvicta.co.uk how he has settled in at the Ryman Premier League club and how his professional career is developing at the League One side under Gills manager Mark Stimson.

Hamilton-Omole signed a one-month loan deal with the Seasiders in mid-January and Monday night’s game is expected to be his last.

“I just wanted to get some football under my belt because I hadn’t been playing at Gillingham and the new manager came in and I wasn’t in his plans,” said Hamilton-Omole.

“I knew playing matches was the only way I could improve to try and break into the side and of course Gillingham don’t have a reserve team.”

He impressed during his Invicta debut against giants AFC Wimbledon where the Kent side recorded an outstanding 3-2 victory, courtesy of a brace from Kevin Watson and one from Tom Bryant - who has recently returned to Priestfield Stadium after excelling in a three-month loan spell at Cheriton Road.

“This standard hasn’t been too bad actually since I’ve come in,” said Hamilton-Omole. “We’ve played against some decent teams in the last month and played against some very good individuals against Tonbridge and AFC Wimbledon and it makes it a very competitive league.

“I’ve had a couple of games I felt I played well in but then I had a poor one against Carshalton where we lost 3-0.

“Playing competitively has definitely made me a lot sharper though and I do feel I have improved since playing for Folkestone.”

Hamilton-Omole has been deployed in midfield and attack by Invicta manager Neil Cugley, but could feature at right wing-back in the absence of Watson, through employment commitments with his school.

“I still haven’t got a preferred position really,” Hamilton-Omole said. “I’m still playing anywhere in the forward line which does make me versatile but I hope that Mark Stimson can work my game and pin me down to one position.

“It’s getting quite difficult at the moment to be honest especially with the new manager coming in because there’s a lot more competition and he has brought quite a few new players in recently. At the same time it does make you try that little bit harder and to improve.

“The staff at Gillingham have been brilliant as I’ve been progressing in my career and as I’ve grown older and I have always got along with all them and when you know everyone around you it makes it so much easier to train and improve”.

On coming to Invicta, Hamilton-Omole certainly wasn’t a complete stranger to the squad having played with several of the present Folkestone players. Aside from Tom Bryant who also signed professional terms at the League One side last May, Marvin already knew Frankie Chappell and Charlie Glyde.

Chappell and Glyde were unlucky to released by the Gills at the end of last season. However Gillingham’s loss has proved Invicta’s gain, with both teenagers now regular fixtures in an increasingly youthful Folkestone starting line up.

“All the Folkestone lads have been great ever since I came in and they’ve all made me feel welcome and they’re a good bunch of lads.

“The gaffer (Cugley) has been really helpful and so have the other coaches and they have always tried to get the best out of me and I knew Mark Saunders from his Gillingham days and he had a top career there so there’s definitely people here you respect and who have a lot of knowledge of the game”.

With Hamilton-Omole’s initial loan period coming to an end it remains to be seen whether the youngster will extend his stay at the Buzzlines Stadium.

Marvin confirmed his immediate future depends on his chances of breaking into the Gillingham first team and the thoughts of Stimson.

Needless to say, the Invicta management will surely be keen to retain the services of the highly rated attacking prospect.

Hamilton-Omole has his sights set on reaching the pinnacle of the football world when he declared: “I just want to be the best footballer in the world! But if that doesn’t happen then I want to stay a professional player for as long as possible and I’ll settle for that.”

Article courtesy of www.folkestoneinvicta.co.uk

www.kentishfootball.co.uk will be covering Monday’s game against Staines Town

Folkestone Invicta v Staines Town
Ryman Premier League
Monday 18^th February 2008
Kick Off 7:45pm
At Buzzlines Stadium, Cheriton Road, Folkestone, Kent CT19 5JU