Holmesdale 2-4 Cray Wanderers - Jenkins wants more cash to keep new faces

The Wands, who suffered heartbreak at the end of last season, losing their Ryman League Division One South play-off final at Tooting & Mitcham United, opened their pre-season campaign with a 4-2 win at their Kent League neighbours Holmesdale.

And one player Jenkins wants to keep at Hayes Lane is striker Shawn Beveney, who starred for the Wands’ rivals, Dulwich Hamlet and Kingstonian, last season.

The Guyana international made an instant impression, scoring after just 78 seconds of this pre-season friendly, which was played at Langley Park Sports Ground in Beckenham.

Beveney, who was one of 26 Cray players that took to the field during the game, impressed for the 45 minutes that he was on the pitch and found the back of the net when he cracked a right-footed angled drive, which found the net via a deflection.

“Be nice if we can get hold of him,” Jenkins said of Beveney, when speaking to www.kentishfootball.co.uk afterwards.

“Hopefully we can get him signed in the next couple of weeks.

“He got released by Welling on Saturday (following a trial at the Blue Square South club) and we found out about it and I rang him straight away.

“He seemed interested to come down so that’s what happened. He couldn’t make it to training on Tuesday and he came down tonight and he impressed really.

“I’ve always liked him, he always scores goals. He’s strong and he’s honest and he’s a bit of us really.

“If we can get hold of him it will be a massive plus for the club.”

Beveney’s strike partner, Tony Dolby, meanwhile had a couple of headed chances, with a looping header bouncing off the top of the crossbar following Jamie Wood’s whipped in cross after 21 minutes.

Jenkins revealed shaven headed Dolby is interested in joining Ryman Premier League side Horsham as part of their management team - but he’s desperate to keep him in Kent.

He said: “He’s been offered a coaching role down at Horsham.

“I asked him what he’s going to do pre-season, if he wanted to come and do a bit of training and see how he gets on, just for his experience and see how he gets on.

“Today he’s done really well, he’s trained every session for me and he’s looked quite lively tonight.

“We’ll just have to wait and see really with Tony. He’s got other irons in the fire so I don’t know what we’re going to do but I’d like to keep him but it’s another financial thing really.

“Our budget’s really, nearly all spent. If I can get more money then I will try and sign these players, but it’s going to be hard, hopefully I can get them.”

Despite wasting numerous chances, Cray Wanderers were pegged back after 39 minutes through Ricky Spain’s free-kick.

Spain curled a low right-footed free-kick past the defensive wall and Glen Knight, who joined the Wands from Dover Athletic last summer, allowed the ball to creep past him into his near corner to give the Kent League side an equaliser.

But much-sought after central midfielder Jack Parkinson, nearly 19, gave the Ryman League side the lead within four minutes with a stunning right-footed shot after good link up play from Jamie Wood and Colin Luckett.

Jenkins, however, admitted that he faces stiff competition to land Parkinson, who played Kent League football with VCD Athletic last season, having joined the Crayford side having been a youth-teamer at Tonbridge Angels.

He returned to Longmead Stadium to train with the Angels last month and has a trial lined up at Millwall at the end of the month.

“Jack’s going on trial at Millwall for a week, some player though,” said Jenkins.

“I want to get hold of him if it doesn’t work out for him down at Millwall, which I hope it does.

“If it doesn’t work out, we’ll be one of a long list of clubs that want him, I think.

“He scored a goal tonight and he looks like a good player.

“It’s good to have a bit of youth, with all the experience we’ve got, so it’s a good mixture.”

But a second error from Knight gifted Holmesdale an equaliser with virtually the last kick of the first half.

The goalkeeper dropped the ball inside his penalty area and pulled back Lee Morgan and allowed Joel Hughes’ resulting right-footed drilled penalty to slide underneath his diving body.

Cray Wanderers’ left-back Luckett was the only player booked - for dissent - over the penalty decision.

Jenkins had the luxury of changing his entire team at the half-time interval, bringing on a further four substitutes later in the half, whilst his opposite number, Tony Beckingham utilised his seven substitutes.

Goalkeeper Danny Harwood, whose former clubs include Erith & Belvedere (during their Southern League days), Bromley (Ryman League) and Croydon (Kent League) replaced the shaky Ross Mitchell at the break.

But the 35-year-old was soon picking the ball out of his net after just 96 seconds into the second half.

Harwood tipped away Tony Atkins’ drive but his strike partner, Tommy Whitnell, lashed home the rebound from six-yards to give Cray Wanderers the lead.

The goalkeeper made two fine saves in quick succession by denying former Beckenham Town striker Atkins and then he tipped over Dean Morris’ long-ranged effort.

Cray’s half-time substitute goalkeeper Jack Bradshaw made a fine save of his own with 21 minutes remaining, tipping over Jason Thompson’s right-footed angled free-kick.

But Cray made it four with two minutes remaining when substitute Adrian Stone, who played for Bromley the previous night, cracked a stunning right-footed half-volley from thirty-yards, which flew past the stranded Harwood and into the top left-hand corner.

Jenkins, however, wasn’t happy with Knight for allowing a side that finished third from bottom in the Kent League last term score from two set-pieces.

“They’re (the goals) both down to Knightly, as far as I’m concerned,” said the disappointed manager.

“He knows that anyway! I think he could have done better with the free-kick and the penalty - it was stupid!

“He gave the penalty away by dropping the ball. They’re both down to him, but overall I thought we played well.”

But Jenkins will not drop Knight from his team, adding: “He was brilliant last year, first ten games he was a bit average but then he did pick up.

“The run we went on was down to him as well”.

Jenkins does want some extra funds, and said: “Of course I want more, yes. We had a great season last year (but) we’ve had our money cut.”

Holmesdale’s manager Tony Beckingham, who operates WITHOUT a playing budget, was pleased, despite the defeat.

“The positives were we only got beat 4-2 by a very good side quite frankly,” he told www.kentishfootball.co.uk afterwards.

“The goals we conceded, I thought were soft, although I have to say that was probably down to them putting us under pressure.

“They were a good footballing side, they moved the ball well and at times we were chasing after them a little bit.

“But the positives were we competed for a long time. It gave us a chance to look at some new players.

“Several impressed me a lot and with some of the boys that we’ve hopefully got coming back, I think this season we should have a pretty strong side.”

Beckingham, who revealed three players withdrew during the day, added: “We had to shuffle the pack a little bit and as you say it was sort of 18 against 26 so I thought we coped quite admirably really.”

Holmesdale: Ross Mitchell (Danny Harwood 45),Cris Nicoli, Ricky Hardie (Dave May 45), Jason Thompson (Joel Hughes 73), Ian Ogilvy (Euguen 45), Ray Tolfrey, Ricky Spain (Graham Bignal 61), Chris Steadman (Anthony Williams 45), Joel Hughes (Tony Hill 61), Lee Morgan, Anthony Morrison (Dan Parish 61).

Goals: Ricky Spain 39, Joel Hughes 45 (pen)

Cray Wanderers: Glen Knight (Jack Bradshaw 45), Colin Luckett (Dean Morris 45), Steve Aris (Ryan Royston 45, Jamie Waller 74), James Taylor (Mark Willy 45), Matt Lee (Aaron Day 45), Jamie Wood (Tyrone Sterling 45), Scott Kinch (Danny Chapman 45,Mark Axel 74), Jack Parkinson (Jamie Kempster 45, Adrian Stone 74), Mark Hammond (Lewis Wood 45), Shaun Beveney (Tony Atkins 45), Tony Dolby (Tommy Whitnell 45, Joby Thorogood 74).

Goals: Shaun Beveney 2, Jack Parkinson 44, Tommy Whitnell 47, Adrian Stone 88

Booked: Colin Luckett 45

Referee: Mr Jonathan Stone (Ashford)
Assistants: Mr Martin Etheridge (Walton-on-Thames, Surrey) & Mr Ronald Albert (Catford)