Jones expects bumper crowd for Dulwich Hamlet visit

Sunday 30th August 2009

SEVENOAKS TOWN boss Simon Jones is expecting to attract the club’s biggest crowd of the season for their FA Cup Preliminary Round replay against Dulwich Hamlet on Tuesday night, write Stephen McCartney.

The Oaks welcome the Ryman League Division One South side to Greatness Park - their fourth FA Cup tie of the season - having come away from Champion Hill with a 1-1 draw.

Jones has revealed that the club want to secure midfielder Guy Smith and striker Joe Creasey - who scored the equalising goal yesterday after former Welling United midfielder Sanchez Ming had opened the scoring for the Ryman League Division One South side - on contract.

The pair have stepped up from the club’s third team this season and Jones, speaking to www.sevenoakstownfc.org said, “It’s a major step forward for the club, and the first time since I have been here that we have considered doing such a thing.

“I have spoken to both of them, and they are keen to do it. They are both local boys, and want to do well for Sevenoaks.”

Sevenoaks will be playing their second replayed FA Cup tie at Greatness Park, and after a crowd of 152 watched the win over Tunbridge Wells, Jones, who was speaking to www.kentishfootball.co.uk hopes the visit of Dulwich Hamlet will attract a bumper crowd to Greatness Park.

When asked about earning a replay, Jones replied, “There’s two sides to that, isn’t there? One is, a draw against those guys, and to get them back to us for a midweek replay, perfect.

“Because there’s two things there that would mean that we’d match them on the day, which will be positive and it also means that we have a good opportunity to have another bumper crowd at Greatness and let the local community watch us play another good side.

“Therefore win or lose we’ve created some more funding for the club. A replay wins twice for us. It means we’ve competed against them from the first game and secondly it gives us more revenue into the club as a result of the replay.”

If successful on Tuesday night, not only will Sevenoaks bank £1,500 in much-needed prize money from the Football Association (to go with the £750 that they collected for beating bogey side Tunbridge Wells at the first hurdle), but Sevenoaks will travel to Southampton based VT in the next round on 12th September and to win that will bring an extra £3,000 into club coffers and then maybe play one of the big boys in the Second Qualifying Round.

www.kentishfootball.co.uk will be covering this game.

Visit Sevenoaks Town’s website: www.sevenoakstownfc.org

Sevenoaks Town v Dulwich Hamlet

FA Cup (Sponsored by E.ON) Preliminary Round Replay

Tuesday 1st September 2009

Kick Off 7:30pm

At Greatness Park, Mill Lane, Seal Road, Sevenoaks, Kent