KENT LEAGUE CUP FINAL SPECIAL: CASSIUS GIVEN CHANCE TO SHOW HIS TALENTS ON THE BIG STAGE

Friday 01st May 2009

ERITH TOWN left-back Lee Craig misses Sunday’s Kent League Cup final against Croydon - because of claims of mistaken identity, writes Stephen McCartney.

Craig, 22, was red-carded during the Dockers’ 3-1 defeat at Herne Bay on 28th March, and manager Steve O’Boyle is incensed that the former Slade Green full-back misses the Park View Road showpiece final.

“He got sent off for mistaken identity,” explained O’Boyle, when speaking to www.kentishfootball.co.uk.

“Tony Gallagher was sent off at first (but) on the way down the tunnel the referee’s called Tony back onto the pitch and the linesman got involved and decided to send Lee Craig off, who was 35 yards from the incident.

“It (the challenge by Tony Gallagher) was on (Herne Bay striker) Stuart King, who has also wrote a statement to the FA. The Herne Bay chairman wrote a statement to the FA, the (Herne Bay) manager went to see the referee after the game.

“Harry Hill, the referee, admits he’s got it wrong and they (the FA) won’t change their mind now and I can’t understand it.

“Lee is devastated that he’s going to miss the cup final.”

Speaking about Gallagher’s challenge on King, O’Boyle said, “That was an accident to start with. Stuart King knows that and Herne Bay know that.

“The statements went to the FA but between the referee and the FA, they’ve completely mucked up.”

O’Boyle has told his side to retain the Cup for Craig, who misses the final along with Gallagher, adding, “He’s been a big part of our season this year. I brought him in from Slade Green, he’s been exceptional, a good solid left-back and for him to miss the final, I’m gutted, not just because I’m missing a left-back, but he’s a great lad - he never misses a training session.”

O’Boyle is looking forward to Sunday’s final, but admitted his side could have gone into it with better form.

The Dockers finished their 32-match Bulmers Cider Kent League campaign in seventh place with 54 points - a record points haul for the north Kent outfit.

“We’ve been looking forward to the cup final for a few weeks now,” he said. “We can’t wait for Sunday.

Last season the Dockers, managed by former boss Mark Tompkins, claimed the silverware with a shock 1-0 win over Hythe Town at Folkestone Invicta’s Cheriton Road ground.

“If you look at the cup final squad from last year, this year the side is completely different,” explained O’Boyle, who took over the reigns on the eve of the this season.

“There’s only a few players left from that team, so it’s a completely different side from last year.

“But we’ve got some experienced players; Dean Kearley and Lee Coburn, that have won it before. They’ve played in enough final now to know what it’s all about.”

Although last season’s success was down to an own goal, O’Boyle is keen for 42-goal striker Marcus Cassius to mark his last game for the club with a trophy-winning goal.

When asked whether it will be the 19-year-old’s final game for the club, O’Boyle replied, “It could be yes, he wants to play higher. If you look at his record this season, I think he’s got 42 goals in all, he’s a quality player, a quality young player.

“I could imagine someone would take a chance on him in the summer. He’s 19-years-old, he’s still got a little bit to learn, he’s not the finished article.

“I think he’s improved as the season’s gone on. He’s had a great season, I hope he can cap it off on Sunday - I wouldn’t mind him getting a hat-trick though!”

Due to the players’ age, and that he was on contract this season, interested parties will need to part with the cash to entice him away from Bayliss Avenue.

“We’ve had a couple of enquiries, nothing concrete as yet, I’m not going to say who though,” said O’Boyle.

“We’ve done everything the right way, if someone is looking to come in for him they will have to pay a little bit of money for him or maybe come to some sort of agreement with us.

“He’s 19-year-ols, he’s getting better all the time so why can’t he go and play maybe Conference or maybe higher?

“Someone can take a chance on him. I look at the like of Chris Dickson, Dave Martin, Jon Main and Danny Kedwell, who have all come out of this level of football.”

O’Boyle, meanwhile, believes both London sides will provide good entertainment for the expected 500 plus crowd.

“I think it will be an even game,” he said. “I went to watch Croydon a couple of times, they’re a decent side, they like to get the ball down and they like to play.

“They’ve got some decent players - but so have we!

“I’m hoping it’s going to be a decent game of football, end-to-end, with eventually us winning the game, which will be nice.”

For Croydon joint-manager, Ken Thurgood, he hopes that his side can spring a shock result and clinch the Kent League Cup for the very first time.

Thurgood, who jumped ship at highflying rivals Holmesdale in the middle of January, along with Tony Beckingham and Tony Prime, to take over at the Croydon Sports Arena, wants his side to rise to the occasion.

“Obviously we’re under no illusions,” he told www.kentishfootball.co.uk. “Erith Town are the current holders and Croydon have had, I think it’s their third managerial change of the season.

“It will be nice for the chairman especially, the club secondly and all associated with it, and thirdly, most importantly, the players who have had the nous whereabouts to stick within the club.

Croydon finished two places and just five points adrift of their Cup final opponents and Thurgood reflected on the situation at the club and having to blood youngsters from their youth set-up.

“Scoring goals is a bit concerning at the moment,” he said. “They’ve seemed to dry up over the last four or five weeks, so that is something that has caused us a few sleepless nights.

“We’ve been running with a fifteen-man squad, one transferred out (Michael Corbett to Leatherhead) and we’ve drafted in some guys from Croydon’s successful youth team so they’ve been a breath of fresh air for us.

“The guys that have come in, basically, initially like most things, we’ve brought them in to have a look.

“I think it’s important for the youth team guys to know that people are watching them and also they will be given a chance.

“Those guys weren’t brought in for any other reason, but we felt they were good enough.”

Speaking about the club’s ninth place finish, Thurgood added, We felt we could have done better, but the most pleasing thing is we’ve managed to draw both times with the champions, VCD.

“Two very good games of football in actual fact and it’s a benchmark of what we’ve got within the club really, but it’s like most things - consistency.”

Thurgood, who says he is without Ryan Watts (cup-tied) and the suspended Ollie Young, admits the Trams go into the game as underdogs.

“I actually think there’s no substitute for experience and Erith, having been in the final last year will know what to expect,” he explained.

“We watched the semi-final, which was a fantastic second leg, we’ve seen their capabilities.

“Being the current holders of the Cup, I would have felt that would give them the edge.”

But Thurgood insists Croydon will not fall of the rails.

“It’s a big club and they’re overdue a bit of success and we’ll be trying out best to see if we can do something about it,” he added.

The Croydon boss finished by saying contracted Erith Town striker Cassius should use Sunday’s Cup final as a shop-window out of the Kent League.

“I don’t think you can set out to do a number on him so to speak,” he said. “It’s a question of a bit of due-diligence by the back four.

“He works the line very well; when he’s in the mood any plan that you have got for him will go out of the window to be honest.

“I just hope he has a good game Sunday and people look at him and bring him to a different level - but obviously just for those ninety minutes he doesn’t put it in between those two white sticks.”

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

Visit Erith Town’s website: www.erithtownfc.com

Visit Croydon’s website: www.croydon-fc.co.uk

Croydon v Erith Town

Bulmers Cider Kent League Cup Final

Sunday 3rd May 2009

Kick Off 3:00pm

At Park View Road, Welling, Kent DA16 1SY