K Sports boss Kris Browning: We feel it’s too early for us yet to consider promotion with the ground work still needed at the ground, plus we haven’t got the biggest of squads and rely heavily on our reserves and youth teams

K SPORTS manager Kris Browning is reflecting on a great year for the club.

 

The Paperboys go into the New Year sitting in the top four in the Southern Counties East Football League First Division table with 41 points from their 19 games.

Browning’s boys are only seven points adrift of league leaders Rusthall, but with a couple of games in hand.

“It’s been a great year for the club on and off the pitch,” said Browning, whose side now play on a 3G pitch at their refurbished ground.

“We find ourselves going into the New Year up there with the big boys and we couldn’t be happier!”

Browning operates without a playing budget and rival clubs are trying to buy their way towards promotion.

He said: “There’s a lot of money being spent in our league this season in players. It’s sort of funny to see the opposition manager giving our brown envelopes in the clubhouse after the game, but it just shows how many clubs want to go up and push on and good luck to them.

“We, on the other hand, have only just stopped asking the lads for subs!! We have run the club on a shoe-string for the last six years but things are getting better now.

“We feel it’s too early for us yet to consider promotion with the ground work still needed at the ground, plus we haven’t got the biggest of squads and rely heavily on our reserves and youth teams, who to be honest have been outstanding for us.

“As like every team we need someone to come along with a few quid so we have a more realistic chance of promotion, but we are a happy club and the joint-chairmen and committee members are very supportive of the players and coaching staff and try to provide for us what they can.

“It’s our second season in at Step Six but we’re loving it and love being at this level.

“The K Sports organisation have kept every promise and are always encouraging us to push forward. We should have the new dressing rooms come the summer.  We couldn’t thank Alan Dennington and the K Sports Organisation enough.

“We are now building a good fan-base and are now getting a lot of local people as well as Maidstone people coming along to support us. We had a gate of 80 against Gravesham, which isn’t bad.”

K Sports are next in action on Monday, away to ninth-placed Lydd Town, who have sealed 29 points from their 19 league outings.

“We are looking forward to the New Year.  I have two or three players I am looking to bring in from the lower leagues whom I feel can make the step up to our level and fit into our style the club has,” said Browning.

“The club also want to start a third team and get the youth section more involved in the New Year as we have had some good youngsters coming through the club.

“But first things first, we have a tough away game down at Lydd.  There not out of the mix and will be a good test for us.   We have three players back so we’ll go down there with a strong, confident squad.”

Visit K Sports’ website: www.ksports-fc.co.uk

Lydd Town  v  K Sports
Southern Counties East Football League First Division
Bank Holiday Monday, 2 January 2017
Kick Off 3:00pm
at The Lindsey Field, Dengemarsh Road, Lydd, Kent TN29 9JH