Managers relish Kent League opening day

VCD Athletic manager Martin Ford has announced seven new signings in time for their opener against the Lilywhites.

Nick Munshall (Gillingham youth), Dean Burns (Thamesmead Town), Kevin Spriggs and Terry Ratchford (both Dartford), Danny Edwards (Sittingbourne), Gary Ward and Paul Smith (Whitstable Town) have signed.

Local rivals Slade Green will be the club’s first visitors to their Oakwood ground in Crayford on Thursday 7^th September.

James Brown, meanwhile, is the only player to have left the club, joining Thamesmead Town.

Croydon, who play at the Croydon Sports Arena in South Norwood, travel to Whitstable Town to play their first ever Kent League game.

Trams manager Russell Harmsworth has revealed that he’s kept all of his players from last season and has also added a few more to his squad.

Mark Fawke, who can play at left-back or in midfield, and Andy Young, whose a tough tackling midfielder, have both joined from neighbours Chipstead.

Former Horsham striker Rhod Davies, who has been Merstham’s top goalscorer in the Combined Counties League for the past two seasons, will be looking to get amongst the goals, along with Lee Kirby who has re-joined the club having just returned from working abroad.

“He has a good goalscoring record at this level and Ryman League level,” Harmsworth told www.kentishfootball.co.uk about Davies.

Centre half Ollie Young has also returned to the club and goalkeeper Stuart Robins has signed from Ryman League Division One South outfit Molesey.

Youngster Dan Bennett has signed from Ryman Premier League club Bromley, and ball playing midfielder Tim Murdoch, 21, a former Bromley player, has signed a new one-year deal at the club.

But the Trams have a couple of injury doubts for their trip to the Belmont, with Ollie Young (ankle) ad Ray Freeman (knee) expected to miss out.

Harmsworth added: “We played our last pre-season game last Saturday against Hellenic League side Wokingham and won 4-0 with a good display of quality football.”

Strikers Kirby, Sam Warner and Jody Yee all got on the score sheet, with Gambian international trialist Du Du making it four.

Whitstable Town manager Marc Seager is expecting his side to defeat Croydon and get their season off on the right track.

Former Sittingbourne goalkeeper Kevin Fewell has signed from Ryman Leaguers Chatham Town and midfielder Mickey Lane arrives from Kent League rivals Deal Town.

Seager has signed two players from local rivals Herne Bay, with winger Marlon Button and highly-rated striker Stuart King making the switch along the coast.

And defender Scott Price arrives from Faversham Town.

But Steve Marshall (holiday), Stuart Harrison (holiday) and Lee Jones (calf) miss the opening day of the season.

Seager told www.kentishfootball.co.uk : “I’m really looking forward to the season, all the players have worked hard all summer and hopefully they will be rewarded for their efforts.”

It’s been all change at the Small Glen as new Slade Green managerial pair Danny Evans and Adam Heaslewood ring the changes ahead of their trip to Deal Town.

Defenders Mark Sabatino, Lee Barber and midfielder Tom Morgan remain at the club as the Green are expected to give debuts to thirteen players on the east Kent coast.

The goalkeepers position has been taken by Dean Mann, whose signed from Cray Wanderers.

Slade Green have plenty of experience through their squad. In defence they have signed John Myall (Hythe Town), Mark Dudley (Thamesmead Town), Paul Gross (Erith Town) and Andy Silk.

Silk has been the reserve team manager at Ryman League club Bromley for the past three seasons and has also played for the club as well as Leyton Pennant and Cray Wanderers.

Slade Green have signed midfielders Joe Hurlock (Dartford), Joe Diggings (Erith & Belvedere),  Jay Lee (Tilbury) and John Paul McKey.

Heaslewood, who joins from Cray Wanderers will be combining his role as player and coach this season.

Silk brings his former Bromley reserve striker Andrew Dalhouse to the club via Croydon, and the former Queen’s Park Rangers’ youngster is joined by Jason Clews (Thamesmead Town) and Adam Morish (Erith & Belvedere) as the club’s strikers.

But Scott Barnes, a summer signing from Cammell Laird, and Diggins are both ruled out for their league opener because of hamstring injuries.

“A lot of work has gone into the pre-season programme and now we are looking forward to starting the competitive games to see where we are at standard wise and where we need to improve,” Heaslewood told www.kentishfootball.co.uk

But the former Cray Wanderers’ midfielder hopes his 13 debutants gel on Saturday to get the season off to a winning start.

“It’s almost a brand new team,” he said. “Only three remain from last season so I suppose it is a new start for the club with regards to playing staff.

“What I have been most impressed with is the application of the players and the togetherness that we have shown in pre-season games.

“It will take a while for the team to completely gel but we will keep plugging away, but the early signs are very good.”

Heaslewood, meanwhile, explained how they’ve attracted so many good players to the club.

He said: “Personal contacts from Danny, Andy Silk and myself mostly, but also some of the new players have brought friends down and then the usual trialists.

“We like to think that the players that have come down here have seen what we are trying to achieve and how we operate.

“The management team have a high level of competitiveness, but we also want the players to enjoy their football and look forward to the coming games and training.”

Not knowing too much about Deal Town, Heaslewood added: “We know that it is always going to be a tough game at Deal.

“It’s about how we prepare and how our players react, when there are so many making their debuts.

“Pre-season performances have been encouraging but this counts for nothing come the start of the season!”

Despite enduring a depressing season last time out, Sevenoaks Town are already showing signs of improvement.

The Greatness Park club finished rock bottom in the Kent League last season, scoring just 18 goals from their 30 league games, winning just three of them.

But Sevenoaks have already scored 11 times in their six pre-season friendlies and their only defeat was when they lost 2-1 at Canvey Island.

They go into the game with good morale in the camp, having defeated Dover Athletic’s second string by three goals to two in midweek.

Joint-manager Derek Moore, meanwhile, hopes his side can get the new season off to a good start, against Greenwich Borough at Greatness Park.

The club have been forced to increase their admission prices this season, with adults being charged £5, as per Kent League rules.

But fans that have watched their pre-season outings have been impressed and won’t mind paying the extra one pound.

“With our good form that’s come out of pre-season, certainly if we can perform equally as well as we did against Tilbury, Cray Wanderers and Canvey Island, we will certainly put a good show on and who knows,” Moore told www.kentishfootball.co.uk

“It’s all about on the day really up to a point and also it’s the first game for Greenwich Borough, who have also strengthened their side.”

The only way is up for the west Kent club, and Moore explained their aims for the season, adding: “We’ll be satisfied this season, as part of our plans, to finish in a strong midtable position.”

“If we can build upon that, sobeit, but we’ll also like a run in the cups, which is good for morale and for the coffers as well.”

Lordswood manager Paul Piggott has even named the fifteen players that will start their Kent League campaign against Sporting Bengal United at North Dane Way.

He has signed three players during the close season, with defender Andy Mills coming in from Sevenoaks Town and two players have come from Kent County League sides.

Striker Gary East arrives from Bearsted and midfielder Adam Ling has signed from Borden Village.

But Piggott has lost striker Andy Doerr to Sittingbourne and Andy Forster is expected to be out injured for four weeks with a knee injury.

Neil Crust, meanwhile, returns to the squad after a long lay off with an ankle injury.

Piggott’s squad for the opening day is as follows: