Metrogas: Our move to Bayliss Avenue will show our highly-talented players the clubs ambitions and give them access to a high level of senior football

METROGAS have finalised an agreement with the Peabody Group to hire the main stadium pitch at Bayliss Avenue in Thamesmead next season.

The move now enables the Kent County League Division One West side to look to achieve its ambition of pushing up the non-league pyramid in the coming seasons with their ultimate aim of gaining promotion into the Southern Counties East Football League First Division, following in the footsteps of their traditional rivals’ Stansfeld, who now play two levels higher than the Gas.

Stansfeld’s first-team are playing at that level of football nowadays and currently groundshare Glebe’s Foxbury Avenue ground in Chislehurst, while they retain a reserve side in the Kent County League playing their home games at Metrogas’s ground in New Eltham.

“Over the last five years, myself and the committee have worked tirelessly to develop the club both on and off the pitch to ensure we have a solid infrastructure in place to enable us to achieve our ambitions,” said Metrogas’ club secretary Tim Morgan.

“During this time we have built a successful youth section competing in both the Kent Youth League and Selkent Leagues.

“Our focus has always been about developing these players and giving them a pathway into senior football.

“We have done this over the last couple of years with many of our youth players now featuring regularly in the first-team and reserves.

“This next step will hopefully show these highly talented players the clubs ambitions and give them access to a high level of senior football. We also feel this move will show potential new players our ambitions as a club and will benefit our sides in the long run.

“Most people know of the successful side we had five or six years ago but the foundations weren’t in place then to enable us to take this step.

“I now believe with Mike Jones and his team leading the first-team and the excellent people we have involved with the reserves and the youth teams that we now have the infrastructure, players and finances to make this move.

“The club is on the up and things will only get better from here and the club would like to thank Fiona Hamilton from Peabody from making this transition very smooth.”

The existing Metrogas sides as well as their new mini-soccer section and Saturday Veterans side will continue to play at Metrogas Sports Club next season.

“Metrogas is our home and will remain our home and the hub of our club,” added Morgan.

“With our new mini-soccer section and our Saturday Vets sides we will continue to have huge presence as Metrogas next season and beyond.”

Welling Town, who played at Bayliss Avenue last season, have been contacted for comment, and no reply has been forthcoming from chairman Kevin Oakes.

Visit Metrogas’ website: www.pitchero.com/clubs/metrogasfc