Our new chairman isn't going to pump loads of money into the club, says John Cumberbatch

GREENWICH BOROUGH manager John Cumberbatch says their shock move to Dartford will put the club on a firm footing.


Incoming chairman Perry Skinner – who is no relation to Dartford co-chairman Dave Skinner – is in the process of forming a committee to turn the club into a more professional outfit.

Greenwich Borough spent the past three season’s struggling to make ends meet when it shared Holmesdale’s Oakley Road ground in Bromley.  The club struggled to attract crowds of over 30 and managers and coaches were undertaking off-the-field tasks due to a lack of numbers working behind the scenes.

The club were forced into a groundshare after the lease on their modest Harrow Meadow ground in Eltham expired and land owners Greenwich council sold the land for a housing estate.

Dartford co-chairman Bill Archer issued a statement on www.dartfordfconline.com this morning to announce the surprise groundshare.

He said: “We are pleased to announce that Greenwich Borough will be groundsharing at Princes Park newt season.

“We are very happy to help a club that found themselves homeless (a feeling we had not so long ago!)”

It’s very comforting that a Conference Premier club remember their humble roots of playing at Cray Wanderers’ Oxford Road ground in Sidcup, Erith & Belvedere’s Park View ground, Welling United’s Park View Road, Gravesend & Northfleet’s Stonebridge Road and Thurrock’s Ship Lane during their exile.

Dartford now play in front of four-figure crowds in the top flight of non-league football after manager Tony Burman guided the club through the leagues, ever since they moved into Princes Park in 2006.

Dartford’s gesture will enable Greenwich Borough to continue to play Kent League football next season.

It has been confirmed that both Cumberbatch and Owen Jones will carry on with their management roles next season, after steadying the ship after Gerry Cox’s resignation from his dual role as club secretary and manager.

The club finished in the bottom three in the Kent League last season and the deal to play at Dartford has come as a shock to everybody in Kent footballing circles.

“It came about from me contacting Dartford,” said Cumberbatch, who has pulled off the biggest coup in the club’s history.

“Myself, Perry the new chairman and Devon (Hanson, the previous chairman) looked at various possibilities of groundshare and we really thought we’d get in touch with several clubs.  We had one or two opportunities but nothing concrete and I decided to get in touch with Dartford and things went from there.

“It is very much a shock move. We knew that’s how people would react.  We wanted to make sure word didn’t get out because of speculation and the comments that people make have already started.

“It’s a shock move but it shows our intent really.”

With Dartford attracting large crowds, Greenwich Borough hope some of their fans stay behind and watch them play at Princes Park next season.

“There will be more chance of attracting fans from Dartford,” said Cumberbatch.

“From a distance point of view in mileage it’s probably further away from Greenwich than our Bromley ground was but people weren’t that keen travelling across to Bromley (Holmesdale FC).

“It’s hard to tell what the club’s actual fan base was before we moved across to Bromley, but it’s like the club starting from scratch in terms of fans.”

Next season will go down as the most exciting in the club’s history.

“It’s very much so,” said Cumberbatch.  “We’ve got a lot planned but the main thing is the club has struggled along for quite a few years and it’s been run by Devon Hanson, by Gerry Cox.  I got involved and it’s been hard work for everybody and it’s been a struggle and I wanted us to get to a position where we could have concrete plans and a firm footing and that’s what we’ve now got.

“We’re also putting in place a full committee for the club and that’s underway and it’s going very, very well.  Whereas before you had a situation where Gerry was doing a lot of work on his own and myself helping out occasionally and Devon helping out when he could, on match days it was hands on deck, but now we’ve we will have a full committee to do things properly.

“For us that was not just about the move to Princes Park.  There are lots of things happening behind the scenes all geared towards us being more secured as a club.”

Cumberbatch was asked how Greenwich Borough can afford playing at one of Kent’s best football arenas.

“How can we afford it? With a new chairman who’s got vision, who is a very sound businessman, who isn’t going to come in and pump loads of money into the club and start talking about winning things and winning that – that’s not going to happen.

“He’s a Greenwich based businessman who lives in north Kent. He’s business is based in Greenwich. He’s got experience of football, playing at this level and above and like us he wants to see a club that’s got a firm footing and that’s what we’re looking to do.

“Even when we talk about fans’, we’d love to attract and start building up a fan base.  The first thing is to make sure the club is secure.”

Cumberbatch did reveal, however, that Greenwich Borough will blood some of Dartford’s highly-rated youngsters in the Kent League next season.

He said: “One of the things we have been talking to Dartford about is the fact that they’ve got a very strong youth section and it would be silly for both sides not to talk to each other and bring some of these players through and that’s another reason for this venture and it works both for us and for Dartford.

“It won’t be a team that’s purely with Dartford’s youth players because Dartford are looking for those players to eventually move into their first team.

“That’s why the relationship should be good because what we’re looking to do is have a situation where these players are playing for us and eventually going on to play for Dartford.”

Cumberbatch revealed the length of the deal at Dartford is to be announced at a later date.

But playing at the 4,100 capacity stadium will certainly raise their rivals’ games – as was the case when teams first played the Darts at the stadium.

“I would have hope so, they love playing there and for us that’s a positive thing,” added Cumberbatch.