I’m hoping come five o’clock we’re celebrating a promotion but I would say VCD are definitely the favourites because they're the team at a higher level, says Phoenix Sports manager Steve O'Boyle

PHOENIX SPORTS manager Steve O’Boyle insists VCD Athletic are the favourites for tomorrow’s winner-takes-all Step Four/Step Five Inter-Step Play-off at Oakwood.

The Vickers must beat their next-door neighbours Phoenix Sports to retain their Isthmian League South East division status.

Michael Power’s side completed their 38-match campaign in the bottom-four, picking up 38 points from as many games, with Burgess Hill Town escaping on 39 points, courtesy of a final day goal-less draw at home to Beckenham Town.

Beckenham Town lost 1-0 at Whitehawk in the play-offs on Tuesday night and Whitehawk face Steven Watt’s Hythe Town in tonight’s winner-takes-all Final.

O’Boyle’s side make the 11 minute walk to Oakwood, looking to return to the Isthmian League at the first attempt after suffering relegation last season.

Finishing in second-place in the Southern Counties East Football League Premier Division table on 81 points from 38 games, O’Boyle’s men finished two points behind champions Erith & Belvedere and picked up one more point than Steve King’s Deal Town in an exciting title race.

There is more than local bragging rights at stake at Oakwood tomorrow.

“It’s a game that I suppose all the local area wanted and actually thought it was going to be VCD,” said O’Boyle.

“I worked out the Points Peter Game and I thought it was either VCD or Sutton Common Rovers, I thought it was between those two.  I wasn’t surprised it was VCD.

“I’ve got a lot of respect for Michael Power, who played briefly for me at Phoenix and I known him from Thamesmead Town.

“Do I want to go against him tomorrow? Not really, but it is what it is. There’s nothing we can do about it.

“I’ll be trying everything I can to win a football match tomorrow and get Phoenix back up into the Isthmian League.”

The 13 Inter-Step Play-Off ties were announced by The Football Association at 18:00 on Wednesday but O’Boyle knows enough about their next-door neighbours to ensure preparation isn’t an issue.

“It didn’t make no difference to me how we prepared for the game. It doesn’t matter if we were playing VCD or whoever we were playing. I would still have picked the same 11, the same squad and still go with the same shape,” said O’Boyle.

“It didn’t affect our planning for this game whatsoever.  People want to know who you’re playing, we don’t have to go and get a coach, it’s like a home game, it hasn’t affected us one bit.”

O’Boyle isn’t keen of tomorrow’s game being settled by a penalty shoot-out if scores are level after 90 minutes – despite all Isthmian League play-offs going into extra-time and then a penalty shoot-out, like Cray Wanderers' heartbreaking Premier League Play-Off Semi-Final defeat away to Hornchurch on Wednesday night.

“I don’t agree with that. We’re talking about futures for football clubs and (extra-time) gives the two teams on the day every opportunity to win a game in open play.  Ninety-minutes and into a penalty shoot-out is completely rubbish,” said O’Boyle.

“If someone wins it in extra-time, fair play.  Win it on a penalty shoot-out, it’s a lottery.

“I think people are making these silly decisions. I don’t know why this game isn’t going to extra-time – it may not go to extra-time.

“Out of these ties tomorrow, how many teams will go up or down tomorrow on a penalty shoot-out?  I think every team should have extra-time to win a football match.

“I have no idea why this is but look, listen they’re the rules.  I’m not going to change them. I can’t change them, so I just have to go along with the rules, so that’s what we’ll do.

“We’ll go there tomorrow and try our very, very best to win a football match.”

O’Boyle rubbished claims that Phoenix Sports were the favourties going into the battle of Woodside Road.

“No, we’re defiantly not favourites.  They’re playing Step Four football, we’re playing Step Five.  We can talk mind games and whatever.  No, we go into the game with a lot of momentum.  VCD have played in a more competitive league this year in Step Four.

“VCD have played against better teams and I make them favourties for the game.  They’ll probably be the best team we’ve played all season and we have to make sure we have to turn up and play well. 

“They’re favourites, they’re at home as well, which I think is a massive advantage.

“I will say their favourites and we will do everything we can.  I will say after last week there’s no pressure on us, the pressure for us was getting second spot.  I’ve reached our target, which was top two, which I’m really pleased about and whatever happens tomorrow, happens.

“I’m hoping come five o’clock we’re celebrating a promotion but I would say VCD are definitely the favourites because they're the team at a higher level.

“I don’t enjoy going up against Michael Power but my club is Phoenix and if we have to take their place in the Isthmian League tomorrow so be it, that’s the way it is.

“There’s no point me saying stuff that I don’t mean.  I will do everything I can to win promotion tomorrow with Phoenix.”

VCD Athletic  v  Phoenix Sports
Step Four/Five Inter-Step Play-Off
Saturday 29 April 2023
Kick Off 3:00pm
at Oakwood, Old Road, Crayford, Kent DA1 4DN