Soccer Shorts: Gledhill aims to arrest Invicta's slide

Tomorrow is the opening day of the Ryman League season - and the first hurdle of the FA Cup. Soccer Shorts brings you all the latest news from around the county.

MAIDSTONE UNITED joint-manager Alan Walker is looking for some better luck at Heybridge Swifts tomorrow.

“I can’t wait for the season to get underway tomorrow as I think the game against Heybridge will be an important measure of how far we have come since the end of last season,” Walker told www.maidstoneunited.co.uk.

“Obviously we had the disappointment of losing in the away fixture at Heybridge after Pat Mullin failed to tell us he was injured and Lee Shearer had to play in goal. Then, in the return game, when we had it in our grasp to almost guarantee our safety in the division, we blew it.

“I think the lads froze that day but we are a totally different proposition now. If you look at our current squad, only six players remain from last season and the players we have brought in bring a wealth of experience.

“This week in training we have been working on our finishing. I think we look strong all over the pitch so we wanted to concentrate on putting the ball in the back of the net.”

Striker Meshach Nugent, a recent signing from Dulwich Hamlet, will be unavailable tomorrow because he has a slight injury.

Walker added: “To be honest, there is no rush to bring him into the side as we have Lloyd Blackman, Andy Martin, James Pinnock and Keelan Mooney who can play up front and in that respect, we have never been in such a good position.

“With regards to our hopes for the coming season, all I will say at the moment is our immediate priority is to ensure we don’t end up in the same situation as last year where we are having to scrap for our lives at the wrong end of the table.

“However, with the squad that we have assembled this summer I would hope that we will be looking to feature towards the top end of the division.”

MARGATE head to much-fancied side Carshalton Athletic tomorrow with a squad that has an average age of just 21.

Pat Sappleton has returned from injury in time for the trip to Colston Avenue and contract agreements have been put in place with Roberto Corbishley and Sam Taylor.

Other players to sign contracts with the Hartsdown Park club are; Scott Chalmers-Stevens, Luke Coleman, James Gregory, Tom Hickman, Keiron Morris, Jack Parkinson (a three month loan from Welling United), Ryan Peters, Michael Power, Aaron Quain, Lewis Smith, Paul Smith, Dan Stubbs and Wayne Wilson.

FOLKESTONE INVICTA make the trip to Worthing tomorrow to play a side that are seeking to reach the higher reaches of Ryman League Division One South this season, writes Tom Marchant.

Skipper Lee Gledhill, speaking to www.folkestoneinvicta.co.uk, is relsihing making his Invica debut down on the west Sussex coast.

“It’ll be a very hard game but then I'd rather start the season like that than against one of the ‘easier’ teams when you can get complacent,” he said.

“Worthing are a decent team and they made the play offs last season where I played against them twice when I was at Met Police. They’re a good club with quite a big catchment area for players and they’ve got good relationships with pro clubs as they get some decent young players in on loan.”

Gledhill signed for Folkestone back in June and was manager Neil Cugley’s sixth summer signing. He is best mates with goalkeeper Charlie Mitten, who is the only player remaining at the Club who signed last season which demonstrates the extent of player transfer activity at the Buzzlines Stadium this summer.

“I'm a police officer but now I've got a new position in the force, Monday to Friday, 8 ‘til 6 sort of thing, I was looking for a club elsewhere during summer. Me and Chaz have been mates for years; we’ve played together, lived together for about a year at one time and speaking to him, he said he was going to re-sign at Folkestone and he said what a good club it was to be at.

“He gave Cugs (Neil Cugley) my number who phoned me up more or less straight away and we discussed things and everything think he said to me was positive and sounded great so I had no hesitation in saying I’d sign for the season. I’d also seen a couple of the other lads who had signed in the summer and I knew they were good players like Wilks (Craig Wilkins), Nicky Humphrey and Jimmy Dryden. I only knew them from playing against them but when I did I knew it was a hard game and so I knew they were good players.

“Cugs surprised me as when I first spoke to him he said how he remembers when he used to come and watch the games down at Barnet many moons ago and I was a few stone lighter back then! He was very positive towards myself straight from the word go.”

The 28-year old defender started out at Barnet on a two year apprenticeship and was a professional there for four years before he left and joined St. Albans.

“I loved every minute of it at Barnet but I left to further a career outside of football as I learnt quickly that football isn’t everything,” said Gledhill.

“Don’t get me wrong as I love it and I wear my heart on my sleeve but it's not everything and at that particular time I left full-time football to pursue a career. I wasn't quite sure what that was going to be though so it was a bit of a brave move so I went to St. Albans and the Chairman there offered me a job there as a trainee property surveyor so I was initially looking those down lines.”

After spending a season and a half at St. Albans, former Gravesend & Northfleet (now Ebbsfleet United) manager Andy Ford snapped up Lee who played at Stonebridge Road for two seasons alongside fellow summer signing Jimmy Jackson. Ford was replaced by current manager Liam Daish, who last season guided Ebbsfleet to glory in the F.A Trophy.

“Liam Daish made me club captain at Gravesend and it was a pity I had to leave them as I really enjoyed my time there,” he recalled.

“I joined the force and it's a long application process that takes about a year and a half, two years to get through. So from putting my application in when I started at Gravesend, I managed to finish my second season there and start at Hendon afterwards, which worked out alright. With them going full time as well I had no option really but to leave”.

Former Gillingham defender Adrian Pennock was assistant manager at one time at Stonebridge Road and after being appointed manager at Blue Square South side Welling United, Gledhill signed for the Park View Road outfit but work commitments meant it was difficult for him to fully commit himself to the club so he signed for Metropolitan Police.

Gledhill said: “They’re a brilliant club and you get time off to play which made life easier for me. I’ve been lucky so far in my career at all the clubs I’ve played for, I’ve really enjoyed my time with them. Now I’m a Schools Liaison Officer I work in school term times, I get school holidays and the regular hours so it gave me a chance to look for a new challenge.”

Gledhill captained the side at Met Police and Cugley awarded him with the armband for the coming season.

“I was over the moon about it and I try not to expect it anywhere as it makes you play for it. In pre season Cugs gave it a few games before mentioning anything and I had no idea whatsoever. Then he asked me to take the armband second to last pre season game I think it was and it's obvious no player is going to turn down the chance to be captain, especially for such a good club and a friendly club like Folkestone. I'm really looking forward to it and to bringing some success to Folkestone”.

After a busy summer of rebuilding, expectations are high for Cugley’s side this season. The side which lines up tomorrow afternoon will be almost be completely different from the side which ended last season.

Prolific striker James Dryden returned to the club this summer to lead Invicta’s attack, whilst the Invicta boss also pulled off another big transfer coup by signing Jimmy Jackson from Margate after Craig Wilkins, Nick Humphrey and Matt Bourne all penned deals at Cheriton Road. Scott Lindsey has returned as player coach whilst Lee Spiller, Mark Green and Byron Walker completed the arrivals at Invicta.

It was also announced that 19-year old Gillingham hot prospect Andy Pugh has signed for the Seasiders on a one month loan deal, to give Invicta further options in attack with Craig Wilkins starting his rehabilitation after a knee operation yesterday.

Gledhill said: “We've got a small squad which I think has more positives at the minute than negatives. Cugs doesn’t want to go out and just spend money on anybody and some managers can get dragged into that world pretty quickly.

“Neil has been pretty selective in who he wants to sign and I’m all for that so we don’t get any big time Charlie’s down at the Club which I can’t stand and nor can Cugs.

“He won’t just go out and spend money on players to make it a bigger squad, he will spend it productively on good players that are going to work hard for us, for him and the Club and I’ve been impressed by him so far.

“There has been a lot of signings and the same thing happen to me at Met Police as a lot of our players had left the season before last and we started with a whole new and it did take a few weeks into the season for everyone to get to know each other. That's why people have to be patient including the fans because we're new to each other and so you've got to learn everyone’s plusses and minuses and that doesn’t happen overnight.

“On paper we've got a very good team but you can have all the names on a bit paper but you've got to pull together and I think we will do. There’s a good team spirit already and last Saturday the lads had a night out and that’s something I think we'll do throughout the whole season. It's important and there’s nothing wrong with going out and having a couple of drinks with your team mates as long as you put the hard work in on a Tuesday, Thursday and a Saturday.

“I wouldn’t have signed for a club if I didn’t think we could get success and I’m a player who wants to win in everything I do. I know myself and all of the other players will give it 100% and everyone has to play well together, as a team. The backing we’ve got from the manager and the Board has been positive and I think around the ground everybody has got to stay positive and I’m sure things will work out for the best this season.”

Cugley also spoke about the arrival of Gillingham striker Andy Pugh, 19, on a one-month loan.

Pugh, who spent a period on loan at Maidstone United last season, has been added to bolster the attacking options following the news that Wilkins, who has been partnering the in-form James Dryden in attack, had to undergo a knee operation.

"He's got a great touch, he can hold the ball up well and he does score goals and I think he could be an ideal partner for Jim," Cugley said late last night.

"What helps is that he is coming down to train with us, as usually with loan players they don't come down and train with you, but he's making an effort to get involved which is obviously good to see. He's good friends with Mark Green and they live fairly close so he'll most likely come down with him.

"Gillingham keep offering Andy terms every year, and it shows they think a lot of him. I get on well with Mark Patterson and something else cropped up a little while back when we spoke on the phone and when I said about a forward, he went on saw the manager and he let Andy come out on loan to us.

"They want him playing matches and scoring goals for us so he can go back and push for a place in their first team."

CRAY WANDERERS, who welcome Godalming Town to Hayes Lane tomorrow, with eyes on the Ryman League Division One South title at the end of the season, begin the search for a new reserve team coach.

“It is with regret to announce that Kevin (Joe) Richardson has resigned as the reserve team coach today,” said Wands’ reserve team manager Mark Hanscombe.

“I would like to thank him very much for all that he has done for us at youth and reserve level.

“He will be missed by all at Cray and I’m sure you will all join me in wishing him all the very best for the future.”

Meanwhile, the Wands’ reserve team friendly against Metrogas tomorrow has been cancelled.

ERITH TOWN manager Steve O’Boyle has wasted no time in securing the services of his back-up team, ahead of tomorrow’s home FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round tie against Bedfordshire side Potton United.

Tony Potts (assistant) and Ray Bagnell (coach) have both been appointed by O’Boyle, whose first game in charge was last Monday’s 2-1 home defeat to a very young Greenwich Borough side.

LORDSWOOD boss Kevin Phillips is hoping for much better luck for their FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round trip to Surrey to play Camberley Town.

The former Chatham Town reserve team manager was stuck in traffic before last Saturday’s Bulmers Cider Kent League opener at Croydon, which they lost 5-2.

And as Phillips had the kit in his car, the Medway side had to borrow Croydon’s away strip.

“The game got off to a very bad start,” Phillips admitted, when speaking to www.lordswoodfc.com.

“I’m not pleased about the outcome to say the least. However, I have not yet got my full squad available to me.

“The players that played were not to blame, they have only players as a team for a few games pre-season and although the result has left us all annoyed and demotivated, it will only get better.”

Phillips, who handed nine players their Lordswood debut’s added: “You only have to look at the amount of debut’s there were to see that we are changing things at the club. Its only the first game of the season.”

DESPITE losing Steve Sodje to their Bulmers Cider Kent League rivals Tunbridge Wells, Croydon manager Dickson Gill is expected to hand Adam Todd his debut in tomorrow’s FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round tie at Sussex County League side Whitehawk.

Striker Todd has asked Herne Bay a transfer to the Croydon Sports Arena club. In talks with Bay boss Barry Morgan, he said that he felt he would always be a bit-part player at Winch’s Field and that he stands a better chance of being selected for first team football with the Trams.

Herne Bay chairman John Bathurst told www.hernebayfc.net :”We are sorry to lose Adam but all at the club wish him all the best and hope he doesn’t cause too many problems when we play against him at Croydon.”

Bay travel to another Sussex side, Redhill, in the FA Cup tomorrow.

STAPLEHURST & Monarchs United, who play in the lower reaches of the Vandanel Kent County League, are searching for a goalkeeper to play in the first team and an assistant manager for their reserve side.

First team manager Dennis Hughes takes his side to Bridon Ropes tomorrow before continuing their pre-season preparations with games at Eltham Palace (23^rd August) and Greenways (30^th August).

And he’s looking for a goalkeeper with experience of this level of football - or higher.

Dennis can be contacted on 07989 538 1041.

Visit club websites:

www.maidstoneunited.co.uk

www.margate-fc.com

www.folkestoneinvicta.co.uk

www.craywands.co.uk

www.erithtownfc.co.uk

www.lordswoodfc.com

www.croydon-fc.co.uk

www.hernebayfc.net

www.clubwebsite.co.uk/staplehurstmonarchsunited/