Soccer Shorts: We have to be at our very best to stun Ebbsfleet in FA Cup, says Hythe boss Tim Dixon

ASHFORD UNITED assistant manager Lloyd Blackman admits his side were not at their best during their goal-less draw at home to Lordswood in midweek.

Ashford United are in second-place in the Southern Counties East Football League table with 25 points from 11 games, two points adrift of leaders Erith & Belvedere, who have a game in hand.

Ashford United travel to fifth-placed Sevenoaks Town tomorrow and Blackman said: “We’ve got four tough games coming up over teams that are all in touch of the top spot.

“It should be challenging month, however, a challenge we are looking forward to.”

Paul Chambers’ assistant manager, Blackman, admitted he wasn’t happy with their goal-less draw against Lordswood.

“Our performance against Lordswood wasn’t our best,” he said.

“We were too slow in our approach and lacked creativity.  Players we expect to take the game by the scruff of the neck had a bit of an off night and it was a flat performance.

“Lordswood came with a game plan and executed it very well. 

“We do seem to far better on Saturday’s and Sevenoaks will provide a tough test but we want to get back to winning ways and keep the pressure on Erith & Belvedere.”

BARNET have signed former Maidstone United goal-machine Alfie Pavey, 18, on a 28-day youth-loan from Millwall.

Pavey has joined the Vanarama Conference leaders and will be part of Martin Allen’s squad at Forest Green Rovers tomorrow.

Pavey tweeted: “Very delighted to be have been put on loan to a club such as Barnet.  Looking forward to the next month ahead in helping the club progress in the league starting off with a win tomorrow away at Forest Green and get some good experience for myself.”
  
BRIDON ROPES’ assistant manager Kris Hollidge says his side should be doing better than they currently are.

The Charlton-based club lie in 12^th place in the Pain & Glory Sports Kent Invicta League table with seven points from nine games.

Reflecting on their 2-0 win at Gravesham Borough last weekend, Hollidge said: “Myself and Gary (Lisney) are very upbeat and positive with the past few weeks results and we feel the league table belies a little where we are at.

“We have lost the majority of games by the odd goal and feel that we are now happy with the squad that we have assembled and are starting to get the results we deserve.

“Last week’s result was particularly pleasing as we felt Gravesham were probably the best side we have faced.

“Although we gave up possession at times the pace at which we counter attacked was pleasing and resulted in our two goals.

“Gary and I both feel we have a lot of positives to take from games so far but there’s still a lot to work on.

“We have a very young side which is good in one sense as we can counter attack at pace but we have been a little naïve when leading games to shut up shop and see games out.”

Bridon Ropes travel to Lewisham Borough in the Pain & Glory Sports Kent Invicta League Challenge Trophy First Round tomorrow.

The game at the Ladywell Arena has added spice because the home club are now managed by former Bridon Ropes managerial pair of Ben Kotey and Martin West.

“Tomorrow will be an interesting game,” added Hollidge.

“It will be nice to see Ben and Martin who I have a good relationship with as they brought me to Bridon last year.

“We played Lewisham a few weeks back and after dominating the game we were out done by two good goals from Ross Cable.

“I’m sure they will be much changed as Ben starts to put his stamp on things.

“We look forward to a good challenge and hopefully if we play the way we have done and get a slice of luck we can progress to the next round.”

BROMLEY coach Hugo Langton hopes a team night out keeps the club in The FA Cup tomorrow.

The Ravens have suffered home Saturday defeats at the hands of Basingstoke Town (0-3), Chelmsford City (0-1) and Gosport Borough (0-3) so it was decided to go for a team night out in midweek to build team spirit.

Mark Goldberg’s side are in fourth-place in the Vanarama Conference South table with 17 points from 10 games and welcome an Uxbridge side in the Second Qualifying Round tomorrow.

Uxbridge arrive at Hayes Lane sitting in the bottom-six in the Southern League Division One Central table with two wins and three draws from their nine league outings.

“Everyone always looks forward to playing in The FA Cup.  It’s a competition where anything’s possible,” said Langton.

“There’s always twists, unusual results and drama.

“Uxbridge will come to us with no fear and have the mindset that they can pull off a result.

“They will work their socks off from the first minute and we have to match that first of all.”

Reflecting on the club’s third league defeat of the season, Langton added: “We have a lot of new players and we are still gelling in my opinion and we’ve had a lot to think about this week after the Gosport defeat.

“Credit to Gosport they were outstanding and fully deserved their victory.”

Goldberg has unveiled the signings of full-back Paul Rodgers from league rivals Farnborough and former Scunthorpe United forward Jordan Robertson.

The Bromley boss told www.bromleyfc.net: “Paul and I have been speaking on and off for a while now and I’m really delighted to have finally got my man.

“We’re also delighted to give Jordan the opportunity to re-launch his career, which I’m sure could take him back to the highest level.”

Langton, meanwhile, revealed the team bonding session after training went well, adding: ”We have had a good week together to re-group and we are all looking forward to the game.”

CHARLTON ATHLETIC women’s secretary Sue Prior has scooped the Outstanding Contribution to Female Football award at a London FA awards night at Arsenal Football Club last night.

CROCKENHILL manager Craig Clark says he is cursing his side’s bad luck after suffering a 4-0 home defeat to Lydd Town last weekend.

The Crocks lie in bottom three in the Pain & Glory Sports Kent Invicta League table with two wins and a draw from eight league games.

“We’re still continuing the re-building of the club but we’re not having much luck with injuries,” said Clark.

“We’ve lost two important players now with long-term problems. We’ve used four goalkeepers this season so far because they keep getting injured so it seems over the last month we’re taking two steps forward and three steps back.

“But we’ll keep coaching our football philosophy.”

Lydd Town leapfrogged over Hollands & Blair to the summit after their win at Wested Meadow last weekend.

Clark said: “We followed our plan to a tee for the first half, then stayed in the changing room for the first 15 minutes of the second half, which was disappointing after the hard work of the first half.”

Crockenhill welcome third-placed Sutton Athletic in the Pain & Glory Sports Kent Invicta League Challenge Trophy First Round tomorrow.

Clark said: “Let’s hope it’s entertaining like the last game a couple of weeks ago. I think we deserved a draw but it wasn’t to be.”

EBBSFLEET UNITED manager Steve Brown says his fancied side cannot be complacent against Hythe Town in The FA Cup tomorrow.

The Fleet get their campaign underway in the Second Qualifying Round against a Hythe side sitting in the bottom two in the Ryman League Division One South table.

Brown goes into the tie in a confident manner after their 3-0 home win over Sutton United, which puts his club in fifth-place in the Vanarama Conference South with 16 points from nine games, three points adrift of leaders Boreham Wood.

“Last Saturday saw us take on a strong Sutton side and after a bright start which saw Charlie Sherringham hit the crossbar from a Matty Johnson delivery the game became a bit frenetic and scrappy,” reflected Brown.

“We started to get a strong foothold in the game around the twenty minute mark and the opening goal came through a fine volley from Anthony Cook.

“The goal settled us down and we started to play with a bit more freedom.  The second goal came shortly afterwards after a Matty Johnson long throw found its way to Billy Bricknell who struck a very clinical shot low into the bottom corner.

“The second half was a very disciplined performance.  We knew Sutton would start quickly to try and get back into the game. Defensively our shape was very good and we played some nice football especially on the counter attack.

“The third goal came through a second phase of a set piece and it was Billy Bricknell who reacted quickest and slotted the ball home from close range.

“Three points and a clean sheet against a team that will definitely be in the shake-up at the end of the season was a very pleasing afternoon’s work.”

Ebbsfleet United are clear favourites against Hythe Town tomorrow as the Cannons arrive at Stonebridge Road with two league wins to their name.

Brown said: “We can't afford to be complacent about the game.  We must attack it with the same attitude as we do every league game.

“It's a banana skin tie and every round throws up a few upsets. It's our job to make sure we are in the hat come Saturday night.

ELTHAM PALACE joint-manager Charlie McCarthy says he was pleased that his side bounced back from a defeat to beat Sheppey United 4-1 last weekend.

The club are in seventh-place in the Pain & Glory Sports Kent Invicta League table with 12 points from seven games.

“Last week was a fantastic performance from us at Sheppey,” hailed McCarthy.

“The win was an important one after the loss to Meridian the week before and now hopefully that puts us back into the mix of things with our game in hand.

“It showed what we can do when we have pretty much a full squad available. 

“Myself and Chris McCarthy could not fault any of the performances from our lads and the 4-1 win was fully deserved in my book.”

The McCarthy’s will utilise their squad for their trip to league leaders Lydd Town in the Pain & Glory Sports Kent Invicta League Challenge Trophy First Round tomorrow.

Charlie McCarthy said: “Regarding tomorrow’s game myself and Chris think it’s a great opportunity to mix things up a bit and give people opportunities to get minutes under their belts and prove themselves for the early part of the season.

“Lydd away is always a tough game, which was proved in our draw a few weeks back in the league, so it will be a good challenge for the lads who play tomorrow.” 

ERITH TOWN manager Ennio Gonnella believes his side are starting to turn the corner.

The Dockers went down to a 3-2 home defeat to Sevenoaks Town in midweek and Gonnella said: “Tuesday night’s game was a frustrating one for me.  We had two clear cut chances and hit the bar twice in the first half.  If those chances had gone in it may have ended a different result.

“The frustrating part is that it took for us to be 3-0 down to wake up and realise that we are a good team with some fantastic players.  Then the tempo was raised, we brought it back to 3-2 and the worry was on Sevenoaks.

“Unfortunately we didn’t seek the result needed and deserved in the end but I believe we have turned a big corner in these last six or seven games and the results will start coming our way.”

Erith Town remain second-from-bottom in the Southern Counties East Football League table with one win and three draws from their 11 league outings.

Holmesdale, who are renowned for playing a quick, passing, attractive game, arrive at Middle Park Avenue tomorrow.

“We go into tomorrow’s game with no new injuries and one suspension of Kane Rice,” revealed Gonnella.

“I think tomorrow will be a very good game to watch as I know Holmesdale this year especially are playing some good and attractive football.

“We at times have done the same this year and tried to play an attractive way of football.

“Personally it’s going to be tough but a good game against Holmesdale and if the spirit and tempo remains high we will be giving them a tough time.”

ERITH & BELVEDERE manager Matt Longhurst says he wants his side to continue their consistency going into tomorrow’s home game against Croydon at Park View Road.

The Deres remain at the summit of the Southern Counties East Football League table with 27 points from 10 games, two points clear of second-placed Ashford United.

Dickson Gill brings his Croydon side to Welling sitting in the bottom three after losing their last five games on the bounce.

Longhurst said: “We go into this weekend with our thoughts firmly on the task in hand. 

“Croydon’s league position is a little false in my opinion. I have watched them twice in a week and I’ve been quite impressed especially going forward so it will certainly be a tough game.

“There are no easy games this year in this league as I think we’re seeing everyone is beating everyone at the moment, so our aim is to just try and stay as consistent as possible.

“Recent games have been good. We’ve kept two clean sheets in the last two games which was a slight concern before as we were scoring goals but conceding too many sloppy goals.

“George Karamusi has come in and done brilliant in goal the last two games and of course we added another threat going forward in Denzel Gayle who has showed some signs of the form we had him in last year (for Corinthian) over the last two games.”

Reflecting on their 3-0 win at Crowborough Athletic last Saturday, Longhurst said: “We played the pitch well and could have possibly added to our total and we were without a few players to injury and a wedding too so it was pleasing to win another away game.”

Longhurst is delighted with the application from his league leaders.

He said: “At the moment the lads have worked really hard on trying to do what we’re asking and I can’t fault them.

“We worked really hard Tuesday night in training with and without a ball and they’ve rightly had the rest of the week to rest ready for Saturday.

“We’ve created an environment for players to come and enjoy their football and learn more about the game.

“We now look forward to being at home against a good Croydon team with a full squad to choose from we will go and try and win the game in the same manner we have done so far this season.”

Goal-machine Alfie May, 21, has hit the headlines this season after scoring 22 goals in 13 games for the club.

May, who played for Chatham Town, Bromley and VCD Athletic last season, has been on trial with League One side Crewe Alexandra this week.

Longhurst, who was May’s manager at Corinthian, said: “Although Alfie is taking the plaudits at the moment, I’m convinced if asked he would say the same.  The team deserves as many plaudits as him so far this season.

“Obviously the headlines this week will be all about Alfie.  He deserves his chance with an outstanding goal record this season, but I think people overlook his work ethic off the ball.

“His appetite for the game is brilliant.  Two years ago he won the Kent League Golden Boot and in the same season at 19-years-old he played enough games to win a runners-up medal for the reserve team at Corinthian, as he wanted to just play football.

“Last season he scored over 25 goals across his games at Chatham and VCD and had a brief spell at Bromley, but towards the end of last season he wasn’t really playing and at the end of the season his phone didn’t really ring.

“We managed to convince him to come back with us and get his head down.  I still think he has lots to learn and physically he needs to be better but he has real quality and in a full-time environment he really could flourish.

“Crewe have been brilliant in the way they have dealt with Alfie and the club and it’s of course a club renowned for blooding youngsters so hopefully something comes of it for him.

“From my point of view at Corinthian we progressed Dan Bent to Gillingham and now Alfie has an opportunity at Crewe, so we’re hoping that young players can see there is a light at the end of the tunnel in non-league football.

“It’s about being around the right people and having the right attitude. The likes of Dulwich have produced lots of players over the years and we’re hoping we can do the same.

“Our youth teams at Erith & Belvedere can see we give young players a chance if they are good enough so in time we’d like to see a few more coming through the system here too.”

FISHER joint-manager Billy Walton says he wants his side to turn their potential into results on the pitch.

Fisher came away from Holmesdale with a 3-0 win on Tuesday night which saw the club climb up to sixteenth-place in the Southern Counties East Football League table with eight points from nine games.
 
Fisher welcome tenth-placed Corinthian to Champion Hill tomorrow and Walton said: “Winning one game against Holmesdale does not mean anything if we don’t win tomorrow against Corinthian.

“Against Holmesdale the players stuck to the plan to perfection.   We’ve now got to do the same against Corinthian tomorrow, who are another extremely good side and going well at the moment.

“I feel we have been playing well for the last two weeks or so, but we have not been getting the results we deserve especially against Canterbury.

“We need five or six results on the trot to become a decent side.”

GLEBE chairman Rocky McMillan has spoken of his pride after the Bromley based club were awarded FA Community Club of the Year at Arsenal’s stadium last night.

“I’m really pleased to win the top club award last night at Arsenal. It was a fantastic night,” said McMillan.

“To be given the highest club award by the London FA, is a reflection on all the efforts of the executive and management committee’s at the club.”

HYTHE TOWN manager Tim Dixon is plotting a FA Cup upset when he takes his side to Ebbsfleet United tomorrow.

Hythe Town travel to Stonebridge Road sitting in the bottom two in the Ryman League Division One South table with two wins, three draws from their 11 league games.

Ebbsfleet United are in fifth-place in the Vanarama Conference South table and go into the Second Qualifying Round tie on the back of an impressive 3-0 home win over Sutton United.

“All the lads are really looking forward to the FA Cup match tomorrow at Ebbsfleet United,” said Dixon.

“In my opinion they are one of the top teams in non-league football, with a great management team who keep their standards very high.

“We will have to be at our very best to be competitive in this fixture and you never know what can happen in The FA Cup and because we are massive underdogs, there are no expectations.

“What I do expect though is for my lads to raise their game and to do all the basics to their best ability and try to be difficult to break down. We will certainly have to look after the ball a bit better than in recent weeks otherwise we will get severely punished.

“Both Steve Brown and Steve Gritt have watched our matches at Horsham and Walton Casuals recently, so as expected, they have been as professional as ever and won’t let League status stand in the way of preparing for the game in a disciplined manner and they know there is no room for complacency.

“Unfortunately, we will miss our captain Craig Cloke and Jamie Collado took a heavy knock on Tuesday against Walton Casuals and will probably miss the game. 

Dixon meanwhile, revealed Josh Burchell, Craig Thompson and Lewis Mingle are back in the squad.

Dixon added: “I’ll be very pleased whatever the result.  If I walk away Saturday evening knowing that we have given every possible ounce of effort to try and get a result.”

KENT FOOTBALL United manager Sam MacNeil has explained why his side have been struggling at the foot of the Pain & Glory Sports Kent Invicta League table.

The Dartford based side have suffered seven defeats in their opening nine league games and go into the weekend with only four points to their name.

“The season to date has been very tough for Kent Football United,” admitted MacNeil.

“We cannot hide from the fact of some very disappointing results and performances especially last week’s dismal showing at home to Orpington going down tamely 7-0.
 
“Our main focus has been on our move to the Glentworth Sports Club which has gone amazingly well. We could not have hoped for it to have gone any better for us with all our hard work going into a fourteen week period to get it ready.

“As a club we always knew when moving from VCD Athletic FC that the on field matters were going to have to take a back seat for a period with the ground being priority and that has been the case.

“I did not expect us to finish high up the league this season at all but do expect better showings than in our last two games Bridon Ropes (0-3) and Orpington.

“We have achieved some good results with an excellent 0-0 draw away to Glebe, which given other results looks a fantastic point and our 95th minute winner against Lewisham Borough, but we failed to use this momentum and have been set back.

“Our aim now is to get a settled side of young players together to just work hard and enjoy the rest of this season - there may be no expectation in terms of a league table finish but we want to just improve and mature every week which we play.”

Hollands & Blair, who slipped down to second-place in the league table after losing to Sutton Athletic last weekend, are their opponents in the Pain & Glory Sports Kent Invicta League Challenge Trophy tomorrow.
 
MacNeil said: “They are obviously a superb side.  My hat goes off to Paul (Piggott) and their management team for their drive and more importantly their consistency in the past four seasons. They deserve to be promoted.

“Our aim is to set up to frustrate them, get bodies behind the ball - you can't play any other way.

“In cup games you never know but the table tells you this is going to be very difficult for us to get a result.

“As a club we have lost every game against Hollands & Blair in our history so our aim is to find a way.  Lydd Town and Sutton Athletic did last two weeks so we must use that as a positive as we only went down 2-1 to Sutton Athletic ourselves.

“The current KFU side is very young and inexperienced and so setting up properly and educating players on how to maintain shape, discipline and apply the strategy we want is essential.
 
“Despite the tough current on-field results we are really happy as a club. To have our own ground developing week after week, our youth section growing, entry to the Kent Youth League we are building on all platforms.

“Sponsorship is at a record high this season noted by advertising boards going up around the ground, we are in a good place.

“All clubs need a foundation to push from, we have that now. We will be speaking to the Football Foundation after Christmas regarding funding for floodlights (which have already been up at the ground in the mid 1980s) and we won't stand still.

“People forget we was only formed in 2010 as an organisation with just seven kids back then so to be where we are now compared to others is a testament to the enthusiasm, dedication and commitment to those involved.

“Everyone wants be Hollands & Blair and win every week, but this takes time. If you’re not prepared to take the time out to build, it will never happen and this has been the problem in past seasons.
 
“Our aim is to build the solid structure this season now we have our own ground before looking to push on in 2015-16 fingers crossed with floodlighting on the horizon.”

LORDSWOOD manager Jason Lillis says he wants his side to claim three points against Cray Valley (Paper Mills) at Martyn Grove tomorrow.

The club held Ashford United to a goal-less draw at Homelands Stadium in midweek and as a result are in seventh-place in the Southern Counties East Football League table with 15 points from 11 games.

“Tomorrow’s game will be so different from Tuesday’s game at Ashford where we tactically beat them but just never had the chance when we had it to claim three points,” said Lillis.

“Cray Valley are a side who like to play and have pace in their side.  We need to know show a level of consistency to put a run together.

“We know we should have at least six more points on the board but being within the pack is still an achievement because I have only been able to put the same team out two games in a row.

“Tomorrow’s game is a big one for us because we need to build our points tally, also to maybe get a gap between the teams below us.

“The boys need to show belief and show that we are a good side and teams will know they will have to play at their best to beat us.

“It will be a tough game and we have no excuses.  The boys need to go and perform.

Lillis revealed that Ross Webb has been added to the squad for tomorrow’s game.

ORPINGTON manager Byron Beard says he has learnt a lot from his first eight games in charge of the club.

The O’s are in ninth-place in the Pain & Glory Sports Kent Invicta League table with three wins, two draws and three defeats.

“A lot has been learnt in the first eight games,” said the former Farnborough Old Boys Guild manager.

“After playing two of the favourites for the league first, we have managed to get ourselves sorted and added five or six new additions to the squad.

“We have started to play the type of football we want to be known for. We unfortunately lost our striker (Alex Chambers) to Cray Valley but now our squad has started to set, we are more than a match for any team in this league.”

Orpington came away from basement side Kent Football United with a 7-0 win last weekend.

Beard said: “It was no fluke.  If we were honest with ourselves and a little more clinical in front of goal it could have been a lot more.

“KFU were unlucky to catch us when we have played probably one of our best half’s of football this year and shows that on our day we can match anyone.”

Orpington welcome sixth-placed Bearsted to Green Court Road tomorrow in the First Round of the Pain & Glory Sports Kent Invicta League Challenge Trophy First Round.

“I think it’s going to be a good game for the neutral as they have always been a good, solid outfit,” said Beard.

“We have spoken to a couple of people who have seen them play this year and whilst we go into the game with a plan, we also need to play our game which I think will more than match them.

“We have brought in a couple of players that can deliver the killer ball we were perhaps lacking for the first couple of games.

“Myself and Dan Kelly (my assistant) are taking the cups we are in seriously but we will look to give some players game time to be everyone fresh.”

RUSTHALL manager Gary Sharman admits it’s very hard to get consistency with so many changes within his squad from week-to-week.

The Rustics sealed a 6-0 win over Lewisham Borough at Jockey Farm last week, which puts them in tenth-place in the Pain & Glory Sports Kent Invicta League table with 10 points from seven games.

“Knowing Lewisham had recently let their management team go and results had not been going their way, we put out a very strong side for this fixture,” said Sharman.

“Having our own squad issue's, we only managed one on the bench for this game, with Lewisham arriving with a full squad and a healthy bench, we still thought it would be a tight fixture.

“The game started very well and the players were in the right mind frame.  We took control of the game very early and was moving the ball well around the pitch.  Without the ball we was on the opposition’s first and second touch and forced constants errors on their part.

“We went in 3-0 at half time. The half time team talk was much of the same, not to become complacent and continue to make movement and switch play and force errors and stay tight on the player when defending.

“We did this to full instruction and full credit to Lewisham Borough, they did not give up and it will not be long before their fortunes change.

“We more or less converted every chance and won the second half with a further three goals.”

Rusthall welcome Gravesham Borough to Jockey Farm tomorrow in the First Round of the Pain & Glory Sports Kent Invicta League Challenge Trophy.

Sharman said: “We are hoping for the same starting eleven we played against Lewisham with players back from work or holidays, so a healthy bench should also be in place.

“Our last meeting with Gravesham was a league fixture, which we came away with a draw.  We were not working together in that fixture, had players out, so a draw we was happy with.

“This Cup fixture however, we are hoping to take the win. If we produce the same quality, character and attitude we showed in last weekend’s game then I do not see any other result, but its players’ attitudes, how they turn out on the day.

“We know we have the making of a side which when performing as a unit, we are very hard to beat.  You structure your game plan around the players who are available on the day, we have to understand and except that with no budget whatsoever, sometimes players going off to work is more important and they cannot always commit like they want to,  so we often get told at the last minute they have had to work.

“It is very frustrating and we have periods of fixtures we do not put the same eleven players, week in week out and I am sure other teams also have this issue.

“Everyone is looking forward to the game tomorrow.  We are hoping that we have a decent gate and the lads turn out another winning performance.”

Sharman insists his side also have an incentive to knock Gravesham Borough out of the Kent Senior Trophy on 18 October.

He said: “This could lead to a local derby against Tunbridge Wells, assuming we both win our First Round fixtures and that would be a good fixture, but focus is on tomorrow’s game at this stage.”

WELLING UNITED manager Jamie Day says he wants to build on last Saturday’s creditable point against Gateshead.

The Wings claimed a 1-1 home draw against the high-flying side to climb up to seventeenth-place in the Vanarama Conference table with ten points from 11 games and Day wants more of the same for tomorrow’s trip to Altrincham.

Day said: ”Really pleased with the performance against Gateshead.  We got tired second half but really pleased with the first half and considering our average age last Saturday was 20, it bodes well for the future.

“We need to keep the levels of energy and performance up again this week as our away form has not been great so we’ll be looking to improve on that this weekend and if we play like we have in the last three or four games then hopefully we can.”

WOODSTOCK SPORTS assistant manager Chris Cooper says he wants his side to put more points on the board.

The Sittingbourne based side are in thirteenth-place in the Southern Counties East Football League table with 11 points from nine games after their 1-0 home win over Canterbury City on Wednesday night.

Woodstock travel to Crowborough Athletic tomorrow and Cooper said: “Following on from our hard fought result on Wednesday, we are very much looking forward to our trip away to Crowborough.

“It is exciting for the club as I think I’m right in saying it’s the first time Woodstock have ever played at Crowborough.  It is another new pitch for the young lads to play on and a different opposition for them to play against.

“They have had mixed results very much like us and I am sure they will be looking to take something from the game very much like we are. 

“We saw them pre-season but I don’t know how different they will be from then. We are anticipating a tough game.  They have some experienced players who can cause us problems if we let them but we will make sure our players are fully prepared.

“We do have a few injuries.  Hopefully we can put in a good performance and possibly get some more points on the board.”