STONEBRIDGE SHOWDOWN: It's a game for the fans, says Daish

Sunday 27th January 2008

THE KENT Senior Cup is brought back to life when local rivals Ebbsfleet United and Dartford lock horns in a mouth-watering quarter-final clash at Stonebridge Road on Tuesday night, writes Stephen McCartney.

This will be the first time that Dartford’s first team have played at Stonebridge Road since vacating the ground in May 2006.

www.kentishfootball.co.uk brings you a special preview to the BIG MATCH as we bring you the views from the two camps - separated by three divisions - and 4.6 miles.

THE FLEET

AWAY RECORD GOES FOR A BURTON

EBBSFLEET UNITED boss Liam Daish praised his side as they ended Burton Albion’s unbeaten away record on Saturday.

Goals from Neil Barrett and teenage striker John Akinde helped the Kent side seal a 2-1 victory in a gripping game at Stonebridge Road.

That meant that the Fleet have knocked the stuffing out of Oxford United, Torquay United and Burton Albion - who all ironically wear yellow shirts - in the past two seasons.

The Fleet are now eight games unbeaten - winning their last five - and speaking to Gemma Sterba on BBC Radio Kent afterwards, Daish was delighted.

“I enjoyed it myself,” he said. “There’s not many games that you can sit in the dug-out and enjoy but that was really enjoyable.

“I think both teams made for a good game and a good crowd, good atmosphere and obviously a good result.

“I just think that we looked quite controlled, the players, the lads’ at the back were defensively very sound and that gave us a little bit of a platform to go on and obviously win the game.

“Obviously getting ahead always helps but we just carried on pushing on and always looked dangerous.”

Daish and assistant Alan Kimble are both expected to sign new contracts, added: “The lads’ have done it again. I said before that we stopped Oxford’s run last year, we’ve stopped Torquay’s this year as well and we’ve done it again with Burton’s unbeaten record away.

“We’ve done it again and beaten another record. There can’t be no coincidence. I thought the lads’ were terrific.”

AKINDE HAS A BRIGHT FUTURE IN THE GAME

JOHN AKINDE, whose had loan spells with Ryman League clubs Whitstable Town and Margate in the past two seasons, has become a hit with the Stonebridge Road faithful - and boss Daish.

Akinde, who scored his seventh goal against Burton Albion, is now joint-leading goalscorer with Luke Moore.

And when asked if he feels Akinde will attract the attention of club’s higher up in the football ladder, Daish said: “I hope so because if he does he’s doing his job here but he’s not the finished article.

“He’s done very well but there’s some other big performances (against Burton).

“James Smith has come on a real age now. He’s had two, three years in the Conference, he’s still only 22, 21, I think 22, and he’s starting to - he’s been a mountain for me the last half dozen games and fair play to him.”

A GAME OF DARTS FOR MACDONALD?

LIAM DAISH is looking forward to Tuesday night’s Kent Senior Cup quarter-final showdown against local rivals Dartford, a side that’s leading the Ryman League Division One North table - three divisions lower than the Fleet.

Gary MacDonald was on the bench on Saturday, having picked up a heartbreaking injury on his debut, and Daish hinted that the former Woking defender may play some part against the Darts.

He said: “He might play some part, he’ll definitely play some part. He’s chomping at the bit.

“Whether he starts or whether he’ll come on we’ll have to think about which will suit him.

“But it’s good to have him back and around the squad.”

Daish is looking forward to experiencing this fixture for the very first time in his life.

“We just want to keep winning the games,” he said. “We’ve got Cup games and Trophy games and Shields and League games.

“Well, I’ve never been involved in a Dartford fixture so I’m going into a little bit of the unknown.

“As I said before, it’s a fixture for the fans’. This was the important one, beat Burton, so we’ll enjoy this and look forward (to playing Dartford) on Monday.”

FROM THE DIRECTORS’ BOX - A NEW ERA AT THE FLEET

WRITING in his programme notes and published on Ebbsfleet United’s official website at www.ebbsfleetunited.co.uk, director Mr Brian Kilcullen admitted the Blue Square Premier club are entering into a new era - with promotion into the Football League the ultimate goal.

“Today is an historic occasion as we start a new era at the club under the ownership of MyFootballClub (MFC),” wrote Mr Kilcullen.

“The EGM is still to be held to ratify the takeover but we have already received indications that it will be a formality with easily over 90% already in favour per our enquiries.

“A lot has been written in recent months about this revolutionary change in football and I don’t wish to go over old ground; all I can say is that it is without doubt one of the football stories of the decade.

“We are very excited about the prospects it brings. Naturally enough with any journey into uncharted territory there is a little bit of trepidation as to how it will work out. Ownership of a football club brings with it major responsibilities, but from what I have seen and heard MFC are fully aware of all this entails.

“The relationship between an owner and the manager/players is always the most important thing at a club and, of course, this is the area which will be under the spotlight in the coming months.

“I am confident with mutual understanding and respect it will evolve into something that benefits the football club.

“Having been heavily involved in the takeover deal, I have been asked to act as interim Chairman until a new Executive Board is chosen. I am very happy to do so and, with the help of the current Directors who are stepping down to form an Advisory Committee, we will provide experience, continuity and local links.

“There has been talk regarding the finances of the club since the MFC announcement. As explained at the recent fans forum it is important to know the nature of “debts”.

“Some clubs owe the Inland Revenue and VAT man a lot of money. Others have the bank chasing them. Some don’t pay their players on time. We have had forensic accountants and lawyers from MFC trawling our accounts and affairs and, to quote, found all “to be in good order”.

“I suspect there are many clubs where that is not the case. Most of our football club debts are loans from Directors and close Associates. We recognised a while ago that if we wanted to remain ambitious we needed to get further investment in the club.

“If that hadn’t worked out it would have been a case of converting these loans into shares and drastically cutting back the playing budget – not bankruptcy as some are recklessly claiming.

“We have found a new owner and the nature of their model is they want control of the club. We are happy to pass this over because we believe they can be good for the club and help us get into the league.

“I am extremely proud of what the owners/directors of the club have done over the last 8 years and hand over the reins looking forward to an exciting new era.

“We have punched above our weight for a long time and that can be very wearing. We look forward to stepping up a weight but fighting on the front foot rather than the back.

“On behalf of the Board of Directors who are stepping down following the takeover, I would like to thank all the fans for all their help and support over the years.

“It has been an enjoyable ride since 1999. The highlight has been promotion from the Ryman League and the fact we survived and are now a well established, decent Conference team.

“We have been fortunate to have two great management teams over that period and sets of players to be proud of and who have maintained the attitude we have around the club, on and off the pitch, that you must first work hard and be together before achieving anything. We have also never sacked a manager in our 8 year tenure!

“Wins in the Ryman Cup and Kent Senior Cup along with some F.A. cup runs (seems a long time ago though!) have been fantastic experiences.

“One of the first things we did was reintroduce a youth system and the fruits can be seen from the first team all the way down to the under 7’s. People such as Ian Docker, Mick Chatwin and Ray Tuffield, who have pretty much been involved in this area since 1999, are some of the ones who have helped an idea become something tangible and to be proud of.

“Attendances have greatly increased though we have hit a bit of a plateau in recent years. Let’s keep doing all we can to get people down the ground and get the atmosphere going even more.

“Despite losing, one of the highlights has to be when we played Canvey Island in our promotion year and we had 4,098 in the ground (give or take 2,000 or so!).

“Whilst our ground is dated, many of you will appreciate how much has been done both on the football side and in the Social Club. We invested in the pitch and now have a fantastic surface.

“However, whilst the initial work was important, credit for this goes to Peter Norton who, like the players, typifies many of the good things about the club.

“The extension of our lease at Stonebridge Road to 2025 gives us security and a home whilst we bring our new stadium project to fruition. This is a very complex project and there will be a lot of challenges and hurdles on the way, but we hope to have some exciting news on this soon.

“The acquisition of Fleet Leisure was the catalyst for full-time football, something that you need to be if you have ambitions to be in the Football League.

“This facility was very heavily loss making when we took it over, but we felt we could turn it around and it would become a major community asset. There is a 100-year lease and three years in we are in the final leg of sorting out the financial side of the business.

“We can now focus more on improving the facilities on the site over the remaining 97 years. The staff at Fleet Leisure have worked so hard to get us where we are today and we thank them for their efforts. Since my last programme notes we have received planning permission for floodlit artificial pitches – no mean feat.

“We would like to thank all the staff and volunteers we have worked with at the club over the years in various quarters such as the office, match days, the website and PR. There are too many to mention, but you know who you are. No one really appreciates what goes on at a football club unless they are involved themselves. We have been very fortunate to have some great people over the years.

“On a personal note, there have been a few groups of Directors since 1999 and they have done more for this club than anyone would ever know. We have had some highs and lows, but always had a laugh. We have been ourselves rather than follow dated football convention. Above all, our focus has always been about helping the manager as best we can to get a good team on the pitch. Thank you Gents and well done for all you have achieved.

“Last, but certainly not least, we would like to thank our families for all their support and understanding. Unless we find other ways to spend our time, you will be seeing more of us now the takeover is complete!”

TALE OF THE TAPE

EBBSFLEET UNITED

Goalscorers

8 Stacy Long
7 Luke Moore
7 John Akinde
5 Chukki Erribenne
5 Chris McPhee
5 George Purcell
3 Mark De Bolla (now AFC Wimbledon)
3 Michael Bostwick
3 Rapheal Nade
2 Neil Barrett
1 Luke Coleman

DARTFORD

Goalscorers

28 Brendon Cass
13 Jay May
10 Eddie McClements
9 Ryan Hayes
7 Jamie Coyle
6 Adam Flanagan
6 Tom Bradbrook
4 Steve Norman
3 John Guest
2 Junior Kadi
2 Yohance Lewis

CROWD PULLERS

EBBSFLEET UNITED

14 Blue Square Premier Games at Stonebridge Road:

Total: 14,654
Average: 1,046

Games that have attracted four-figure crowds:
Northwich Victoria (1,045)
Stevenage Borough (1,201)
Torquay United (1,368)
Stafford Rangers (1,055)
Grays Athletic (1,396)
Burton Albion (1,385)

DARTFORD

14 Ryman League Division One North games at Princes Park

Total: 13,466
Average: 962

Games that have attracted four-figure crowds:
Waltham Abbey (1,402)
Enfield Town (1,004)
Canvey Island (1,291)
Ilford (1,213)
Arlesey Town (1,159)

The Darts are the giants of their division. Their closest rivals in the crowd pulling ranks are AFC Sudbury, who they travel to for a title-decider on Saturday, 9^th February.

Stats for the Suffolk side:

13 Games

Total: 3,656

Average: 281

Admission prices have been reduced to £6 (adults) and £3 (concessions) and as mentioned above, segregation has been put in place with Dartford fans allocated the open terrace at the Swanscombe End of the ground.

If you cannot attend the match due to work commitments - then please visit www.kentishfootball.co.uk we’ll be providing LIVE SCORE UPDATES.

The game will be settled on the night, with extra time and penalties required if needed.

Visit club websites:

www.ebbsfleetunited.co.uk

www.dartfordfc.co.uk & www.dartfordfootballclub.co.uk

Ebbsfleet United v Dartford
Kent Senior Cup Quarter-Final
Tuesday 29^th January 2008
Kick Off 7:45pm
At Stonebridge Road, Northfleet, Kent DA11 9BA