Thamesmead eyeing Oyster catch - EXCLUSIVE

Chris Conneally was pleased with his Thamesmead Town debut last weekend, keeping a clean sheet in his side’s comfortable 2-0 win over Croydon on the opening day of the Kent League season, writes Stephen McCartney.

The 23-year-old goalkeeper, who played for Brentwood Town, Erith & Belvedere and VCD Athletic during pre-season, as well as training with Dartford, signed for the Bayliss Avenue club three days before making his debut.

“Comfortable win, we had a lot of players missing as well, which is encouraging,” he said EXCLUSIVELY to www.kentishfootball.co.uk.

"First game of the season is never going to be your best performance (from the team) - I thought the signs were encouraging.”

Thamesmead Town got off to a good start to their title chasing campaign, with a superb 25-yard, right-footed curler from Richard Dimmock and Lee Loveridge’s header, securing the points.

“The guy can do that and when you’ve got someone like that in your side, you can pull rabbits out of hats,” Conneally said of former Herne Bay striker, Dimmock.

He added: “It’s the type of player that you want in your team.”

All attention now turns to Saturday’s FA Cup extra preliminary round tie against Egham Town at Bayliss Avenue.

But Conneally is looking further ahead - and another meeting with Marc Seager and his Whitstable Town side - two weeks later.

The Oystermen welcome Eastbourne Town to The Belmont as they make their Ryman League debut on Saturday and Conneally knows by beating Egham at Bayliss Avenue, he can lock horns with the promoted side once again.

Conneally was in the VCD Athletic side that just missed out on the Kent League title in the final week of last season.

But first, he knows the Mead must knock Combined Counties League side, Egham Town out of the FA Cup first.

He said: “It should be a good game, we’re looking forward to it.

“We’re looking for a good cup run again this year, and that’s in all the cups.

“Really at this stage, you don’t mind all the games particularly coming thick and fast and the quality of the opposition, the harder the better really.”

Conneally, whose also played for Marine, Welling United and Erith Town, was full of praise for Seager, who won the Kent League and Kent Senior Trophy, and reached the final of the Kent League Cup, in his first full season as a manager.

“Seager did very well last year and really chuffed to bits for him,” said Conneally.
“He’s a good guy, it will be hard to play against him.

“I always seem to do quite well against Whitstable so it will be nice to see him again.”

And reflecting on last season’s title race, he added: “That was a good battle and they were just phenomenal all season.

“We hit a really good run at VCD towards the end of the season but they just put in all their groundwork in at the front end of the season and did enough to hang on in there at the end.”

And on Whitstable’s Ryman League hopes, the goalkeeper said: “I hope they do well this season, they’re a good club.”

Conneally explained the reasons for signing for Thamesmead, especially after playing for three different clubs during pre-season.

He said: “I’m self employed, so my work commitments at times mean I may not be able to get to a game here or there.

“Some managers might have signed (someone) who they know will be in, week in, week out.

“I’ve got no qualms about that whatsoever, but I’ve come down to Keith (McMahon), he was looking for a keeper and we agreed - it’s a good set-up down here.

“I’m looking forward to get a few games under my belt and really king of playing in a good standard again.”

Conneally was pleased with their opening day win, and knows his team-mates are tipped to be one of the sides capable of winning the Kent League title.

“On our display today, a 2-0 win, you really want to win your first game,” he said. “It can really set up your season.

“We’ve got some great players in the side and there’s not going to be many teams that we’re going to come across who have got much more than we have, so I think you can definitely count on us being there or there abouts at the end of the season.”

Thamesmead Town boss Keith McMahon was delighted to announce that he’s signed Danny Chapman on a two-year contract following their opening day win.

Right-back Chapman, 17, is one of many teenagers that are pushing towards a starting place in the first team at Bayliss Avenue.

“Young Danny Chapman, I’ve got six or seven great 16, 17, year-olds,” he said EXCLUSIVELY to www.kentishfootball.co.uk.

“You see Barry Killick played his debut in the league (against Croydon) and I thought he was outstanding.

“Danny Chapman was down as playing, same as Lee Dawson, we just wanted a bit more experience but Danny’s going to be an exceptional talent, he already is, and he’s been at the club a long time and he’s signed a two-year agreement.

“With players like these coming through, I don’t have to go out looking for these big players and paying big money.

“You see we had four or five youngsters on the bench. It don’t cost you hardly anything, they’ve got the enthusiasm and they’re raw, they just want to play football.

“You want that in here, it gets some of the senior players fired up and they’ve fitted in the changing room as well.

“There’s more Danny Chapman’s, Lee Dawson’s and Bradley Killicks around there, we’re going to be a strong club in years to come.”

But McMahon’s main desire, however, is to lead the club to it’s first ever Kent League title - during his second season in charge.

He said: “I’ve said to you before, our main objective is to win the league and that’s it, that’s it only.

“We’ve got off to a good start, play like that all year long, which is not going to be easy, we’re going to gave some defeats and we’re going to have to bounce back, we’ll have some injuries, but we need a bit of luck.

“As I’ve said before, we’ve got a squad to win it and we just have to take each game as it comes, the old cliché, but I fancy us.”

McMahon drafts Lew Watts (wedding), Dean Kearley (wedding), Tony Gallagher (wedding) and James Brown (holiday) into his squad for Saturday’s FA Cup extra preliminary round clash with Egham Town on Saturday.

“We don’t know too much about them,” admitted McMahon. “They’re in the Combined Counties, which is on par with us, but I’ve got a full squad to pick from.

“If we don’t get any injuries, which is going to be a bit of a headache for me, but if we play like we have, a little bit more discipline, get another ninety minutes under our belt, with that weather as well, I fancy us at home, definitely.”

Visit Thamesmead Town’s website: www.thamesmeadtownfc.co.uk

Thamesmead Town v Egham Town
FA Cup (Sponsored by EON) Extra Preliminary Round
Saturday 18^th August 2007
Kick Off 3:00pm
At Bayliss Avenue, Thamesmead


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