VCD can't afford to slip up, says Erith & Belvedere boss Micky Collins

ERITH & BELVEDERE manager Micky Collins says his side need 25 more points from their last eleven games to clinch the Kent Hurlimann Football League title.



The Deres have collected 54 points from 21 games after picking up 17 wins and three draws and have only suffered one league defeat this season.

They are six points clear of VCD Athletic, but with a game in hand, and are on course of reaching two Cup Finals.

Last night they eased to a 3-0 home win over Lordswood in the Macron Kent League Cup Semi-Final First Leg, courtesy of goals from Orlando Smith, Richard Davies and Richmond Kissi.

And on Saturday they travel to FA Carlsberg Vase semi-finalists Tunbridge Wells to contest a Kent Senior Trophy Semi-Final at Culverden Stadium.  The winners of which will meet Lordswood in the Final at Tonbridge Angels’ Longmead Stadium on Sunday, 14 April.

Tunbridge Wells played their seventeenth league game of the season last night and climbed into seventh-place in the table following their 3-2 home win over Beckenham Town, courtesy of goals from striker Jack Harris, winger Josh Stanford and central midfielder Tom Davey.

Martin Larkin’s side will welcome either Ascot United or Shildon in the FA Carlsberg Vase Semi-Finals at the end of the month, with the home leg on 23 March, with the away leg seven days later.  The winners will meet Walsall Wood, Guernsey or Spennymoor Town at Wembley Stadium on 4 May.

Collins said: “Tunbridge Wells are a very organised side.  You don’t get to semi-finals’ of The FA Vase unless you’re a decent outfit. 

”I think it’s proven this year that there’s at least five or six teams in our league that are actually very organised.  They’ve got a style of play and each team is different but they’ve all become organised, which has made the Kent League a much stronger proposition and that’s why we’ve succeeded getting to the semi’s of The Vase last year (Herne Bay) and this year.

”It’s a great advert for the Kent League.  On behalf of my club we really want them to get through to Wembley, go all the way and win it.

”But it will be a tough game Saturday. We’ll go there with our game plan and try and get a result and get to another final.”

Tunbridge Wells skipper, Jason Bourne, 32, is expecting a rigorous last couple of months to the season as they play catch up.

”It’s going to be hectic,” said the long serving right-back.

”We’ve got 20 fantastic players in the squad so Martin’s got the luxury of rotating a little bit, without being wholesale changes and keeping it nice and competitive.

”A couple will pop out of that group and really press for a start in The Vase.”

Looking ahead to Saturday’s home game against an Erith & Belvedere side that are now unbeaten in eleven games, Bourne said: ”This is a really exciting game for us. Erith have been fantastic this year. I’ve been really impressed with the squad Micky Collins has put together.  They’ve been consistent all year.  You’ve got to hold your hands up, they’re a quality side and I look forward to testing ourselves up against them because on the domestic is what we want to do.

”The Vase has been a massive bonus but we’ll not let the Vase distract what we want to do.”

Bourne insists Larkin will not let his team-mates go off the boil as they bid to reach a Wembley Final for the first time.

Bourne said: ”Martin won’t let us go off the boil. Brad (Sandeman) won’t let us go off the boil and I certainly won’t let us go off the boil.  It’s not going to happen. It won’t happen at this club.

”It’s down to all the senior players to really drive that on. If standards slip over the next few weeks then there will be changes. We work hard in training and we won’t allow it.”

Collins, meanwhile, would like to guide the club in to the Ryman League as Kent League champions at the end of the season.

VCD Athletic’s management team of Tony Russell and Ray Powell were in attendance at Park View Road last night, spying on the Deres ahead of the crunch game between the two sides on the first day of April.

When asked how many points his side need to clinch the title, Collins replied: “Twenty-five guarantees it. Twenty-four is equally the maximum that they (VCD) can achieve so really in theory we need eight wins and a draw to guarantee it, but VCD can’t afford to slip up.  They have to win the last ten. They need a maximum 30 points to get to that 78 figure.

”It’s up to us. We’ve lost once in the league all season so we need to lose three, maybe four to throw it away, which is feasible.  We only need a bad run, a few injuries and things go against you and all off a sudden we’ll be feeling the pressure but at the moment the boys are quite relaxed and there’s a good atmosphere.”

Visit Tunbridge Wells’ website: www.tunbridgewellsfc.co.uk  

Visit Erith & Belvedere’s website: www.erithandbelvederefc.co.uk

Tunbridge Wells  v  Erith & Belvedere
Kent Senior Trophy Semi-Final
Saturday 9^th March 2013
Kick Off 3:00pm
At Culverden Stadium, Culverden Down, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN4 9SG