We must set our sights higher - Beckingham

Monday 04th May 2009

TONY BECKINGHAM says winning the Kent League Cup will inspire his Croydon side to greater things next season, writes Stephen McCartney.

The Trams were by far the better side during the Park View Road final yesterday but had to wait until the 102nd minute before striker Tony Atkins nodded in a cross from youth team product Calvin Headley.

Having kept Erith Town striker Marcus Cassius quiet for so long, the nippy striker latched onto Adam Cotterell’s defensive splitting ball straight down the middle and the nineteen-year-old clinically slotted home an equaliser with just three minutes of extra time remaining to score his 43rd goal of the season.

But the South Norwood outfit composed themselves following that set-back and midfield playmaker Tim Murdoch stepped up to take the ninth spot kick, drilling his right-footed penalty into the bottom left hand corner to seal a 3-1 win on penalties to bring the Kent League Cup out of the county for the very first time.

GLORY: Croydon skipper Dave Waters, who scored their first penalty during the shoot out, collected the Kent League Cup at Park View Road yesterday.
Photograph courtesy of www.kentleague.com

Beckingham insisted that the future of the club looks good with the emergence of Headley, attacking right-back Jazz Gold and Steffan Payne.

When asked if yesterday’s cup success was the first of many for the club, Beckingham, speaking to www.kentishfootball.co.uk replied, “I would like to think so!

He added, “The nucleus of the boys that are here, the fact that three of the lads that came along today were 17-year-old’s from our youth team.

“I think with those boys and the people that we’re looking to bring in, hopefully next year we’ll have a decent squad and we’ll hopefully finish a little bit higher up the league.”

Croydon completed their 32-match Bulmers Cider Kent League campaign in ninth place with 49 points - 21 points adrift of champions VCD Athletic.

Beckingham, Ken Thurgood and Tony Prime arrived at the club in the middle of January, following their shock departure from highflying Holmesdale and will hope that the club stick with them as they were the third managerial team to take charge of the club this term.

Visit Croydon’s website: www.croydon-fc.co.uk