Our aspirations have to be realistic with no budget, says Bearsted boss Kevin Stevens

BEARSTED manager Kevin Stevens says he wants to beat their points total last season.

The Bears are in the top seven in the Southern Counties East Football League Premier Division table with 31 points from their 22 league outings.

They went down to a 1-0 defeat away to league leaders Sevenoaks Town in their last game.

“We had a tough game last weekend at Sevenoaks Town.  I went there with a game plan, which the boys executed superbly.  We switched off momentarily and it cost us the game,” said Stevens.

“That said, I was really pleased with our performance. We had chances to get back on level terms and probably deserved to come away with a point.  Nine goals conceded in the league tells you why Sevenoaks are top of the table.”

Eighth-placed Deal Town arrive at Honey Lane tomorrow on the back of a 4-1 home defeat to tenants Canterbury City last weekend.

“Seventh-v-eighth, it should be a decent game,” said Stevens.

“They are a team we struggled against last season so hopefully we can change that around.

“We are playing as well as we have at any time this season, the boys are playing with confidence and creating chances.  It would be nice to finish 2017 with three more points.”

Bearsted finished in 12^th place with 47 points from 38 games in their debut season.

Stevens said: “It’s our second season in the League and we know it a lot better now. The key has been to take points from the teams below us which we’ve done a lot better than last season.

“On the whole, it’s been a good season up to now. A little disappointing in the cups but league wise there is an improvement which was our main goal. We have 10 more points than at this stage last year which is nice and has kept us well away from the lower end of the table.

“Our aspirations have to be realistic with no budget. There are some big budgets in this league that put us at a disadvantage from the word go. Every week is a tough test, I do my homework on teams, have our game plans and will give anyone a game.

“Hopefully we can beat our points total from last season and see where we finish. I have a group of players who show me desire and commitment every week, want to play for myself and Bearsted FC and want to get better. There are some decent young lads mixed with experience who will continue to improve as the season progresses.”

Visit Bearsted’s website: www.bearstedfc.co.uk

Bearsted  v  Deal Town
Southern Counties East Football League Premier Division
Saturday 30 December 2017
Kick Off 3:00pm
at Otham Sports Club, Honey Lane, Otham, Maidstone, Kent ME15 8RG