Kentish Football 
Dockers unveil Huggins signing
Saturday 15th May 2010
ERITH & DARTFORD TOWN boss Steve O’Boyle has today unveiled the signing of much-travelled striker Leroy Huggins, writes Stephen McCartney.
The Peckham based goal-getter began last season for VCD Athletic in the Crayford based club’s inaugural Ryman League Division One North campaign, before answering an emergency call from Margate boss Iain O’Connell.
Huggins bagged four goals (scoring in his first three games for the club against Tooting & Mitcham, Billericay Town and Sutton United) in 12 games, as Margate finished fourth-from-bottom in the Ryman Premier League, as the Hartsdown Park outfit look for their second reprieve from relegation in two years.
Huggins follows Rikki Cable (who has signed from Thamesmead Town) and former Chatham Town defender David Hall as the club’s summer signings so far.
“I signed Leroy this morning and Rikki on Tuesday night,” O’Boyle told www.kentishfootball.co.uk.
“Two big players, two good players, so a positive move from Erith & Dartford Town for next year.”
Speaking about Huggins, the manager said: “I’m a big admirer. He holds the ball up well, brilliant in the air and he can also do the bit in the area behind.
“He’s an experienced centre forward, who’s been there and done that, and that experience is valuable.
“He lives in Peckham, a local lad, who played in the Ryman League last year for VCD, done a decent job, and scored a few goals for Margate last year.
“It was definitely worth the punt and the punt has worked out, so we’re overjoyed he’s signed for us today.
“The reason he left Margate was down to work commitments wasn’t it? He tried to go there to help them out to try and get out of relegation.
“He’s signed for us, he’s happy today, he walked away happy. He’s happy with the deal, we’re happy and want him for the whole season.”
O’Boyle is pleased to be working with Cable again, having worked as reserve team manager whilst the striker banged in the goals at Bayliss Avenue.
When asked why he’s gone for the Thamesmead striker, O’Boyle replied, “Another one of them, a long admirer of the fella. I worked at Thamesmead as reserve team manager and watched him numerous amounts of times for the first team.
“Outstanding player. He creates goals for himself and creates goals for others and is a very, very good footballer.”
O’Boyle added: “We’ve still got players from last year. Obviously I signed Lewis Wood from Cray Wanderers at the end of last season and he’s still around.
“Yes, there are another couple of players we are interested in but we’ll see how it goes over the next couple of weeks or so.
“We’re not rushing out there getting players, obviously people may become available but we’ll asses the situation.
“We just don’t want people who are after a pound note or anything like that. We want the right people at this club who want to play for Erith & Dartford Town.
“I was really impressed with Leroy today. I’ve known Rikki for quite a while now so as far as I’m concerned I think he’s a decent lad, whose got so much ability so I’m overjoyed with the two signings and obviously David Hall has come in.
“He was from Chatham. I don’t know him as well as Tony (Russell, my new assistant manager) but Tony raves about him as being a really good player and he’s decided that he wants to play for Erith & Dartford Town.
“Three new signings made and we’re really happy.”
Chairman Roy MacNeil has already made his mark on the artist formerly known as Erith Town, as O’Boyle explained.
He said: “Roy’s good. He’s come in, he’s ambitious obviously and he’s doing a lot of work on the ground as we speak.
“A roof’s going on the stand, the roof will be on before the start of the season. New turnstiles are going in and there’s a lot of work being done on the ground to get it up to Ryman League standard.
“I’m not going to say yes, we’re going to be winning league’s or anything like that. There are a lot of good clubs at this level. What I will say is we want to be in the chasing pack next season. We’ve got to try and move on and move Erith & Dartford Town in the right direction and that means the ground will have to be up to scratch.”
Visit Erith & Dartford Town’s website: www.erithtown.com
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