Everything's to play for in the Kent League at the moment, says Micky Collins

ERITH & BELVEDERE manager Micky Collins says he is building solid foundations within the club with the help of his current goalkeeper.



Full-time coach Scott Chalmers-Stevens is working alongside Collins to set up a full-time scholarship scheme at the promotion chasing Kent Hurlimann Football League club.

The Welling-based club will follow in the footsteps of two other club’s at their level – Lordswood and Deal Town, whose Academies are run by Jason Lills and Neville Southall, in providing school leavers with full-time coaching and qualifications.

Collins said: “Basically we are in conjuectuion with Pro Soccer, which is run by Scott Chalmers-Stevens, who plays in goal for us now and then and Craig Smith. 

“Basically what happens we’re under the Erith & Belvedere name and it’s run solely by them.  They do the coaching.  The kids’ leave school at 16, they come to us.  It’s under 16s this year, who step up in August-September to start the course.

“It’s a B-Tech course.  They’re going to be full-time footballers.  It’s a government funded scheme, which is fantastic.  It gives them an insight into full-time football and they continue their education.

“They’ll play their matches midweek on a Wednesday in the Conference Youth Alliance League.  I know a lot of clubs – Ebbsfleet, Maidstone, Bromley and may more - who run it. 

“Our’s will be run away from a school. It will be self tutored and self coached so we won’t have a link with a school as such, but everything will be provided by Pro Soccer, who already run at least two courses themselves for first and second years’ so they’re very professional at it and their help’s been very valuable so far.

“We’re ready to go now.  We just have to get the trial dates.  The trial dates have been set for half-term in February and we’ll get the trailists’ in and look at the people who we want to take on and then we’re up and running.”

Players’ that have come through Academies in Kent include George Porter (Cray Wanderers), Kaiyne Woolery (Maidstone United) and Aaron Rhule (Bromley) and Collins would like to a converyor belt of home grown players at his club.

The former Gillingham and Millwall striker, who has also played for the likes of Dartford, Welling United and Tonbridge Angels said: “We don’t run with the reserves at the moment, which we will now look at that. We’ll work with 20-30 kids’ first year and to be honest it is a progression.   We’ve got a great youth set-up at the club so we’ll then go from under 8’s right the way through to 16’s, 17’s and eighteen’s and into scholars.

“It gives kids’ who join at eight a progression.  It gives us those players’ we don’t have to fork out for and we’ll have them in our grasp and keep them for longer.

“It does give us a revenue stream, which isn’t massive, but that helps.  We’re trying to get it right off the pitch.”

Back at first team level, The Deres’ can leapfrog over local rivals Erith Town into first place if they claim three points at Park View Road on Boxing Day (1pm kick-off).

The Dockers’ suffered their only league defeat when they went down to a 4-0 home defeat to Steve Chapman’s Cray Valley (Paper Mills) side on Saturday.

Collins said: “Our game (at Woodstock Sports) was called off early, which was expected. It felt it was amazing that Erith got their game on – it’s credit to the peole there because only two games were on in Kent and one was on plastic (at Maidstone United).

“I woke up this morning and it felt like we won yesterday and we didn’t even play.

“We needed Erith to slip up at some point and they have. They’ll probably bounce back massively against us on Boxing Day, but it will be a great game.

“Everything’s to play for in that league at the moment.  We’re two points behind, a slightly better goal-difference.  Both teams will want to win the game just to get the three points.

“As everyone’s been saying over the weekend, no league is won in December. There’s a long way to go. If we lose on Boxing Day, we’re not even half way through the season and there’s still a lot of twists and turns to go yet.

“I can still see the people in third, fourth and fifth-place in the league putting a charge on and if they have a good run they’ll come into the mix.

“I don’t think it’s a two-horse race yet by no means.”

Collins wants his squad to look after themselves over the festive period because they have a Kent League title – and promotion into the Ryman League – to win.

“I think they need to have a level of professionalism,” said Collins.

“I think when you’re rocking around midtable and you’ve not got a massive amount to play for it’s more difficult to keep them on the tracks.

“They know they have to play well because if they don’t, they know there’s five or six people chomping at the bit to come in and take their place so you think they’ll look after themselves and keep themselves in shape.”

For full details of the scholarship at the club please email mickycollins-10@hotmail.co.uk

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

Visit the Pro Soccer Academy website:  www.pro-soccer.co

Erith & Belvedere  v  Erith Town
Kent Hurlimann Football League
Boxing Day, Wednesday 26^th December 2012
Kick Off 1:00pm
at Park View Road, Welling, Kent DA16 1SY