I love being involved in big games, says Phoenix Sports boss Steve O'Boyle

Friday 19th December 2014

PHOENIX SPORTS’ manager Steve O’Boyle says he wants his side to claim another win at Rochester United tomorrow to set up things nicely for a Christmas Cracker against Erith & Belvedere.

The Barnehurst based club are unbeaten in all competitions (other than the FA Cup when they went out on penalties to league rivals Deal Town in the Extra Preliminary Round Replay), but they sit two points adrift of Erith & Belvedere in second place in the Southern Counties East Football League table.

O’Boyle’s men came away from Croydon with a 5-0 win on Wednesday night, despite the crowd of 55 watching an uninspiring stalemate for the first 69 minutes.

Phoenix closed the gap on Matt Longhurst’s side and have a couple of games in hand.

They travel to sixteenth-placed Rochester United tomorrow, before welcoming leaders Erith & Belvedere to Mayplace Road East in Kent’s biggest game on Saturday 27 December (3pm).

“We’ve got Rochester first Saturday, which we’ve got to make sure we go there and conduct ourselves in the right way,” said O’Boyle, whose side are unbeaten after fifteen league games and have only let in six league goals.

“We’ve got to play well. If we do that, I do fancy us, but we’ve got to go there and work hard and earn the right to play and if we do get three points on Saturday, it sets us up quite nicely for the 27^th for Phoenix versus Erith & Belvedere.”

O’Boyle is clearly looking forward to the top-of-the-table showdown against the Deres.

“I’m hoping people will want to get out of the house at Christmas. We should get a half decent attendance, which will be nice,” he said.

“It’s a local derby. It’s a big game for both clubs. The ideal scenario is we win and they slip up at the weekend as well. You don’t know. They’ll probably be saying the same thing about us.

“It’s a big game and I’m looking forward to it. That’s what football’s all about. You want to be involved in big games and that’s why I love being involved in big games and at the moment that’s as big as they come.”

Meanwhile, Lydd Town, who were both Rochester United’s and Phoenix Sports’ rivals in the Kent Invicta League, have tonight switched on their new floodlights at The Lindsey Field, Dengemarsh Road.

Visit Phoenix Sports’ website: http://www.phoenixsportsclub.org/

Rochester United v Phoenix Sports
Southern Counties East Football League
Saturday 20^th December 2014
Kick Off 3:00pm
at Rede Court Road, Strood, Rochester, Kent ME2 3TU