Soccer Shorts: Sittingbourne boss Gary Abbott unveils the return of striker Bradley Spice

Friday 25th March 2011

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ASHFORD UNITED have pledged their support for youth football by announcing the birth of a new youth set-up for next season, writes Jack Wilson.

Paul Bowden-Brown, managing director of Homelands Enterprises (Kent) Ltd, has been busy drawing up plans to get youngsters playing in the green and white of United and was happy to announce more progress this week.

After hours of meetings, it has been confirmed today that the youth of Ashford will be able to represent the club once again.

When Ashford Town went into administration, the youth sections affiliated as Ashford Town Youth, where they formed a strong management set-up and played their matches away from Homelands.

However, Mr Bowden-Brown wanted get the old youth teams back under the banner of Ashford United and that is what he has done.

Ashford Town Youth will now play under the banner of the senior club, with the same management structure, and they’ll continue be totally self-sufficient.

The chairman of this section will report directly to Mr Bowden-Brown and the agreement will allow Ashford United Youth to continue to play in the club’s colours.

The academy will also come over and, together with the under-18, they’ll play at the Homelands.

Mr Bowden-Brown told www.ashfordunited.co.uk: “I knew from my experience at Maidstone that any senior club must have a strong youth set-up . Getting this sorted was one of my main aims.

“I included this within my youth development plan to ensure the club had a strong base and now we’ve got it.

“After a lot of burning of the midnight oil, hard work, honesty and strong communication between all parties, we’ve put aside things that caused the initial split and the youngsters are the real winners.

“The youth team players will play under the club’s banner which is a great thing. We’ve also added the chartered standard club South Ashford within the youth set-up which is an added bonus and proves that we must be doing things right.

“A partnership agreement has also been signed that will allow South Ashford to play under the senior club’s banner, albeit under their own club name, while they’ll also be totally self-sufficient.”

North School football director Mark Patterson is delighted with the move to bring Ashford Town Youth back under the banner of Ashford United.

The academy signed the deal and Patterson was pleased to get the formalities done.

“All at Ashford Town Youth are pleased that an agreement has been made for the youth section and senior set-up to all, once again, be under the same banner,” he said.

“For reasons well-documented the youth section had to start again last season as the consequences of us not doing so would have resulted in the youth of Ashford not being able to play football.

“Now we can all look forward to the prospect of some of some senior football at Homelands with the added interest that the team will include some local home grown players.”

Patterson was also delighted to announce that a formal link has been established with Gillingham on the back of a successful season with the newly-formed North School Academy.

“Players from The North School Academy have recently appeared in the Ashford United first team against Charlton Athletic. With this in mind, Gillingham are pleased to support us with a view that any players reaching the required standard will potentially be offered the opportunity to progress further within the game.”

Gillingham’s Centre of Excellence manager Bryan Bull said: “There will be opportunities for Ashford players to participate in games against Gillingham Football Club, together with visits to observe and participate in coaching sessions.

“Mark will recommend players for us to have a look at from within the Youth Set-up, if they show potential to reach the required standard.”

The North School will also be running a girls football academy from September 2011 and have established links with Gillingham with this too.

BROMLEY were so short of players for their Capital League game away to Chelmsford City on Wednesday, the Blue Square Bet South club called up one of their bar staff to sit on the substitutes bench.

When Paul Doubledee said “I’m on the bench,” when serving behind the bar following Cray Wanderers’ home defeat to Billericay Town on Tuesday night, you would have thought he meant helping out reserve team/academy manager Murray Jones.

But with only one player (Michael Stoner) available for the bench, Doubledee joined Jones on the bench.

“The reserves are mainly taken from academy players and any first team squad that is available to use,” explained Doubledee.

“With the first team playing on Thursday, obviously no-one was available to play for us. There were also two academy games on Wednesday, which made our numbers even smaller.

“During the afternoon there was also a couple of other players pull out, which left one on the bench. Therefore Murray named the pair of us on the bench to cover for injuries, hoping that we wouldn’t be needed - we wasn’t!

“This isn’t the first time that this has happened, as many of you that watch the reserves know, but hopefully will be the last.”

For the record, Bromley lost the game 6-1.

The Lillywhites will lock horns with tenants Cray Wanderers in a mouth-watering Kent Senior Cup semi-final at Hayes Lane (as the away side) after goals from Harry Harding and Jamie England sealed a 2-0 win over Ebbsfleet United at Hayes Lane last night.

CHIPSTEAD skipper Lee Roots wants to mark the Kent club’s 75th Anniversary, by getting his hand on the Kent Intermediate Challenge Shield next Saturday.

The Vandanel Kent County League Division One West outfit, who play at the Chipstead Recreation Ground, Chevening Road, are the underdogs when they lock horns with premier division leaders Hollands & Blair in the final at Longmead Stadium in Tonbridge on 2 April (3pm kick-off).

“This is a massive Cup for both teams and it should be an interesting game as they are a league above and are top,” said the former Holmesdale player.

“It is also Chipstead’s 75th Anniversary and it is fitting that we have got the team to the final of this Cup for the first time within this special year for the club.”

Chipstead sit in ninth place in their 13-team division, with a record of five wins and two draws from their 13 league outings, and have reached the final by beating Woodstock Park (4-3), Swale United (2-1), Fleet Leisure (3-2), but they needed penalties (6-5), after a 2-2 draw after extra time to beat Farnborough Old Boy’s Guild in the semi-finals.

Opponents, Hollands & Blair, who are managed by former Lordswood boss Paul Piggott, have progressed by beating Snodland (3-1), Tonbridge Invicta (2-1), Bly Spartans (4-2 on penalties after a 2-2 draw after 120 minutes of football), and they needed extra time to beat Rusthall 2-1 in the semi-finals.

DARTFORD boss Tony Burman has confirmed the signing of Margate defender James Rogers, a left-sided player who can also play in the centre of midfield. Rogers left Dover Athletic at the beginning of the season to sign for Margate, but he has opted to leave Hartsdown Park following the departure of Iain O’Connell.

Meanwhile, goalkeeper Deren Ibrahim, has signed dual registration forms with Margate to stand-in for the injured Jamie Turner.

Striker, Adam Burchell, has gone out on loan to Ryman Premier League strugglers, Maidstone United.

DOVER ATHLETIC boss Martin Hayes says he wants his side to bounce back from their 1-0 defeat at Staines Town in midweek, by beating Boreham Wood at Crabble tomorrow afternoon.

The Whites go into the game sitting in seventh place in the Blue Square Bet South table with 57 points from 33 games and are five points adrift of fifth-placed side Woking.

Boreham Wood arrive in Kent sitting in fifteenth place - five points clear of the drop zone - thanks to a run of five games without a defeat.

“We’re looking to bounce back to winning ways after our defeat on Tuesday and keep our recent home wins going,” said Hayes, who will be without midfield maestro Jon Wallis.

“It won’t be easy as they are picking up points recently away from home, so we need to be on our game.”

EBBSFLEET UNITED boss Liam Daish has appealed to members and supporters to help raise £40,000 to avoid having to rebuild his squad from scratch yet again next season.

In a bid to raise money for next season, Ebbsfleet United and MyFootballClub are promoting their latest fundraiser - Sponsor Our Squad.

“It’s like an expanded version of Adopt A Player - fans can chose any player and sponsor them with a sum of money of their choice.” said a club statement.

All monies received will go directly towards keeping Daish’s squad together for next season.

There will be monthly prize draws for those who participate in the scheme.

For more details, visit www.myfootballclub.co.uk/sponsor-our-squad-faq

HERNE BAY manager Simon Halsey has unveiled the signing of central defender James Campbell, 29, from Ryman League Division One North side Thamesmead Town, where he was captain.

Campbell started his career at Peterborough United as a trainee and first team professional. Since then he has played for Sittingbourne, Dover Athletic and Whitstable Town.

The towering defender will make his debut at Erith & Belvedere tomorrow as Steve Hanson is currently not fit to play due to “personal stresses.”

Meanwhile, the Kent League club have put out an appeal for people to help out at Winch’s Field.

“If you can spare some time on a regular basis, or just now and then, daytime or evening, we can use your help,” said chairman John Bathurst on the club’s website www.hernebayfc.net

Tasks include sweeping stands, clearing up dug-outs, emptying waste bins and painting and repairs during the close season.

SEVENOAKS TOWN boss Keith Levett says he is looking for more stability next season, having signed 83 players for the club’s first and reserve team this season.

The Oaks’ climbed above local rivals Tunbridge Wells into seventh place in the Kent League table with a 2-1 home win over Erith Town in midweek and Levett - who also runs the Welling United Academy - admits he needs to run with a smaller squad next term.

Sevenoaks Town confirmed that they will be withdrawing their reserve team out of the Kent League next season, due to the cost of running the side and match officials’ expenses, and they may decide to field a side in the Kent County League instead.

“We want to build on the season, but when you’re non-contracted players and working with non-contracted players, it’s difficult to say what’s going to happen in terms of next season because they’re not on contract,” explained Levett.

“We’ve got some good players down here and other teams might be interested in them and offer them something, so it’s difficult.

“We don’t want to have a year like we’ve had this year, where we’ve used so many players.”

When the figure of 83 players have been signed on Kent League forms for the club’s two senior teams, Levett gasped. “Is it that many? It’s because of the Academy process. We’re bringing lads in to the reserves and to some extent the first team as we’re giving them a run out, seeing how they go.

“At this level, young lads, if they’re not playing, they’re off and that’s what I’ve found. If they’re not in the side, they’re off! They don’t hang about and that’s the way it is it seems.

“A lot of the boys are not from Sevenoaks, so it’s not as though we’ve got a group of lads that are local, but this club relies on recruitment from a bit further afield from London.

“But at the same time if you want success you have to have stability of players and try and hold onto players and try to build, so that’s something we’re obviously aware off.”

Sevenoaks travel to Oakley Road, Bromley, tomorrow to lock horns with near-neighbours Holmesdale.

And Levett is expecting a tough game against Gary Davies’ men, who are fourth-from-bottom in the Kent League with five wins and seven draws from 23 league games.

“I know Gary and I know their team and I know the way they play and it’s really a bit strange where they are as a side,” said Levett.

“I look at their results and he would be the first to say they’ve had too many draws. They’re a good side, they’re decent and I respect them and they’ll always try to play football and you know what you’re going to get from them so we have to be at our best if we want to get a result.

“It won’t be an easy game. Just because they’re down there - as we found out - they’re aren’t any easy games in this league.

“We actually don’t think they’re a true reflection as a team where they are. I think they should be a big higher, perhaps three or four places higher, so we’ve got to be on our best game if we want to get anything out of Holmesdale.”

SITTINGBOURNE manager Gary Abbott has unveiled the return of star striker Bradley Spice ahead of tomorrow’s clash against basement side Horsham YMCA.

The Brickies’ suffered a blow to their play-off push when they were defeated 3-2 by strugglers Corinthian-Casuals last weekend, but welcome a Horsham YMCA side that have not won away from home all season.

Abbott wants his side to bounce back in front of their own fans at Bourne Park.

“After last week’s disappointing defeat, where we gave away three sloppy goals, I thought we could have done a lot better, so tomorrow we must concentrate a lot more on set plays and also anticipate where balls are going to land,” said Abbott.

“We must be tighter in midfield and going forward we must keep possession of the ball an that’s all over the park as well.

“But I’m looking to gain three points and it’s going to be another tough game but if we do the things I’ve just mentioned then hopefully we can get maximum points.

As well as bringing back the chairman’s son, Abbott has brought in right-sided player Ryan Palmer from Kent League side Erith & Belvedere, and central defender Louie Harris, 18, who has signed non-contracted terms with Sittingbourne, following his release from Coca-Cola League One side Brentford.

WELLING UNITED player-manager Jamie Day says he is relishing tomorrow’s trip to fellow play-off contenders Chelmsford City.

The Essex club are in fourth place in the Blue Square Bet South table with 62 points from 35 games, whilst the Wings are in sixth, with 61 points from 34 games.

“Chelmsford are a very good side, who have been around the play-off’s all season, so it’s going to be a difficult game,” warned the midfield playmaker.

“We have done well in the last two matches, so hopefully we can take that form into this game.

“We will need to be at our best if we are going to get something.”

It’s a big week for the Wings as they welcome eighth-placed Eastleigh to Park View Road next Tuesday.

Day added: “We have a tough run-in but one all the boys are looking forward to.”

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