Every game is going to be a Cup final, but we’ve got to turn up and have the right attitudes, says Welling Town boss Richard Dimmock

WELLING TOWN manager Richard Dimmock says he is playing higher-league club’s in pre-season so his side will be fitter than their League rivals.

The club won promotion by finishing runners up to Sydenham Sports last season and are preparing for life in the Andreas Carter Joma Kent County League Division Two West.

The Boots opened their pre-season campaign by losing 2-0 to a trialist side from Vanarama National League South neighbours Welling United.  Thursday night’s game was played on the artificial pitch at Bayliss Avenue in Thamesmead, their home for this season.

“The reason for that is I didn’t want to play any other lower league teams because I don’t think we’d gain anything out of it,” said Dimmock, who made his Welling United debut at the age of 16 in the GM Vauxhall Conference, as it was then.

“I know Nick Davis well at Sittingbourne. I asked him to come down and give us a test. Keith (McMahon), at VCD, I get on with Keith, I played with Keith.  I said I want a strong challenge from them.

“Cray Valley, James (Collins) will bring a strong side down to play us, so it’s all going to be a good test for us and the boys are only going to learn and get better by playing good sides.”

With the squad that Dimmock has assembled, Welling Town are favourites to win their division and playing at a Bostik Premier standard ground will add its own pressure and raise their opponents games when they visit.

“Yes, everyone looks at us, Welling Town to be the favourites,” acknowledged Dimmock.

“We’ve got to get ourselves drilled, the fitness levels have got to be a lot better, get into our heads how I want to play and if we get all that right and it’s a great start, we can only go from there.

“Team’s will love coming here. It’s going to be a Cup final. Every game is going to be a Cup final, but we’ve got to turn up and have the right attitudes.

“We can’t let team’s come here and think they can bully us because there’s going to be sides who are going to try to bully us off the park and stuff like that.

“I want us to come here, play good football, do what I say and nine times out of 10, if you put in the hard work and put in the performances, you’ll get the results.”

If Welling Town can extend their lease to be longer than one-year then they can apply for promotion into the Southern Counties East Football League First Division because it’s the club’s ambition to play at Step Six of English non-league football.

“My aim is to set ourselves up for the season after and the season after that,” said Dimmock.

“I want to work on certain things, be well-drilled.  We can work on our fitness at this level because at the start of the season, I want our fitness levels to be Ryman League standard, Bostik League now.

“But that’s the level of fitness I want from the squad this year and if you’ve got that level of fitness, it will show against the teams in that division.”

The Boots host Southern Counties East Football League Premier Division side Cray Valley next Saturday, 15 July (15:00).

Visit Welling Town’s website: www.wellingtown.co.uk