We're the holders and we want to retain it, says Sittingbourne boss Gary Abbott

Tuesday 15th March 2011

SITTINGBOURNE boss Gary Abbott says youthful enthusiasm can be enough to cause an upset at Cray Wanderers in the Kent Senior Cup tonight, writes Stephen McCartney.

The Brickies claimed the silverware for the first time in 52 years last season, courtesy of wins over Bromley, Tonbridge Angels, Cray Wanderers and Folkestone Invicta and Abbott says he is plotting another surprise result in the Quarter-Final clash at Hayes Lane tonight.

“Obviously we’re going to go there trying to win,” said Abbott, who ended his illustrious playing career with The Wands.

“They didn’t expect us to beat them last year and they probably didn’t expect to lose last year but we beat them - and we deserved it.

“Cray are on a great run, are in a great position (seventh in the Ryman Premier League, only two points from the play-off places) and we don’t know what team they’re playing but do you know what? It doesn’t matter what team their playing. If they play their full side, let them play their full side. I’m not worried about who we play now.

“The team will stay exactly the same as Saturday. As long as we work hard, as we have in the last two games, we’ll give them a game.

“No-one expects us to beat them either so there’s no pressure on us. We’re the holders and we want to go and retain it.”

Reflecting on last season’s 3-1 win over Folkestone Invicta in last year’s final, the game after Neil Cugley led his side to Ryman League Division One South play-off glory over Godalming Town, Abbott said, “It was a great night for us. No-one expected us to win it and the teams we beat along the way were all teams above us.”

He added: “Whatever happens, as long as we show a lot of commitment, and if we work hard we’ll get our rewards. We’ve done that in the last two games. It’s nice to work with these youngsters to be honest with you.”

Abbott’s playing budget vanished in January and he has lost many of his most influential players since then - the latest player to leave the club is Billy Manners, who has opted to sign for Jim Cooper’s Metropolitan Police.

“Jim Cooper’s always been interested in him,” explained Abbott. “He spoke to me when we played them about a month ago and he said he was interested in Billy.

“He phoned me last Wednesday and said he was going to put in a seven-dayer in and we said ‘don’t worry about the seven-days, if you sort a deal out with him, we let him go and speak to you’, and that was it really. He sorted something out and all the best to him.”

Abbott is proud that younger players have stepped up to the plate and two successive 1-0 wins over Chipstead and Walton Casuals has pleased him.

“I can’t fault the boys. I think the two games we won, no-one thought we would win it apart from ourselves. We’ve had two great results and two results that I thought we deserved,” he said.

“We just want to bring some youngsters through who want to play at this level and the difference I would say is we miss Tom (Bradbrook) and other players who have walked away and didn’t want to stick together, whether it was that little bit of money that they were missing.

“In the long run if we need players we know what players not to turn too.

“The difference now is because their so young, their raw, and have got so much enthusiasm and I think that’s what’s getting us our results.

“Nick Reeves is 22 and Matt Reed is 24. I’ve got five 17-year-olds. I don’t want to keep going on about how young we are. We just get on with it and do the best we can.

“Walton Casuals and Chipstead turned up thinking they were going to win and they got a little bit of a shock.”

Sittingbourne return to Ryman League Division One South action on Saturday, with a trip to Corinthian-Casuals.

The Tolworth based side may be second from bottom, five points from safety, but Abbott expects to tough time against them and at home to basement side Horsham YMCA seven days later.

He said: “Obviously everyone thinks were going to go there and win as we’re playing the bottom two sides next.

“I’ve never looked at it like that and I never will. Corinthian-Casuals will be the hardest game we’ve played out of the (last) two. They’re fighting for their lives and it’s going to be hard to go there. Looking at where they are you would say we’ve got a good chance of getting three points.

“We’ll try to attack them and get three points. If we come away with three points, brilliant. If we don’t, we just try and pick up as many points as we can and finish as high as we can.”

Visit Sittingbourne’s website: www.sittingbournefc.co.uk

Cray Wanderers v Sittingbourne

Kent Senior Cup Quarter-Final

Tuesday 15th March 2011

Kick Off 7:30pm

At Hayes Lane, Bromley, Kent BR2 9EF