12thdec04

Gallagher stays loyal to Slade Green

SLADE GREEN have been given a boost with the news that central midfielder and their captain Tony Gallagher has decided his future is with The Small Glen club, writes Stephen McCartney.

The former Thamesmead Town man has turned down a move to neighbouring Southern League Division One East side Erith & Belvedere after their manager Barry Lakin approached Green joint-manager Phil Miles about the player.

Miles, whose side beat Lordswood 2-1 in the Go Travel Kent League on Saturday, revealled: "Barry (Lakin) wanted to put in a seven-day approach for the player.

"I said don't worry about putting in the seven-day approach, just speak to Tony.

"We are all for progressing our players - we don't want to lose them - but if they are going to progress to a better standard, we aren't going to stand in their way."

Miles, admitted he was delighted when the player decided to stay loyal to Slade Green - a club that doesn't offer finances to it's players.

"He is going to stay, " Miles announced.

"They offered him a good deal - we can't offer them any money.  It's pleasing that he is staying  - he enjoys his football with us."

Beating Lordswood capped a good week for Slade Green, after they defeated Sporting Bengal United 1-0 in East London last Wednesday.

Miles added: "A good week for us, to be fair, after the disappointment of giving away two late goals at Beckenham last Saturday, we turned in a good performance against Sporting Bengal on Wednesday and secured a good 1-0 win and followed it up with a hard fought 2-1 win against Lordswood.

"I felt we made hard work of it.  We missed quite a few chances and fell for a sucker punch when Lordswood equalised.

"But credit to the players, we regained our composure and Ryan Hayes popped up with a late winner.

"It rounded off a week, I felt, we should have had seven points, but we ended up with six."

Scorer Hayes stepped off the bench to net his seventh goal in as many games and 40-year-old prolific striker, Dean Bowey, netted his 298th career goal to seal the win, that saw Ashley Russell head a goal for visitors Lordswood.

Whitstable Town are the visitors to The Small Glen next Saturday, and Miles added: "It will be another interesting game.

"Whitstable are stuttering at the moment but they are a good side.

"It will give us a chance to see how far we've come in the last few weeks."