Club's should give reserve players more of a chance, says free-agent Heywood - EXCLUSIVE

FREE AGENT Lee Heywood believes Croydon will be the dark horses when it comes to the Kent League title next season, writes Stephen McCartney.

The goalkeeper, who turns 33 next month, parted company with Greenwich Borough, where he was the player-manager for their second string.

Heywood’s reserve side finished in third place in the Kent League second division table - losing out on runners-up to Ashford Town’s second string - on goal difference.

And following the departure of first team management trio of Phil Miles, Terry Malin and Ray Bagnell, Heywood has also left the Harrow Meadow outfit and begins the search for a new club.

“You won’t find a better management team in the Kent League,” Heywood said EXCLUSIVELY to www.kentishfootball.co.uk.

Heywood, who was given a crack of management with Boro’s reserves this season, would like to coach goalkeepers whilst managing, next term.

“It’s the next chapter now,” he said. “I feel two years down the line I’m doing my goalkeeper badge in June, that’s the route I want to go down.”

He revealed the troubles that he endured once the club were knocked out of the FA Carlsberg Vase by Hungerford Town in the last sixteen.

“All the money dried up, even on the travelling side, we weren’t getting any travelling expenses,” he said.

“It does cost a lot of money going to Dover or Deal. Some of the (reserve team) players are students.”

Looking ahead to next season, Heywood said: “I haven’t been bombarded with calls but I’d like to go to the club to control the goalkeeper coaching and go on from there.

“A lot of reserve teams would want a 32-year-old to play for their reserves - I want to coach the goalkeeper’s and play.

“I work with Steve Wait at Thamesmead and John Macrae at Dartford, who are good coaches. There’s not many coaches that can offer that level so I’ve learnt a lot from them.

“I think I can provide a team with some new faces and help progress the goalkeepers and club.“

Heywood has high hopes for new Greenwich Borough manager Steve Parkins and recently installed chairman Shaun Howard.

He said: “I need a new challenge, there’s some good people there. They’ll do well with a new youth set-up and new first team with new faces.

“The chairman has cleaned the club up, they’ve got some great plans but I feel I need a new challenge.”

On his own future, the Rotherhithe based goalkeeper, is open to offers after two years at Harrow Meadow.

He said: “I’m not fused about travelling, there is a couple of offers on the table, there’s two positives and one hearsay.

“I will take to people, I’ve got a meeting with a guy next week and I’ll take it from there.

“I want to go to a club with a little bit of respect and I want to take it forward.

“I will be playing for the reserves and coaching the keepers, helping develop their goalkeeper’s and just see what it comes to.”

Heywood admitted that reserve team players in the Kent League don’t get the credit that they deserve.

“We had fifteen players leave this year and I’ve had to replace 15 and bring my players in,” he said.

“There’s some good players there, the average age of the team apart from me was the 18-22 mark.

“Say for instance you’re going to Dover it will cost us £20 in petrol a time. Players that are students can’t afford that.

“I would like to go to a club willing to help out fund it. Beginning of the season we were getting some travel money but when the FA Vase money dried up we weren’t getting anything.

“The first team coach Ray Bagnell was buying coaching equipment out of his own pockets. It’s frightening what Ray spent this year on the first team.

“The travelling side of it can be quite expensive. We haven’t had any travel money since the club were knocked out off the Vase.

“We knew what was going to happen, it just leaves us short. As a team there were some great players there. A lot of them would get into some Kent League sides.

“This season, the Boro’ have had to push the reserve players on because we knew the money would dry up and players were not going to get paid.

Heywood, meanwhile, believes clubs should give youngsters - and coaches - more of a chance in their first teams.

“The only (Kent League) club to push through their youth side is Thamesmead,” he said. Keith (McMahon) has a great little side there. They’re going to do very well, they will need four or five players for their Ryman side but they’ve got some good young development and Herne Bay, when their money dried up.

“The best reserve manager, Steve O’Boyle, he’s resigned as Thamesmead’s reserve team manager but he hasn’t got one offer for a first team job, which is a shame. He’s got a lot to offer, knows players, and he hasn’t had one bite to run a first team.

“No-one wants to give people a chance at that level, which is a shame, as Steve’s got great to offer. He’s got a great coaching team around him.

“He missed out on the Boro’ job as Steve Perkins got in before him, which is a shame as that would be ideal for him.

“Does he drop out of the Kent League and drop into the Kent County League? If you go that route you become the forgotten man.

Heywood believes there will be three clubs vying for the Kent League title next season, Croydon, Beckenham Town and VCD Athletic.

“Beckenham and VCD will give it a good shot, Croydon will be dark horses,” he predicted.

“Croydon won’t have a reserve side and a lot of the money will be pumped into the first team with a big budget so they will be a dark horse.

“Paul Foley will want to win it at VCD, after coming second, same as Erith Town, they’ve done well last year. Mark Tompkins got good experienced players.”

But what does the future hold for the Kent League?

Cray Wanderers, Ramsgate, Maidstone United, Whitstable Town and Thamesmead Town have all been promoted in the past five seasons and the league now looks to be on it’s knees.

“Everyone wants to get out of the Kent League,” explained Heywood.

“Hopefully I can find something that will help me progress and match my ambition. This time in two years I want to go full-time in an academy as a goalkeeper coach.

“I do my level two B License in June and then I do my Level 3 in September. It’s a great subject and there’s not too many great coaches in non-league or professional level.”

Family man Heywood, with three young daughters, believes the playing standard in the Kent League is good - it just needs more teams.

“The standards quite good to be fair,” he said. “Looking at the sides in that league you’ve got some good players in there.

“It’s some of the facilities, there’s only a couple of grounds that have got decent pitches like Thamesmead, Beckenham, VCD, Croydon, Slade Green and Erith Town.

“There’s some good players in the league. Peter Smith at Boro’ is a good players and he should be playing in Ryman One next year, Cray, Thamesmead, wherever he goes.

“A lot of people play Kent League football because it’s easier to get there, rather than play around the world (playing clubs situated around the M25) in the Ryman League.”