Cray Valley could be a dark horse, says Vickers boss Ricky Bennett

VCD ATHLETIC manager Ricky Bennett says he expects a tough game against dark horses Cray Valley (Paper Mills) on Tuesday night.



Vickers’ opened their Kent Hurlimann Football League campaign with an emphatic 5-1 home win over Beckenham Town yesterday.

The Crayford based outfit are second in the table as Deal Town – who finished second from bottom last season – defeated Holmesdale by the same score at the Charles Sports Ground.

Steve Chapman’s Cray Valley, meanwhile, came away from Oakley Road with a 3-2 victory over last season’s basement side Greenwich Borough, courtesy of an own-goal and two from new signing Chris McGinty, 19, a striker formerly in Bromley’s Academy and plucked out of the Kent County League, where he was playing for struggling Coney Hall.

Looking ahead to playing Chapman’s side at Badgers Sports Ground in Eltham on Tuesday night, Bennett said: “I’ve heard lots of things about Cray Valley improvement wise, both with the ground and on the playing side.

“I know Darren Anslow, who is a pal of mine, he’s gone over there as assistant. 

“They’ll be another tough team. They could be a dark horse, like people are saying, so it will be a tough game.

“I just hope we can recover from yesterday’s exertions.  We might have a couple of question marks over fitness and availability.  If we go there with the same determination and the same level of application, attitude and all that, I’m sure we can come back with a result.”

One player who is rated doubtful will be midfielder Michael McKenna, who was taken to hospital after falling and hurting his right shoulder during the first half of yesterday’s win over Beckenham.

VCD Athletic travel to Combined Counties League Premier Division side Dorking in the FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round next Saturday.

Vickers went down to a 1-0 defeat to then Conference South side Thurrock in a Second Qualifying Round replay last October after going 2-0 up inside the opening 20 minutes through James Duckworth and Ricky Bennett before the Essex side fought back to earn a replay.

Thurrock included in their squad Adam Gemili, now 18, who quit playing football to opt for a career as a sprinter and he finished a respectable third-place in the Olympic semi-finals of the 100meters at Stratford tonight. 

Dorking opened their league campaign with a 3-2 away win over Hartley Wintney yesterday and Bennett says he will watch them play away to Croydon at The Arena on Wednesday before taking his side to Mill Lane next Saturday.

Croydon came back from their longest trip of the season having suffered a humiliating 8-0  defeat in Guernsey.

There is extra motivation for Vickers to win, not only for the £1,000 in prize money, but a home tie against Ryman League Division One South side Whitstable Town will await them in the next round two weeks later.

Bennett said: “We tried to go and watch Dorking over pre-season and we haven’t been able to.  I understand, by all accounts, they’ve got a new manager and pretty much a new squad so they’ll be keen to impress.

“They started their league yesterday as well, so as they’ve got Croydon on Wednesday we’ll get someone to go and have a look at them, but it’s about what we do really.

“We’ve been to Dorking’s ground last year when we played Bookham so we know what to expect with the pitch.  It’s about how we approach it.

“We would like to have a decent run in the Cup.  We’ve got to get over Dorking first and I believe we’ve got Whitstable if we beat Dorking so that will be a tough game. 

“We’ve had a couple of Ryman scalps over the last couple of seasons.  We did ever so well against a Conference South side, Thurrock, last year so get over the firsts one and we’ll take each one as it comes.”

With Aiden Pusglove (2), Uche Ibemere, Karl Dent and Billy Shinners getting on the score-sheet yesterday, Bennett wants his attacking force – and James Duckworth – to take their chances this season.

He said: “We don’t set them targets.  At the end of the day every striker should have their own target. We know what to expect from them and we spoke to them in the dressing room privately of what we want to expect and hopefully this season we do start taking all of our chances.

“They are all good enough finishers.  It just hasn’t happened over the last couple of seasons.”

Visit VCD Athletic’s website: www.vcdathletic.co.uk

Cray Valley (Paper Mills)  v  VCD Athletic
Kent Hurlimann Football League
Tuesday 7^th August 2012
Kick Off 7:45pm
at Badgers Sports Ground, Middle Park Avenue,  Eltham, London SE9 5HT