I’m hoping we can surprise a few of the big boys and finish in the top half as a minimum, says Croydon boss Craig Davies

CROYDON manager Craig Davies says he wants to surprise a few teams during their Southern Counties East Football League Premier Division campaign.

The Trams finished their campaign in the top five in what proved to be Harry Hudson’s only season in charge at the Croydon Sports Arena based club and they host eighth-placed finishers Lordswood in Saturday’s opening game.

“We are all looking forward to the season opener against Lordswood,” said Davies, ahead of his first game in charge.

“It’s a good game to see where we are at after pre-season and the games are real and obviously there’s three points at stake, something of which we want to do and get off to a good start.

“Lordswood are quite effective at what they do.  They’ll have more experience than us in terms of playing at this level so our younger players will need to match their work ethic and if that’s the case , we have a very good football side capable of hurting them.”

Croydon used a young side that played attractive football under Hudson last season and Davies is keen to use such methods this time around too.

“We have managed to bring in slightly younger players who have professional experience, which is great for us,” said Davies.

“Some need more exposure to this level of football and I’m sure they’ll be excited to see if they can adapt from Academy football to senior level.

“I want to win as many football matches as we can.  I am a winner.  With a new look squad and maybe less experience at this level, I’m hoping we can surprise a few of the big boys and finish in the top half as a minimum, for sure.”

Croydon captain Jamie McGeoghegan has been ruled out for six to eight weeks with a broken wrist.

“It’s a blow for sure as he is a big loss to the dressing room and on the pitch, but the lads coming in have done well in pre-season and I trust they can fill the void.”

Visit Croydon’s website: www.croydonfc.com

Croydon  v  Lordswood
Southern Counties East Football League Premier Division
Saturday 4 August 2018
Kick Off 3:00pm
at Croydon Sports Arena, Albert Road, South Norwood, London SE25 4QL