Farnborough snap up two former Fleet defenders

Thursday 04th June 2009

VULTURES Farnborough have snapped up two former Ebbsfleet United defenders, who were released by the crisis-torn Kent club when their contracts had expired last month, writes Stephen McCartney.

Central defender James Smith, 23, and French left-back Sacha Opinel, 32, have both decided to drop two leagues to sign for the British Gas Business Premier League club, who are managed by Lewes' successful former boss Steve King.

Smith, who is a regular in Paul Fairclough's England C side, recently appeared for The Three Lions as captain against Italy and Bosnia & Herzegovina, and he signed a two-year deal at Cherrywood Road on Wednesday night.

Smith had played more than 100 games for the Fleet, having been snapped up from Welling United for a four-figure fee in 2005.

He began his career as a trainee at Cambridge United, and also had a brief spell on loan at Margate before establishing himself as a regular in the Fleet side.

Last season the centre back made 30 appearances for the Fleet, scoring four goals, and he appeared at Wembley in the 2007-08 FA Trophy Final, playing a key role at the back as the Kent side sprung a surprise to beat Torquay United 1-0.

Boro boss Steve King, speaking to www.farnboroughfc.co.uk, was delighted to capture a player of Smith's quality and experience.

“I think James signing is another major coup for the club,” he said. “He plays for his country on the non-league scene, and has captained that side on a number of occasions.

“He’s got a bit of everything really. He’s aggressive, good in the air, and he chips in with a few goals as well. That is something we need – goals from all over the park.

“It’s a great, great signing. Obviously losing Dave Woozley upset a few supporters, but when you can go out and sign the England captain, who is only 23 years old, it’s a major step in the direction that we want to go.

“I sat down with him for a few hours and I liked the way he conducted himself. He wasn’t all about what deal he could get – he wanted to know what was happening at the club and the future. That was nice and it’s fantastic to get him on board.

“We can’t disguise that we are a club going forward, but where we are currently is the Southern Premier. So, the fact that we are attracting players of his calibre shows that we have got something special going on here.”

King added that he was pleased with the squad he was assembling, and said he was expecting to bring in some more experienced players to complement his young squad.

“It’s looking good,” he said. “Probably the next couple of signings will be more experienced players, because we have a good set of young players.

“We will bring in a couple more experienced players because I do think we need a few wiser heads in there as well to work with the younger players. It can only be a good thing to have experience out there on the pitch.”

King was also pleased to unveil Opinel as another summer signing.

The fiery left-back is no stranger to Cherrywood Road, after spending two seasons at Farnborough Town between 2003 and 2005. He made 68 appearances for Boro, scoring two goals.

Opinel began his career in his native France with spells at Cannes, Lille and Ajaccio before he moved to Scotland for a brief stint with Raith Rovers. The Frenchman then moved south of the border, signing for Plymouth Argyle and switching to Leyton Orient soon after.

After leaving the O’s, Opinel dropped into non-league football, joining Billericay Town before his transfer to Boro in 2003. After two years he left Cherrywood Road in a four-figure deal, joining Crawley Town.

Opinel spent a season at The Broadfield Stadium before moving to Ebbsfleet United (then Gravesend & Northfleet), where he amassed more than 100 appearances.

Last season he made 42 appearances for the club, and he, like Smith, started in Ebbsfleet’s FA Trophy final triumph against Torquay United at Wembley Stadium.

King said he was pleased to bring in a defender with considerable experience and plenty of passion to go with it.

“Sacha is a great signing and he will be one of probably three or four senior players coming in,” he said. “His record is there for everyone to see, and with more than 300 games in the Conference he will be important with a lot of young players around him.

“He is so passionate and he plays on the edge, but if you took that out of him you would lose a lot. It’s what makes him such a good player. He certainly controls himself much better now than he did a few years back. He has matured, and he will be a great asset.

“He loves the club as well. He has had a number of different offers, but he feels that Farnborough is the club that really gave him a chance in non-league football and he wants to give something back. He wants to finish his career here.

“He’s a fit lad, and doesn’t have an ounce of fat on him. He’s got great energy and enthusiasm, and I think he will be a major player for us next year.”

Opinel said that at 32, he was delighted to be back at a club he loves.

“It’s been a couple of years now since I was last here, but I have been looking on the TV and internet about the club,” he told www.farnboroughfc.co.uk. “I’m really, really happy to be back.

“I know that the fans liked me when I was here before, so I hope to come back to that and it is a good feeling. We had a really good relationship.

“I left the club when it was in a little bit of a crisis. It was sad for me to move on, but I had kids and I had to do it for them. But it was a sad moment, and now I want to give the fans something back.

“I think that at 32, Farnborough will be my last club, and I really want to achieve something here. Farnborough started me out in the Conference and I have had a very good career in it since then. I feel that because they started me out, I have something to give back to them for the time I am here.”

Opinel will be one of the most experienced campaigners in King’s squad, and with that comes responsibility.

But Opinel said that he was used to looking after some of the younger players, and added that he had certainly matured as a player since his wilder days in the early part of his career.

“When I was at Ebbsfleet I was one of the oldest as well, and the manager was always asking me to look after the young guys,” he said. “It is something I am happy with.

“When I was younger, before I got married and had kids, I was quite a little bit of a case. I made a few mistakes back then, but now I have a lot experience behind me.

“I came here to achieve something, and hopefully with my age and experience I can teach the young guys something as well.”

A lot has changed since Opinel left, and Cherrywood Road itself is almost unrecognizable from those days.

It is a new club with a new set-up, and the Frenchman said he was delighted to be able to play a part in what will hopefully be a highly successfully period in the club’s short history.

“The main change is the colour, from red and white to yellow and blue,” he said. “But you can see something special is going on here. At the moment I think the ground looks unbelievable, and I know that soon it will be even better.

"It is nice to come back to Farnborough and see a great set-up. I’m looking forward to getting started. I have known Steve for quite a while, and everywhere Steve has gone he has had success. I have an idea of the players he wants to bring here, and it is going to be good quality.

“Steve and everybody else really want to move the club forward. I can see that and I am really impressed. The facilities and the structure are great, and in my mind there is no doubt that we will do well."

Meanwhile, back at Stonebridge Road, almost 97% of MyFC members who voted have rejected York City's offer for Darius Charles.

In a 24-hour vote, more than 2,000 members had their say, with 1,977 (96.72%) saying no and only 60 (2.94%) agreeing to accept the York offer.

The Fleet had received an offer earlier this week of £10,000 from Blue Square Premier club York City for defender Charles.

Darius began his Fleet career on loan at the tail-end of the 2007-08 season and was signed on a season-long loan during 2008-09, later made permanent in a transfer from Brentford for a fee which could rise to £25,000 based on the number of appearances and EUFC's performance in seasons 08/09 and 09/10.

Part of the purchase price was raised by MyFC members and Fleet supporters. The player was the Fleet's Player of the Year for last season.

The original purchase from Brentford contained a 10% sell on clause which the Fleet would have to pay to them in the event of any transfer.

The Fleet are also waiting confirmation from members over a vote to sell striker Michael Gash to a Blue Square club for a fee of £30,000.

Attacking midfielder Stacy Long (Stevenage Borough), striker George Purcell (Braintree Town) and third choice goalkeeper Rob French (Faversham Town) have already found new clubs, having been shown the door once their contracts expired last month.

Quotes courtesy of www.farnboroughfc.co.uk

Visit Ebbsfleet United's website: www.ebbsfleetunited.co.uk