Faversham relishing Gills visit

JUSTIN LUCHFORD is relishing the prospect of Faversham Town welcoming local Coca-Cola League Two outfit Gillingham to Salters Lane on Thursday night, writes Stephen McCartney.

The Kent League club opened their pre-season campaign by hosting newly promoted side Dover Athletic in front of a good crowd of 412 yesterday.

But the Ryman Premier League visitors dominated throughout, but had to settle for a 1-0 win - scored by former Gills striker Frannie Collin, who scored a breakaway goal with thirteen minutes remaining.

Next up is another “showpiece” fixture against a Gillingham side that suffered relegation last season and are looking to bounce back at the first attempt next May.

Faversham Town have come a very long way since their Salters Lane ground was in a state of disrepair only four years ago, but a lot of effort and money has brought the ground up to scratch.

And joint-manager Luchford is pleased that the club can attract Dover Athletic and Gillingham to Salters Lane.

“We’re a small club that are trying to improve ourselves and improve ourselves and raise the profile so we can become a bigger club, to have the likes of Dover and Gillingham here,” he told www.kentishfootball.co.uk  yesterday.

“We’d like them here every year because we’re improving and they’re improving.

“If Dover go up next year, we’d like them to come back next year, because we want to compete with them.

“It was a tester but we said at the beginning of pre-season we needed to make sure the first two are showpiece events to get the crowds.

“We had a good crowd, a few of the Dover fans (attended), we’ll have a good crowd against Gillingham, so it’s a good start to the season and people can see what we’re about.”

Luchford, meanwhile, has played down Faversham’s Kent League title winning hopes.

He said: “People keep saying to me, I keep seeing on the websites, that our expectations have risen and all that - they haven’t!

“Yes, of course we want to compete, with the top sides, I said that when me and Jimmy (Strouts) came here.

“But I don’t know yet if we’d beat the top sides. I think the top sides are very good established sides.

“What you’ve got to remember its all very well bringing good players here but people have got to remember that (we’re a young club in the Kent League).

“The likes of Hythe and VCD have been in that top four for a long time and they’re not there without hard work.

“They’ve settled down and they’ve done really well so for us to give them games, I’d be pleased with that.”

Luchford completed the signing of former Folkestone Invicta striker Damian Abel from Hythe Town last Thursday and he played against Dover Athletic yesterday.

“He’s played four games for Hythe last year, most of the time he played for Folkestone in the Ryman Premier,” he explained.

“Great attitude, he’s quick, strong and once he gets up front playing with Lynden (Rowland) and my brother Dane, the three of them, whether there two or three of them together, I think they’ll start getting a partnership together.

Luchford revealed that two new players will face the Gills on Thursday night and that he has high hopes for teenager Jamie Sparks, who featured yesterday.

“I was very impressed with Jamie Sparks today,” he said. “He played really well, he’s 16-years-old and when you’ve got a sixteen-year-old going out on his debut for the first team for his home-town, I thought he was absolutely outstanding.”

Visit Faversham Town’s website: www.favershamtownfc.co.uk

Faversham Town v Gillingham
Pre-Season Friendly
Thursday 17^th July 2008
Kick Off 7:45pm
At Salters Lane, Faversham, Kent ME13 8ND