I don't know too much about club's off-the-field problems, admits Chalmers-Stevens

Sunday 27th June 2010

GOALKEEPER Scott Chalmers-Stevens, 24, says he is being kept in the dark over Ashford Town’s off-the-field problems this summer, writes Stephen McCartney.

The Maidstone based stopper is raring to go this season, especially as he missed four months of last season after tearing his cartlidge in a game against Whyteleafe.

The former Charlton Athletic youngster kept goal for Kent Schools before joining the PASE scheme at Gravesend & Nortfhfleet, before Watford snapped him up on a professional contract.

Spells at Rushden & Diamonds, Mansfield Town and Ashford Town (Middlesex) followed, before he signed for Margate in August 2006, following a successful trial, before moving to Dover Athletic.

Last season he played under Steve Lovell at Homelands in what was a traumatic campaign, especially as the club maintained its Ryman League status with a final day home win over Chatham Town.

But since then, the club owners, Don Crosbie and Tony Betteridge (who each own 50% of the club), have been fighting each other and the latter will attempt to wind the club up at the Royal Courts of Justice in central London on Wednesday 30 June.

The stopper told www.kentishfootball.co.uk : “I don’t want to comment too much on it, but I’ve spoken to Steve a couple of weeks ago and there’s a lot of trouble off the field and I don’t want to comment about it - you probably know more than me as you do the write ups - do you know anything?

“The message - I don’t want to say too much - I’ve been told, last game of the season the chairman (Mr Crosbie) said last year was about staying up and getting a squad together as Steve’s budged wasn’t as good as the year before.

“We ended up doing that with our skin or our teeth - it was a tight one, to be fair, wasn’t it? I can’t say it was a great game (against Chatham), it was a scrappy win, but it kept us up!

“The chairman said in the bar they’re going to go for it next season, but that’s what he’s saying, but off-the-field there’s a lot of stuff - but I don’t know much about it - so we’ll see what happens in the next couple of weeks.”

Chalmers-Stevens - a goalkeeper academy coach for Maidstone based Soccer Elite FA - is focused on preparing for pre-season.

“I’m just getting my head down and getting myself fit. I’m looking forward to the season ahead,” he said.

“I’m really, really good friends with Adam Birchall, the lad down at Dover. When I was at Watford, he was a pro at Arsenal next door and (the two clubs training grounds at) London Colney are next to each other.

“We were friends at school and we used to train together. Strikers and keepers have similar sort of fitness, a short spurt of speed. We run in the mornings or after work. He can work on his finishing and I can work on my goalkeeping.

“I’ve been in the gym and building it up and looking forward to the season. I had my four months off so I’m really looking forward to this year - wherever I’m at - so it should be good.”

Visit Ashford Town’s website: www.ashfordtownfc.co.uk