If we can show the same commitment we can get a result, says Thamesmead Town boss Keith McMahon

The Mead suffered three defeats in their opening three league games before they claimed their first point of their inaugural Ryman Premier League campaign on Tuesday night when they were held to a goal-less draw at home to Metropolitan Police at Bayliss Avenue to keep them bottom.

McMahon’s men welcome Margate to Bayliss Avenue tomorrow, before making the short trip to Hayes Lane to lock horns with Cray Wanderers on Bank Holiday Monday, 26 August (3pm).

Margate arrive at Bayliss Avenue sitting in ninth-place with two wins and a draw from their opening four games and McMahon hopes the visit of Craig Holloway and Simon Osborn’s side will attract their largest crowd of the season so far.

“We’ve got a do going on at the club and we’re expecting them to bring a few down and I’m expecting another tough game,” said McMahon.

“Again, if we show the same commitment as we did on Tuesday night, we can get a result. 

“We’ve got a couple of extra bodies back and we just need to believe. That point and a clean sheet is a double bonus. It will make us believe if wasn’t a lucky point.

“We need to take things steady, one game at a time, the old cliché, but just build from there now.

“It’s a long season. There’s 46 games all year. We’ve played four. There’s a hell of a long way to go, string three or four results together and you’re right amongst it. Lose a few and you go adrift.”

Cray Wanderers, who travel to Hampton & Richmond Borough tomorrow, arrive at Bayliss Avenue on Monday smarting from their 4-0 defeat away to Dulwich Hamlet at Champion Hill in midweek.

Ian Jenkins’ side go into the holiday weekend sitting in the bottom six with one win from their first four league outings.

McMahon said: “Dulwich are a great side. It’s quite handy as it goes because I’ve been ringing Gavin (Rose, the Dulwich Hamlet manager) every other day because our fixtures follow there’s all the time.

“Cray are going to be a good side. Jenko, Blado and Joe (Jenkins, Paul Blade and Joe Francis) play the right way other there.

“We’ve got a lot of players from Cray this year and some of their problems off the pitch, which I feel sorry for them for but that’s Monday. It’s going to be tough. It’s a derby and Bank Holiday Monday they’re tough games.

“It’s not a big six-pointer, either of the games. We just need to win. That’s the main thing. Just to get off that ticker tape just at the bottom of Sky.  It kills every night when I get home.”

McMahon is delighted that his side have got their campaign up and running because the worst thing in the world is to have a struggling team playing in impressive new facilities.

The club had to put up with a five-year delay for the £5m development to bare fruit.

It was well worth the wait, however.

“The facilities here are fantastic as you’ve seen,” said McMahon.

“The clubhouse is fully open now and so is the car park.

“The teams building now. We’re getting stronger. We knew it was going to be tough in the first few weeks. We knew it would take us time to adjust but we’re starting to adapt now and we’re starting to show a little bit of quality.”

McMahon’s first aim, however, is to maintain the club’s Ryman Premier League status at the end of the season.

“I think looking at the recent points tally, I think just over 40 points is to stay up in most leagues, 42, 43 points with four going down. That’s what we worry about. My main concern is getting to two points now and we move on from there.

“I’ve already watched two games last week in the division so I try to watch as many sides as I can.  As soon as we get to grips and the players have in there and we know what level they have to get for us to get results we’ll move forward.”

McMahon hopes local people – not just a large number of travelling supporters – watch his side at their new facilities.

“We’re starting to get a few people through the gates and we’ve had our youth teams and reserves coming back from training to watch us after half-time.

“We probably had maybe the two lowest supported teams (Hendon and Metropolitan Police) in the first two games, which isn’t the world’s worst because it gets the new club people get used to what we’re about.

“Saturday will be a bit different with more people but once people start feeling what we’re doing now, they will come back and watch the football here. The quality of the football is excellent. The teams we’ve got here and with us now and it’s a place you don’t mind coming with your family because it’s lovely inside and out now.

“It’s encouraging that we’re starting to get a few more people through the gate, regulars as well and hopefully we can build on that.”

Meanwhile, two players have left the club this week. Midfielder Chris Edwards, who scored the winning penalty that secured promotion in the play-off final at Maldon & Tiptree, has signed for Ryman League Division One North newcomers Erith & Belvedere and striker Baff Addae has been released.

Visit Thamesmead Town’s websites: www.thamesmeadtownfc.co.uk & www.pitchero.com/clubs/thamesmeadtown/

Thamesmead Town  v  Margate
Ryman Premier League
Saturday 24^th August 2013
Kick Off 3:00pm
at Bayliss Avenue, Thamesmead, London SE28 8NJ