Kentish Football 
If we’re going to stay around the play-off’s, we have to look to do reasonably well this month - Day
Thursday 23rd December 2010
WELLING UNITED player-manager Jamie Day warns that the club’s transfer embargo could damage his play-off aspirations during the hectic festive programme, writes Stephen McCartney.
Jordan Johnson has been ruled out for at least a couple of weeks with a sprained shoulder, so Day will be one of fifteen players available for the club’s four games in eight gruelling days.
The Wings face Kent rivals Dartford (seventeenth place) and Bromley (second) and then Lewes (nineteenth) during the festive period.
Day takes his side to Princes Park on Boxing Day (1pm), before Tony Burman brings his side to Park View Road for the return on New Year’s Day (3pm).
Bromley arrive at Park View Road on 28 December (3pm), before Welling make the trip to east Sussex to face struggling Lewes on the third day of January.
Day, who was speaking to www.kentishfootball.co.uk, said: “It’s going to be a difficult period, player wise. Jordan’s going to be injured for two week’s so we’ll be down to fifteen but hopefully we can get through the next month without picking up any injuries and all fifteen players will be used in January.”
Looking forward to some of the mouth-watering games, Day said: “They’re all going to be difficult. It will be nice to get a win Boxing Day and set things up for the next three games but Dartford have done well in recent weeks in the Trophy and are going to be difficult.
“Bromley are doing well - I know they got beat 7-0 by Weston-super-Mare but they’re second in the table and Lewes have got a new management team so they’re going to pick up as well.
“It’s going to be difficult, but like I say, if we’re going to stay around the play-off’s, we have to look to do reasonably well this month.”
Day added: “Hopefully we’ll get through this month and not pick up so many injuries. It can be a good month for teams if you go on a run as it can catapult you up the league and that’s what we’ll be trying to do in the games that are coming up.
“The next two home games will be decent crowds and we should bring in a bit of money for the club, which is obviously needed at this time.
“I think last Saturday has done us a favour getting called off, giving players more time to rest after the two Luton games. We managed to train last week and this week so training wise we should be ok. Football wise we should be there or there abouts. Obviously a game of football would be nice before Boxing Day but it’s the same for everyone!
“We can’t complain, we’re looking forward to the Christmas period so fingers crossed we can kick off with a good result on Boxing Day and try to maintain that during the period coming up.”
Reflecting on the year 2010, Day said: “I think we’ve progressed nicely. I think at the start of the year in January we picked up and the boys done well and I think we’ve continued that and we’ve added a bit of quality to the squad over the summer.
“We’re in a good position now but we can’t rest on that. We have to try and kick on again next year and hopefully stay in the top six. If we don’t, we have to look to progress in the following season.
“Whilst the next month’s not going to cement a play-off place or it’s not going to get you promotion, it’s going to be a good chance of getting you some points. It’s tight from eighth (place) upwards and we’ve got to be at our best to pick up as many points between now and the end of the season and hopefully that’s enough to keep us where we are or if we’re scrapping for the last place in the play-off’s, we’ll do that.
Welling United were saved from going bust by 42 supporters who contributed £64,900 towards the club’s then unpaid tax bill of around £60,000.
“It’s nice not to worry about the tax bill for a minute,” said Day. “For the players it’s a little bit of weight off their shoulders and hopefully we can kick on the pitch and hopefully the club can kick on off the pitch as well because we need to have the progression off the pitch for that to happen on the field as well so hopefully next year we can progress on both sides.”
When asked whether his side can go on and win the Blue Square Bet South title, Day replied, “It’s difficult! I think there’s probably five or six other clubs that have got bigger budgets who can probably afford to bring in an extra one or two players if needed.
“With the embargo and the financial problems we’ve got at the club that’s one of the problems that will hold us back. We’ve got a decent set of players and a decent squad to challenge for a play-off place. It’s can we stay injury free and players keep their form for 42 games to see how we do this year.”
But the club are still being suffocated by a transfer embargo - and Day should be awarded the manager-of-the-year for everything that he has had to put up with in what is his first managerial job since joining the club from Dartford.
He said: “That will play a key thing on how we do this year. I haven’t heard anything yet from the club, maybe we can get this Christmas period out of the way and sit down and discuss what we need to do to get this embargo lifted because the players are going to need a rest at this stage and we have to freshen things up.
“If we can’t then I think it may have an effect towards the end of this season or after this month. Hopefully we can get this sorted out and bring one or two players in.”
Barry Ashby and Dean Frost should also take the plaudits for the club’s successful start to the league season.
Day agreed, saying, “If it wasn’t for them two we wouldn’t have done reasonably well this season. They’ve helped me out fully, at training, and when I’m playing they’re on the side making decisions as well.
“The three of us are a team and we’ll look forward to continue to work together and hopefully take the club forward.”
Visit Welling United’s website: www.wellingunited.com
Dartford v Welling United
Blue Square Bet South
Boxing Day, Sunday 26th December 2010
Kick Off 1:00pm
At Princes Park Stadium, Grassbanks, Darenth Road, Dartford, Kent DA1 1RT
Red Dragon I.T. Ltd