I'm surprised with our start to the season, admits Luchford

Thursday 12th November 2009

FAVERSHAM TOWN manager Justin Luchford says he is very surprised to be sitting unbeaten at the top of the Bulmers Cider Kent League table after eleven games into the season, writes Stephen McCartney.

Luchford, speaking to www.kentishfootball.co.uk prior to tonight’s training session ahead of Saturday’s trip to Farnborough to play Badshot Lea in the second round of the FA Carlsberg Vase, says he is taken a back with his side’s excellent start to the season, which has seen the Lilywhites drop only two points and are ten points clear of Erith & Belvedere in second place.

“I am surprised! I didn’t expect to be in a position where I’m sitting here now in the second week of November, playing in the second round of the Vase and unbeaten at the top of the League. I didn’t expect that at all,” admitted Luchford.

“My objectives and my goals were to improve on last season and they haven’t changed. That’s exactly what I’m trying to do. I want to improve, on and off the pitch, every year we improve. That’s no disrespect to anyone in the league, that’s all I’m interested in thinking about.

“We find ourselves in a position I just couldn’t see. I couldn’t see anybody in this league, and I still don’t see anyone in this league, running away with the title.

“I think there’s a lot of sides in this league that are very good and on their day anyone can beat anyone on the day.

“Herne Bay, Hythe and Erith & Belvedere will be there or there abouts. Greenwich Borough will be tough to break down again. There’s a couple of sides that have only lost two or three games and it will be very tight.

“Everyone has their bad spells and we’re no different to anyone else and that will happen to us as well.

“We’re taking one step at a time. People are touting us ‘as favourites and we’re going to win the league’, that’s absolute rubbish as far as I’m concerned!

“What you have to remember is this is my first season in sole charge off this football team so I’m still learning a lot.

“Clive (Walker) is helping me along very nicely and we work well together and Ray Turner as well and we’re thinking about is improving and that’s all we’re looking at, at the moment.”

Luchford is relishing seeing his side express themselves on the excellent playing surface at Cherrywood Road as they bid to reach the last 64 of the FA Carlsberg Vase on Saturday.

“Obviously it’s a great competition to be involved in,” said Luchford. “We’ve played quite a lot of games in the league at this point so it’s nice to have a little bit of a break and play in such a great competition.

“I mean, I think it’s too early to start dreaming (about playing at Wembley Stadium in the final) to be honest. We’ll take each game as it comes. We’ve got a tough game on Saturday and if we can get through it we’ll be in the hat for the next round (the last 64) and we can take it from there so we won’t be talking about Wembley just yet.”

Luchford has done his homework on a Badshot Lea side that are currently sitting in ninth place in the top-flight of the Combined Counties League, with only one league defeat on home soil.

“I’ve been down there to see them,” he revealed. “Obviously the facilities are fantastic first and foremost, what a cracking set-up Farnborough have got and they like to play good football.

“They’re a good footballing side, which is pretty much what I expected when you play on that surface every other week. They’ve got some good players down there, they’re quite young and fit, like we are, so they will be a tough proposition.”

He added, “It’s a cup game, it’s a one-off game, we’ve got nothing to lose. We’ve not been this far in the competition for a while, there’s no expectation on us to do anything in the competition so we’ll pretty much take it like another game.

“At the moment we’re not quite getting there on the pitch week in week out, but we’ve certainly made improvements and hopefully on Saturday we can continue to improve.

“It will be a tough game but we’ve got to go out there and give everything we’ve got and if we do that then we’ll give ourselves a chance.”

Luchford, who revealed that he can speak to a potential new signing on Sunday, having submitted a seven-day approach, says he is a little bit concerned over some players’ fitness.

Lee Shearer (personal commitments) Damian Abel (thigh), Dane Luchford (hamstring), and Aaron Quain (family commitments) are expected to be ruled out.

Luchford added, “I am a little bit light, so I’m not the best going into Saturday but what we’ve got is a group of lads who work hard and work hard for each other so I’m not worried.”

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

Badshot Lea v Faversham Town

FA Carlsberg Vase Second Round

Saturday 14th November 2009

Kick Off 3:00pm

At Cherrywood Road, Farnborough, Hampshire GU14 8UD