Kentish Football 
In possibly two years time we could be a force to be reckoned with - Corinthian boss Tony Sitford
Wednesday 01st December 2010
CORINTHIAN manager Tony Sitford says a couple of his talented youngsters are creating interest from a couple of London professional football clubs, writes Stephen McCartney.
The Gay Dawn outfit has a reputation of giving kids a chance to shine in the Kent League and a handful of players have already left this season and have signed for higher-league club’s.
A couple include defender Reis Boyle, who signed for Blue Square Bet South high-flyers Bromley in the summer, who has now been shipped out on loan to Ryman Premier League side Billericay Town for game-time, and midfielder Joe Risby, who moved to Burgess Hill Town.
The most notable players that have worn the famous green-and-white hooped shirts in the past were Andy Hessenthaler and Jimmy Bullard -and Sitford told www.kentishfootball.co.uk today that a couple more could be on their way soon.
“We bring the youngsters through, obviously we don’t want them to go sideways,” he said.
“But when the club’s come out and offer them financial inducements they have to look at it. They’re young kids and we understand that, we accept it, and we wish them all the best when they go.
“It’s a little bit of pleasure for us because we get them from obscurity up to that standard and that’s very pleasing.”
Sitford added: “We’ve got a couple of League club’s looking at a couple of them at the moment. They’re very young, seventeen-year-old’s and they’re doing well.”
When asked the players and the club’s involved, the vastly experienced manager kept tight-lipped, saying, “I can’t tell you that! That would be unfair. The players don’t know yet, I shouldn’t have said anything, but one’s just over the river from where we are and the other one’s just in London.
“We’re pleased, it’s not so much being proud, it’s a case of we’re pleased because the coaches down here (Matt Longhurst, Gary Cook and reserve team manager Michael Goldring, who is in his first season) work hard and they’re important people and it’s a pleasure of seeing the players go further.
“The coaches are doing great jobs and the reserves in the Suburban League are doing well because they’ve got all kids.
“The whole club’s buzzing, the youngsters are buzzing. It’s a great place to be on a Thursday night when you see the teams coming training and you see all the youngsters floating about and the coaches - it’s very good and rewarding to see it.”
With the snow currently crippling Kent to a standstill, it was a good time to ask Sitford to reflect on his club’s campaign so far.
Corinthian have played 11 games and sit in the bottom-five of the Kent League table, with 3 wins and 2 draws.
“I think we’ve started off well and we’re very pleased with the way it’s gone,” said Sitford.
“We’re playing some very good football, which is a pleasing factor and we’ve also played the top teams and the game’s have been very good and very competitive.
“It’s a better standard than last year so we’re well pleased. It’s been a real pleasure this year.
“We’ve lost two or three players, as you probably know, after about eight or nine games and we lost three games on the trot but we’ve now managed to get ourselves nice and stable and we’re playing some good football.
Corinthian have the best indoor facilities in Kent football, which are available for hire, but the current snow fall and the bendy country lanes is proving the major set-back at the moment.
“We can’t get them there! We’re hoping to get them there Thursday but we’ll see what the roads are like,” said Sitford.
“We’re not going to endanger lives to get there here. We’ve got a foot of snow here so it’s not going to be easy.”
Corinthian finished their first season back in the Kent League in fourteenth place (third-from-bottom) last season and Sitford said: “If we finish above where we finished last year - if we finish halfway that would be a success for us.
“We’ve improved from last year, when we were thrown in with both feet a week before the season.
“We finished third from bottom last year so if we finish half-way this year that would be progress. We’re not equipped to win it - yet - but if we keep these kids together, in possibly two years time we could be a force to be reckoned with.
“At the moment it’s a learning curve for these kids. They’re doing very well indeed, but it’s the old adage - if we keep hold if them.”
Corinthian are scheduled to travel to Fisher on Saturday, and Sitford said: ““Well, I mean it will be a good game, we hope it does go ahead. They’re not a bad side, they play good stuff, hopefully the pitch is nice but as you can appreciate it could be waterlogged if it thaws. It could be a river, wherever we play, not just at Fisher. Our ground could be a river if it suddenly decides to thaw on Friday.”
Visit Corinthian’s website: www.corinthiansportsclub.co.uk/csc
Fisher v Corinthian
Safety Net Associates Kent League
Saturday 4th December 2010
Kick Off 3:00pm
At Champion Hill Stadium, Edgar Kail Way, Dog Kennel Hill, East Dulwich, London SE22 8BD
Red Dragon I.T. Ltd