I think Phoenix Sports has a lot of potential, says joint-manager Steve O'Boyle

PHOENIX SPORTS’ joint-manager Steve O’Boyle says the club is geared up for promotion to the Kent League.




The Barnehurst based outfit are halfway through their make-or-break triangle of league fixtures, which will go a long way to see whether they will go on to clinch the Kent Invicta League title at the end of the season.

Phoenix Sports brushed aside Bearsted 4-1 at home last Saturday in the top-of-the-table clash, to move seven points clear at the top.

Bearsted are the only side to avoid a defeat to O’Boyle’s and Tony Beckingham’s side this season, having dropped points in a 4-4 draw back in August.

Bearsted’s place in second was taken by Hollands & Blair, after the Gillingham based club came away from basement side Crown Alexandra with a 2-0 win last weekend.

Phoenix Sports travel to Star Meadow on Saturday, before travelling to Erith & Belvedere in the Kent Senior Trophy Second Round on 1 August, before the crunch game against unbeaten Ashford United seven days’ later.

O’Boyle, 35, is relishing the period ahead.

“I think they’re all coming now,” he said. “Hollands & Blair are a good side. They won the Kent County League two years’ ago. 

“Their manager, Paul Piggott, I know him from my time at Thamesmead when he was assistant to Keith (McMahon).  He’s a good lad.  I’m really looking forward to going down there on Saturday and having a good game and hopefully we can come out on top.

“It’s going to be tough, probably even tougher than Bearsted.”

Micky Collins’ Erith & Belvedere side are topping the Kent League at the moment and can look forward to travelling to Gurnesey to contest a mouth-watering FA Carlsberg Vase Third Round tie on Sunday, 9 December (1:30pm).

Looking forward to the Kent Senior Trophy tie at Park View Road, O’Boyle said: “I think we’re going to go there and enjoy the day. They’re top of the Kent League at the moment. They’re a good side with some good lads’ there.

“We’ll go there and give them a go, give them a game.  They’re the favourites and as long as we can give a good account of ourselves that’s all that matters.”

Like Phoenix, Paul Chambers’ Ashford United side are unbeaten in the Kent Invicta League, but lie in fourth-place in the table, nine points behind Phoenix, but with four games in hand.

O’Boyle said: “It’s all about us now winning our league games and obviously the long-term aim is to get into the Kent League.  Anything in the Cups is just a bonus.

“We’ve got a coach going down to Ashford on 15 December. It’s also our Christmas party that night so it could be a really good night or a really bad one!”

But O’Boyle and Beckingham, who only had one player (Gary Phillimore) of this season’s squad at the club after Scott Saunders’ departure last season after finishing runners-up to promoted Bly Spartans (now Rochester United) last season, wants to guide the club to promotion at the first attempt.

“I think this club has a lot of potential,” said Welling resident O’Boyle.

“We get a decent crowd, we’ve got decent facilities once the lights and stand start turning up.  It’s in a good area. It’s two minutes down the road from me.

“I think the club’s got a lot of potential. When we took over we only had one player left from last year and I’ve called upon a few favourites from a few previous players at our clubs we’ve managed and they’ve all come on.

“We’re absolutely buzzing at the moment. The team’s playing well. I think we play a good standard of football. We don’t want to go long. Things are going well at the moment.”

The club switched on their training lights towards the end of last week’s 4-1 win over Bearsted, but the ground situated at Mayplace Road East does not have floodlights or a stand at present.

“All the applications are in, basically we’re just ready to go once the grants come back from the FA or whatever,” revealed O’Boyle.

“We’re ready to go. We’ve got our money, we’re ready to put in.   It’s happening.

“I can’t speak highly of the committee here. The chairman (Andrew Mortlock), the vice-chairman (Steve House) and all of the people behind the scenes here are fantastic. 

“I’ve seen the potential down here for a few years’ now and I think the club, if we got into the Kent League, it ain’t going to be a struggling club.  I think the crowd we’ve got here and what we do, if you look at the programme and stuff like that, it’s fantastic.

“I think the club could be a top Kent League club.  It’s exciting times and that’s why I want to be here.”

Visit Phoenix Sports’ website: www.phoenixsportsclub.org  

Hollands & Blair  v  Phoenix Sports
Kent Invicta League
Saturday 24^th November 2012
Kick Off 2:00pm
At Star Meadow Sports Ground, Darland Avenue, Gillingham, Kent ME7 3AN