I want a manager who invests time to develop good young players, says Lewisham's Ray Simpson

LEWISHAM BOROUGH chief Ray Simpson says he wants to appoint a committed management team ahead of next season.



Simpson has taken charge of thirteen games – losing ten of them – since parting company with former manager Willie O’Sullivan, but he has decided to stand down from the role at the end of the season, but fulfilling his chairmanship and secretarial roles at the club.

The Ladywell Arena based club are struggling in the bottom four in the Kent Invicta League, having collected 5 wins and 2 draws from their 24 league games.

They travel to Kent Football United tomorrow, a side that are immediately above them in the table with nine more points.

Lewisham Borough then travel to Rede Court Road to face Fleet Leisure in the Second-leg of the Pain & Glory Sports Kent Invicta League Challenge Trophy Semi-Final.

Fleet Leisure hold a slender one-goal lead after winning a seven-goal thriller at the Ladywell Arena on Wednesday night.

Simpson said: “We’ve got Kent Football Untied on Saturday and I’ll certainly going to be almost using that as a bit of a training exercise.

“We have to make sure our defending is a lot, lot better.

“I know it sounds a strange thing to say using a league match as a kind of training match for a Cup Semi-Final Second Leg, but I’ve said to the players I want you to leave everything out on the pitch.

“I’m expecting myself and the young coaches we have to get our tactics right. We’ll have to make sure we’ve got all the appropriate personnel available to us. We will need our strongest team to turn this round to overcome Fleet and we’ll have to give 150% because I felt we only gave 50% on Wednesday.”

Lewisham Borough and Fleet Leisure will certainly know a lot about each other as they will lock horns on three more occasions in a ten day period.

After next Wednesday’s second leg, they return to Ladywell Arena for a League game on 19 April, before Lewisham Borough complete their campaign with a trip to Rede Court Road on 26 April.

“We’ll know them inside out,” admitted Simpson.

Reflecting on his stint as the club’s manager Simpson admitted it will be time to call it a day after their final game of the season.

When asked what he is looking for in a new management team, Simpson said: “I do want a team. I really don’t want a one-man band, I really don’t.

“I want someone as a manager, first and foremost, who is committed and who is prepared to invest the time to developing players. I want a management team who are prepared to do that, I really do.

“We don’t have a great deal of resources so what we have to do is work with good young players. We’ve made great links with agencies in the borough, Lewisham College and various schools in the borough.  Youth is very much the way forward.”

The club are coming to the end of their tenth anniversary and Simpson is thankful to the support from the Mayor, Sir Steve Bullock, who watched the thrilling game against Fleet Leisure in midweek.

“I personally think the future is very bright and could be even brighter,” said Simpson, who said the club will improve the floodlights at the Ladywell Arena before the start of next season.

“What we’ve achieved in ten years, I think is remarkable.  Being at this level with the right backing, right support, the right management managing football things, anything’s possible.

“I putting my other hat on and we have to make sure we get the management right on the pitch.  There’s a lot of excellent things happening off the pitch and we have to get things right on the pitch.”

Simpson paid tribute to the town’s Middlesbrough FC supporting Mayor.

“Without him all this wouldn’t be possible. He’s a big football fan himself.  He gives us fantastic support.  The backing he’s giving us is great so I really want to get into the final, especially for our Mayor of Lewisham just to say thank you for all of the support. We’ll see if we can do it.”

Kent Football United  v  Lewisham Borough
Kent Invicta League
Saturday 12^th April 2014
Kick Off 3:00pm
At Oakwood, Old Road, Crayford, Kent DA1 4DN