I want to keep the winning menality going, says Herne Bay boss Simon Halsey

HERNE BAY boss Simon Halsey says he wants to clinch the Kent League Challenge Shield on Saturday to maintain their winning mentality in pre-season, writes Stephen McCartney.


Herne Bay are unbeaten in their opening six pre-season games, including games against Faversham Town, Whitstable Town and Maidstone United, and Halsey is looking forward to their trip to newly promoted side Hythe Town to contest the first major piece of silverware of the new season.

Hythe Town and Herne Bay played out one of the most exciting Kent League title races for five years as both sides could have clinched the title on a dramatic final day of last season.

Hythe fought back from 2-0 down at Tunbridge Wells to win 3-2, courtesy of a dramatic last-gasp blunder from home keeper Michal Czanner, who scored an own goal following a Brendon Cass shot, which sealed Scott Porter’s side the title.

Herne Bay had to settle for a second successive runners-up spot, having lost out to Faversham Town twelve months earlier, despite winning a see-saw game at third-placed VCD Athletic.

“They’ve won our league last year and gone up into the Ryman, so obviously Scott has added a few signings to them already so they’re going to be even stronger now, so it will be another good test for my young side really,” said Halsey, ahead of the intriguing Reachfields Stadium clash.

“We’ve had a good run against other Ryman League sides, we’ve played Faversham, Maidstone and Whitstable and we go to Hythe.  Great, looking forward to it, to play another Ryman League side to pit ourselves against.”

With the Kent Hurlimann Football League kicking off on 13 August, Halsey is finalising his squad ahead of their opening day trip to Beckenham Town.

He said: “I think anyone who plays any standard of football knows for ninety minutes it’s serious and competitive.  I will be putting into my players, obviously we want to win, because we want to keep the mentality going.  We don’t want to win because it’s Hythe.  We want to win every game we play in.  I’ve said all along, we set ourselves out to do the right things and hopefully win the game.

“To win it, all good and said. If we don’t, as long as we try and do the right things, carry on playing football in the right areas and move it around as quick as we can, I’d be happy with that because pre-season has been good, unbeaten as well.

“I didn’t win a game in pre-season all last pre-season.  I’m not going to bare anything on it.   It’s good to have that winning mentality early on in the season.”

Herne Bay clinched the Bruce Smith Shield from arch-rivals Whitstable Town last weekend, and Halsey played down the suggestion that his players want to get one over Hythe, after their mammoth Kent League title battle last season.

“No. Not at all!  I wouldn’t let them think like that,” said Halsey.

“Last week I had to make sure they had the mentality against Whitstable of not doing silly things.  It’s a derby, we’re (not) going to go out and do silly things.  I was trying to keep them all focused. At the end of the day, we’re playing another eleven players in different colours every week and as long as we do what I ask them to do, we won’t be far off winning games.

“I won’t let anyone think they beat us to the league and we want to win it.  We just want to win the game as it’s a game of football and that’s why we train and turn up on a Saturday.”

Halsey has this morning unveiled the signing of goalkeeper, Bradley Ashmore, from Kent League rivals Deal Town.

He said: “I’m always excited.  I enjoyed my summer family break, it was absolutely brilliant, but football’s football.  I’m back into it now and absolutely raring to go.  We’ve added a couple of signings, James Sherman and Olly Bartram have signed.  They’ve been excellent for me and I’ve just finished off today by signing Bradley Ashmore, the Deal Town goalie.”

Ashmore will battle it out with highly-rated stopper Dan Eason for the number one jersey.

“I went all the way through last season hoping Dan didn’t get injured and he didn’t apart from early on when I had to get Steve Northwood in who was from Grays who filled in for me for a month, but I don’t want to get into that situation when I lose Dan on a Saturday and we’ve got a game Tuesday night and I’ve got to try and get a goalie for Tuesday night. I had to make sure we were settled and we are settled now.

“I’ve got two goalies, who are pushing for that number one shirt.”

Herne Bay shared the Kent League Challenge Shield following a mundane 1-1 draw with Faversham Town 12 months ago – but Saturday’s game will go straight to penalties if the game ends in a draw after 90 minutes, without the need of extra time.

“We shared it for six months with Faversham last year, didn’t we. Perhaps they (the Kent League) changed it as I had a moan about it.  I said how can we play a cup competition and nobody’s taken it home.   We haven’t even had penalties, how can we share a cup?

“Perhaps they’ve listened to it.  If it’s penalties, fine.  The way Hythe play and the way we play, I can’t see it as a goal-less draw!”

Visit Herne Bay’s website: www.hernebayfc.net 

Hythe Town  v  Herne Bay
Kent League Challenge Shield
Saturday 6^th August 2011
Kick Off 3:00pm
at Reachfields Stadium, Fort Road, Hythe, Kent CT21 6JS