I wouldn’t swap any of my players with theirs, says Abbott

Friday 19th February 2010

AFTER their Thursday night home game with Chipstead was abandoned, Sittingbourne boss Gary Abbott has no new injury worries prior to the weekends big Kent derby in Ryman League Division One South that sees leaders Folkestone Invicta visit Bourne Park, writes Mike Green.

Although the men from Cheriton Road are soon to be officially docked their points for going into administration, Abbott knows that Neil Cugley’s side present a formidable hurdle – a hurdle that his side does now face at least not having played twice in 72 hours.

Speaking to www.kentishfootball.co.uk, the Brickies boss began by expressing his feelings on the 16 minutes of play that were possible at Bourne Park.

He said: “We managed to get the game started, but it was getting dangerous and we can now properly look forward to Saturday now.

“We played 13 minutes and could have been three up and we wanted to get the three points but in hindsight it was too dangerous.

“With the squad we’ve got and a couple of the boys carrying knocks, part of me is glad that we didn’t have to play 90 minutes against Chipstead but that said I’m confident that with this squad we can beat Folkestone on Saturday.

“In any game in this league you really can’t call it as everyone seems to be beating everyone else, but we’re on a decent run, and we want to keep it going – the boys are so positive at the minute that I just want to keep going and keep being positive and I think everyone likes that.”

With the success that Sittingbourne have had in the past few weeks comes the obvious pitfalls associated with modern day Non League football and that is “richer” clubs come sniffing around your players – something that Abbott admitted has happened at Bourne Park.

“We’ve just had seven dayers in for Colin Richmond and Jimmy Bottle but they’ve both said to me that they’ll stay.

“Jimmy is wanted by Corydon (Athletic) but he’s told me that he likes it here and wants to help us get promoted as does Colin and I think that that is brilliant as I was worried that they’d both go, and I don’t want our season to go down the pan after losing two or three players.

“Corydon (Athletic) haven’t actually spoken to Jimmy yet, so very much fingers crossed.”

Turning his attention back to the weekend, Abbott was clearly welcoming the League Leaders arrival.

He said: “I’d play Folkestone anytime especially as they’ve been beaten recently and with everything else that’s going on down there, but as I said before we know that its going to be a tough game – they’ve got some quality players in their side and a couple of loanees, so I think they’ll be a different side to the one we played earlier in the season (the Brickies won 1-0 at Cheriton Road in the FA Cup whilst Folkestone won the first league game 3-1).

“I’ve seen them play but I still wouldn’t swap any of my players with theirs. They’re solid and well organised, knowing what to do with set plays and that gets teams a long way in this league and that’s the level we’re trying to reach here at Sittingbourne. Everyone should know their jobs now and with the results I think it’s coming together.”

With the pain of just missing out on the Play Offs 12 months before, the next few weeks and their challenges cannot come quickly enough for the Brickies boss who concluded our conversation by saying, “after going so close last year, and I would have loved to have made it, I’m so determined to make the Play Offs as on our day we can beat any team in this league and so we’re looking at that fifth spot as a target, and if we get there then job done.

“And then we can tale it that little step further and hopefully get into the Ryman Premier League.”

www.kentishfootball.co.uk will be covering this game.

Visit Sittingbourne’s website: www.sittingbournefc.co.uk

Sittingbourne v Folkestone Invicta

Ryman League Division One South

Saturday 20th February 2010

Kick Off 3:00pm

At Bourne Park, Central Park Stadium, Eurolink Industrial Estate, Church Road, Sittingbourne, Kent ME10 3SB