Jones breaks his silence and admits he fears Hythe opener

SEVENOAKS TOWN manager Simon Jones admits he’s going into his first Bulmers Kent League game of the season in a state of trepidation, writes Stephen McCartney.

The Scott has played down his side’s chances of winning at Hythe Town on Saturday - a side that finished in the top-four last term.

Jones decided to keep a very low profile during the close season, not disclosing any details about team personnel or pre-season matches.

But they did beat a Cray Wanderers’ reserve side 6-2 in midweek and rival managers believe Jones’ men will do better than he’s making out.

“It’s a period of transition as you can imagine and we’re trying to shape the whole club together,” Jones said in his first ever interview with www.kentishfootball.co.uk.

“We hope we’ve prepared properly for the Kent League, but it’s going to be a new experience.

“Last season we fulfilled fixtures rather than compete but Saturday’s going to be a real test for us as Hythe are a good side.

“We don’t know if we’re going to be good enough. Our view is we want to get ourselves in a better position than last year (11^th place).”

Jones has changed the style of Sevenoaks Town’s play and believes his side can shock a few people this season.

“An improvement on last year is really the number one focus and if we can achieve that it will be a really good step forward,” he said.

“Sevenoaks had a reputation in the past of being physical and direct but we want to instil the (better) attitude throughout the club and our local park sides and through to the reserves and first team - and put some good performances in rather than (getting) the result.

“Again, it’s awful, because I’m saying nothing but something as I don’t want to set false expectations - I want to set achievable targets.”

Jones revealed the average age of the club’s reserve side is 18-19 and he’s pleased with the way the new-look first-team have bonded.

Sevenoaks Town have played numerous friendlies but have kept a very low profile by not telling anybody how they’ve performed.

But all eyes will be on their Bulmers Cider Kent League opener at Reachfields Stadium on Saturday.

“We’re going into the weekend with a bit of trepidation as we’ve been playing against (lower league) teams in pre-season,” said Jones.

“They’ve been confidence boosting and now the proof of the pudding is on Saturday, playing against a team contending for the Kent League this season and it will tell us if we’ve made progress or made a step backwards.”

And on his summer silence, Jones said: “The idea of a low profile is we don’t want to set any expectations and everything we do is seen as a surprise.

“I have great confidence in the squad and think we will have a good season but I’m not setting any crazy targets we can’t achieve.

“We’re trying to make Sevenoaks into a nice family club and play some nice football and move forward nicely. If we can play football on the pitch and have a nice experience, then it will be wonderful.”

Visit Sevenoaks Town’s website: www.sevenoakstownfc.org

Visit Hythe Town’s website:  www.hythetownfc.co.uk

Hythe Town v Sevenoaks Town
Bulmers Cider Kent League
Saturday 9^th August 2008
Kick Off 3:00pm
At Reachfields Stadium, Fort Road, Hythe, Kent