Keepers invited to fourth Keeper Wars event

Sunday 16th May 2010

LEGENDARY Dartford goalkeeper coach John Macrae invites Kent based goalkeepers to the fourth KEEPER WARS at Princes Park Stadium next month, writes Stephen McCartney.

The event takes place on the community pitch outside Dartford’s Princes Park Stadium on Sunday 6th June from 11am and there are 60 places up for grabs.

Last year Rob Tolfrey (Kingstonian) and Ross Mitchell (Holmesdale’s keeper coach) beat a pair from Birmingham in last year’s final as £1,500 was raised for the Heart Foundation charity.

This year’s nominated charity of Help For Heroes.

“This is our fourth year of doing it,” Macrae told www.kentishfootball.co.uk today. “It’s grown from 23 keepers the first year to 53 last year, with the quality of the keeper’s improving year on year.

“This year we’ve made 60 as the maximum we can have, just for the logistics.

“It’s really going well, again, it’s a great opportunity for the keeper’s to get together, help a worthy charity and also a great opportunity for managers and coaches around the Kent area, who haven’t got their keepers sorted out, they can all see them all in one place on one day!

“Last year for the Heart Foundation we raised £1,500, which is a magnificent effort. We can’t put a price on it, whatever comes our way will go to the charity.”

Stoppers including Jamie Turner, Craig Holloway, Andrew Young, Tony Kessell, Scot Chalmers-Stevens, Matt Reid, Paul Hyde and Simon Overland (who lives in Maidstone and is looking for a new club following his release from Blue Square Premier side Hayes & Yeading) will be going through the rigorous session.

“Keeper Wars is a pair of goalkeepers, which you don’t get as they’re normally lone individuals, now they’re in teams against another pair, twenty-yards apart and it’s three minutes of intense activity in each game to try and score against each other alternatively.

“It’s really good fun! People that get to the final are exhausted. It’s like pre-season training, twice, they all get something out of it.

“We’ve got glove manufacturers (Protec from Essex) coming down to sponsor it this year.

“As we’ve moved up as a club, Dartford, we’ve got more Conference South keepers, Ryman Premier League keepers, right down to Kent County.

“It’s completely open, it’s about being on the day. You could have the two best Conference South keepers who will lose to two Kent County League keepers. It’s just on the day, which makes it really good.”

Macrae saw three of his prodigies enjoy plenty of success last season.

Dartford number one, Andrew Young, played a major part in helping the club clinch promotion to Blue Square South as Ryman Premier League title winners; Adam Molley picked up England Schoolboy International caps; and Deren Ibrahim picked up a Kent Senior Cup winners medal and young player-of-the-year at Ryman League Division One South side Sittingbourne.

“As a goalkeeper coach you’d like to think you prepare them physically,” explained Macrae.

“In our standard and above it’s a mental fitness you’re trying to get, being strong minded and focused.

“I’ve got some motivational audio CD’s, which I give to my keepers, I.e. Andrew Young and Adam Molley, who got his caps for England Schoolboys Under 18s. He’s been training for five weeks at West Ham, but I’ve only just come back from Spain so I haven’t caught up with him. He’s done really well, the same as Deren Ibrahim, who has been out at Sittingbourne this season and got young player-of-the-year and a Kent Senior Cup Final medal.”

Macrae revealed that Ibrahim and Young are away with the FA of Wales to get their coaching badges under their belts and that Macrae will follow them next week to obtain his UEFA B license.

Meanwhile, Dartford’s academy side make the trip to Rushden & Diamonds Nene Park on Tuesday (7:45pm) to face Kent rivals Bromley in the Academy Youth Conference Final.

“That’s fabulous!” added Macrae. “This is their last year, several of the boys that started three years ago with Simon (Copley) and Jamie (Coyle) and they were losing and getting beaten in the first season and the managers got the team playing tremendous football.

“This is the pinnacle! They’re in a National Cup Final. That’s a great little story and I’m really chuffed for them!”

When asked why two Kent club’s must travel up to Northamptonshire to play the final, Macrae simply replied, “That’s the way it works out! So What! Everybody has to come down to Wembley for a Cup Final, no matter where they’re from!”

To enter Keeper Wars please contact John Macrae on 07729 170 687

To book your seat on the coach to Rushden & Diamonds FC - which will depart Princes Park at 4pm on Tuesday - please call Steve Irving on 07961 303 704

Visit Dartford’s revamped new website: www.dartfordfconline.com