Nobody expects us to win the Kent League title now, says Erith Town boss James Collins

ERITH TOWN manager James Collins has made new signings in a bid to keep involved in the Kent Hurlimann Football League title race.



Collins and Dean Morris took over the Dockers after Tony Russell and his assistant Ray Powell left to take over VCD Athletic back on 27 October despite the club sitting proudly at the top of the table.

Erith Town are presently sitting in second-place in the table, with 38 points from 15 games – the same record as leaders Erith & Belvedere.

VCD Athletic are ithird, two points behind, but they have played three games more, with Whyteleafe two points adrift of them.

When asked about the Kent League title race, Collins, who was the club’s reserve team manager at the start of the season, said: ”After the weekend (weather permitting) us and Erith & Belvedere will be only half way through the league season in terms of league games played, so there is still such a long way to go.

”But I don’t think it’s just about us and Erith & Belvedere. Whyteleafe have now got to grips with the league after a slow start and are on a good run.

”VCD have started picking up points and Beckenham and Tunbridge Wells are capable of beating anyone and putting a run together, so it would be silly to rule anyone out as there’s such a long way to go and it looks wide open.

”If you pushed me for an answer, it’s Erith & Belvedere’s to lose. With Whyteleafe taking a while to get into their stride and change of management at VCD and with ourselves all three teams have gone through a transition during the course of the season, where Erith & Belvedere have been building for something like three years.

”That certainly doesn’t mean we have thrown in the towel though.”

Collins revealed the upheaval that followed Russell’s departure over to Crayford.

He said: “When I spoke to you just after I took over after a meeting with players’, management and committee, it was unanimously agreed that me and Dean would come in and carry on the job that Tony started.

”However, since then it has been absolute carnage and without going in too much detail it soon became apparent that remit set out to me was to become impossible for many different reasons, so we have basically stumbled and struggled over the last two months as I have tried to rebuild slowly and surely.

”I have managed to get new players in and whilst Cup results have suffered we have only lost one league game so as I said to the players to be joint-top at the end of January, we are still in a fantastic position to give it a bloody good go and give our all for the next three months and see where it takes us.”

Collins has been recently busy bringing in fresh faces and has signed Joe Obersteller (on loan from Welling United), Aaron Dalhouse (Dulwich Hamlet), Laurence Collins (VCD Athletic), Dean Ruddy (Hythe Town), Dean Elliott (Seven Acre & Sidcup), Ciro Donadio (Horsham), Carlton Murrary-Price (Corinthian-Casuals) and former Charlton Athletic striker Tamer Tuna has returned to the club.

Collins said: "They will all go into the squad for Saturday so it has been a big rebuilding job which is still ongoing.

"As we said to them last night the pressure is off us now. We can enjoy ourselves and give it a good go because nobody expects us to win it now.”

Erith Town welcome Ben Taylor’s Woodstock Sports to Erith Stadium on Saturday.

The rural Sittingbourne based outfit lie in the bottom-five in the table, with five wins and five draws from their sixteen league games.

Collins said: "Really looking forward to Woodstock, the boys are itching for a game. Training was very much on the edge last night as they are raring to get started again.

"Woodstock are a team I admire.  I hear they are not everyone's cup of tea but I like them and Ben Taylor has done a great job there with not a huge amount of credit.

"I went to watch them a few weeks ago and people were shouting 'you're just a Sunday League side', but what I like about them is they laugh and agree, but that's a huge disservice to them. They are not a Sunday League side at all.  They are a good side, but they have the same principles as a Sunday side, they are a team of mates who stick together, work hard, look after each other but most of all enjoy themselves.

"So if we want to get anything out of the game we are going to need to match them in every department and deal with whatever they throw at us.

"But we are just looking forward to playing again.  Football is a journey and we are about to embark on another one. I just hope this one is a lot more enjoyable than the last three months."

Meanwhile, Collins revealed that Bill Hutchings has been brought onto the coaching staff.

Hutchings holds a UEFA B licence and youth module two and has previously worked in America for three years and is an Academy coach at Npower Championship outfit Millwall.

Visit Erith Town’s website: www.erithtown.co.uk

Erith Town  v  Woodstock Sports
Kent Hurlimann Football League
Saturday 2^nd February 2013
Kick Off 3:00pm
at Erith Stadium, Avenue Road, Erith, Kent DA8 3AJ