Professional outlook pays dividends for Invicta

TONBRIDGE INVICTA are confident that they can clinch promotion to the Vandanel Kent County League top flight for the very first time at the end of the season, writes Stephen McCartney.

The Swanmead outfit are sitting proudly at the top of the Division One West table, with seven wins and two draws from their opening ten games.

Manager Mark Kerrigan and his assistant Brian Meaney have worked very hard this year, making some slight changes to how the team play, and this has brought success in their second season at this level.

Kerrigan has been working with the team for over five years now and has seen success in the form of promotion from the second division two seasons ago - and with a focus on stability last season the club has developed and are well prepared for a promotion push.

Former Sevenoaks Town coach, Meaney, meanwhile, arrived at the club at the start of this season, having endured a turbulent season with Crockenhill and parted company with the beleaguered Wested outfit at the end of last season, saying “we both had different ideas on the direction of the team.”

Veteran boss John Adams is still in charge of the Crocks, but Meaney is enjoying life in the lower reaches of Kent football.

Meaney, meanwhile, has brought a little extra to the training, under floodlights at nearby Hadlow College, and this has paid dividends on the pitch.

The pair knew that they have a team capable of doing well this season but after their best ever start the club are now looking like contenders for promotion.

“The team is becoming one of the hardest teams to beat in the league as the team has worked hard on stopping teams from scoring as this was one of the concerns from last year,” Meaney told www.kentishfootball.co.uk tonight.

“So far nine goals in ten games is an excellent return with 23 goals scored.

“We have a very strong unit here at Tonbridge Invicta, with all players and management alike enjoying the early success.”

However, the pair are not thinking thatr the league is has been won, and they're working ever so hard to maintain their early season form.

“We have been trying to convey to the squad that every game is a cup final and that they need to earn every point and the team are responding well to this,” added Meaney.

Invicta look forward to a tough looking January, starting with their trip to Coney Hall in the cup tomorrow.

“It is nice to have a cup run, but the focus this year is the league,” said Meaney.

“The players should be very proud of what they have achieved so far, but anything other than a top three finish would now be classed as a disappointing season.

“But this will not come without a lot of hard work on the training pitch, and the usual commitment and determination on the pitch.

“We have not been let down so far by the players in their commitment, but more will be asked of them if we are to get promoted into the Vandanel Kent County Premier.”