Soccer Shorts: Fans to contribute towards Folkestone Invicta's monthly CVA

Friday 19th February 2010

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EBBSFLEET UNITED chairman Duncan Holt hopes last night’s fans’ forum at Stonebridge Road will benefit the Blue Square Premier club.

BBC Radio Kent hosted a question-and-answer meeting with key personnel inside the Fleet Social Club last night, which was also broadcasted over the internet, as the club aim to bring much-needed finance into the club when renewals are up for grabs.

“We can exist with 5,000 members,” Mr Holt told BBC Radio Kent. “We’ve got about 8,500 at the moment. 2,500 have signed up to long-term deals and about 4,200 are up for renewal on Friday.

“It’s a crucial time to find out two thirds of the way through the season what your cash flow is for the rest of the season.

“The biggest issue is that although a lot of local fans are members, at £50-£100 what access can you have for your club. We are pushing for more and more local members that we could have.”

FOLKESTONE INVICTA boss Neil Cugley hopes their away game at Sittingbourne goes ahead as he expects a good game in prospect between two good young sides, writes Stephen McCartney.

Sittingbourne’s home game against Chipstead was abandoned after just sixteen minutes due to a waterlogged pitch last night and Cugley, speaking to www.kentishfootball.co.uk is looking forward to his side’s visit to Bourne Park at the weekend.

“It will be a good game,” said Cugley. “We’ve played them twice, we beat them once in the league and they beat us in the FA Cup, so there’s not much to chose between the two sides.

“The league is a close league with quite a lot of close games.

“They’ve got some good youngsters, like us. I’m looking forward to a good game.”

Meanwhile, chairman Lynn Woods, says the club has paid the first month of their CVA, and must pay £800 per month for the next 59 weeks.

“We now have details of the CVA account and I’ve passed it on to Clive Arnold so that standing orders can be orchestrated by the supporters club,” Mr Woods told supporters.

“Initial payments due under the CVA have been covered, so I have suggested that those happy to support the club in this way commit to a standing order for 59 months (rather than 60). The amount subscribed is entirely for each person to decide.

“The account is in the name of the club, but is held and administered by the Insolvency Practitioner, so subscribers can be assured that it won’t be possible to divert their contributions elsewhere.”

WELLING UNITED would like to congratulate former midfielder Ben Greenhalgh on winning SKY1 television show Football’s New Star.

The teenage winger won a professional contract with Inter Milan after impressing the coaches of the Italian giants.

MAIDSTONE UNITED skipper Jay Saunders says he jumped at the chance to become the club’s player/coach, under the recently installed management team of Peter Nott and Tony Cornwell.

“It was an easy decision to accept the position once I had spoken to Pete and Tony,” Saunders told www.maidstoneunited.co.uk.

“Although I had seen them both around the club I had never spoken to them and so when the chairman offered me the position I didn’t say yes straight away as I didn’t want to step on anyone’s toes.

“I knew that Pete and Tony would be keen to make a good impression and secure their jobs on a long-term basis and so I didn’t want to get in the way.

“However, once I spoke to them I knew I was going to take the job.

“Pete and Tony are really nice fellas. They are keen to get the boys playing football and they seem to have some good ideas as well.

“I think it is possible that the boys knew deep down that things were not right with Lloyd and Alan for a few games before they resigned. Their enthusiasm seemed to have gone a bit but we didn’t think that they were going to resign. However, if they felt things were not right then it is better for all concerned that they have moved on.

Leading goalscorer, James Pinnock, meanwhile, has pledged his future with the Stones.

“In recent weeks a few of our players have received offers from other clubs,” added Saunders.

“James Pinnock has recently turned down an offer from Billericay. We are all good friends and have been together for a long time, and as yet no one has left.”

ERITH & BELVEDERE coach Matt Longhurst slammed his players for their poor performance at Bulmers Cider Kent League leaders Faversham Town last weekend.

The Deres finished the game with only seven players on the Salters Lane pitch as both Roland Duo and goalscorer David Conway were both red-carded and Adrian Deane and Tom Binks hobbled off through injury.

Longhurst, who was speaking to www.erithandbelvederefc.co.uk was clearly upset over the embarrassing 6-1 defeat.

“Saturday's disappointing performance at Faversham Town was just not acceptable,” he fumed. “At any level of football, even school boy football, would see better defending from simple, long balls.

“Our failure to do this against a direct team resulted in a humiliating performance with a poor end result and by no means will we deem this acceptable for this football club.

“We have to take collective responsibility for this, as players and management. The players let the football club down with their performance and we as management have to take responsibility for putting those players on the pitch, players that clearly didn't show any passion or quality, both of which are a must.

“The minimum requirement is to work hard and be difficult to beat. We certainly didn't do this.

“We will not hide though and we will work hard this Saturday morning in training to put the wrongs right. With detail and hard work, we owe the club a performance after last Saturday and we will try our best to give them one on Tuesday evening at Park View Road.

“It's now about how we react. Better teams than us have been beaten like that before and will again, but it's all about how we react now. We are slowly changing the mentality at this football club; perhaps we are further away than we first thought?

“We still had important players missing last Saturday including Byron Walker, Jon Neal, Dave Waters and Matt Bromby as well as having two men sent off due to ill discipline, so we were not at full strength. I remain adamant that this is still far from good enough.

“Some managers hide when they lose, we won't. We accept it's not good enough. I've said we are in transition, and we are. I have full confidence in what we are doing and believe this time next season will be a very different story. If Radders (Richie Radbourne) and I didn't believe that, we wouldn't be here.

“Unfortunately, it's now all about next season and the long term plan to which I aspired to prior to last weekend, and that's still the case. We must have a group of players who want to play for this football club, the management team and each other. We will achieve this.

“Over the next few weeks you'll see evidence of this happening and we will move forward. Anyone expecting us to just let the rest of the season go to waste is very much mistaken.

“Maybe our pre season starts now so that next August we will be very much on the front foot.”

MUCH-TRAVELLED but popular striker Micky Collins has paid tribute to the late Harry Richardson, a man that Collins has described as a “larger than life character.”

“I played for Harry at Alma Swanley,” reflected Collins. “He offered me £40 a game, £10 win bonus and £10 a goal and I scored four and we won.

“On approaching H for my money, he told m to meet him and the lads at a pub in Dartford. I went to the pub, he handed me the money then took it back swiftly saying you always put your first weeks wages in the whip but I if I wanted I could stay and drink it. I duly obliged.

“A great character and he will be missed. RIP Harry”.

FAVERSHAM TOWN boss Justin Luchford takes his side to much-improved side Sporting Bengal United tomorrow, with their 6-1 home win over Erith & Belvedere fresh in the memory.

The Lilywhites are sitting proudly at the summit of the Bulmers Cider Kent League table by ten points, although second placed side Herne Bay have three games in hand.

Luchford should be pretty much at full-strength against Sporting Bengal, a side that are sitting in eleventh place in the table, with a record of six wins and four draws from their 20 league games. Last season, the Mile End outfit failed to pick up a single point.

The two sides played out a goal-less draw at Salters Lane back in November.

“We have had a good week but things can change so quickly in football,” Luchford told www.favershamtownfc.co.uk.

HERNE BAY boss Simon Halsey says he will need every single member of his squad firing on all cylinders if they are to challenge local rivals Faversham Town for the Bulmers Cider Kent League table.

The Winch’s Field outfit may be ten points behind the Lilywhites, yet they do have three games in hand, and they welcome Greenwich Borough to Stanley Gardens tomorrow.

“A successful squad is a happy squad and ours is quite successful at the moment,” the former Whitstable Town assistant manager told www.hernebayfc.net.

“So many squad members and only 11 starting places each game but every member of my squad is ready to take their chance as soon as it comes along and they all know that whether on the pitch, the bench or , if neither, then cheering on those that are.

“They are all highly valued members of the club. I am not worried about anyone leaving as the lads gel very well together. It's a great set-up at the club and one everyone wants to be a part of. “

HOLMESDALE are delighted to announce the appointment of Alex Hill as their new reserve team manager, following the recent shock resignation of Johan Oosterling.

Hill, who was speaking to www.holmesdalefc.co.uk, told fans of the Bromley based club his footballing background.

He said: "I started playing for Pheonix at the age of 23 where I enjoyed two good seasons before moving to Erith Town at the age of 25.

“The following season I transferred to Crockenhill where I spent another two good seasons. During this time I also played briefly at Slade Green and Swanley Furness before a knee injury halted my career.

“After a long lay off I returned to football at Fleetdown United and Belvedere FC in the Kent County League and finished my career back at Crockenhill at 35.

“I spent the following season (and still remain) as a scout for Barnet in League Two, before my first appointment as manager for Dartford Celtic in the Kent Suburban Football League.

“I was then approached by the management of Bexley Borough to become first team manager. After a successful period I now find myself at Holmesdale.

“The attraction of Kent League football and the chance to work with a hard working committee behind the scenes meant this choice was easy for me.

“I hope to bring many attributes to Holmesdale that can help the club moving forward. I believe my commitment levels and drive will succeed in the development of the football club which in turn will hopefully bring us long term success.”

RUSTHALL are looking for someone to take over from Mick Mace as the club’s general secretary at the end of this season.

This is one, if not the most important positions in the club. Interested parties should contact the club chairman Robbie Forbes by email Robbie.forbes@rusthallfc.co.uk . Please mention that you read this piece on www.kentishfootball.co.uk.

Meanwhile, the club’s ladies side welcome Millwall Lionesses to Jockey Farm this coming Sunday (21st February) for a place in the semi-final of the Kent Ladies Cup. The bar and burger bar will be open and kick-off is at 1:30pm.