Soccer Shorts: Kent coach teams up with Martin Allen at Notts County

DOVER ATHLETIC boss Martin Hayes says he has Luke I’Anson and Conor Eassam available for the trip to Dorchester Town tomorrow.

The Whites sit in sixth place in the Blue Square Bet South table, one point adrift of fifth-placed side Chelmsford City, with only four games left to play.

Hayes said: “I’m looking forward to continuing our good away form and maybe if results go well for us then hopefully we’ll get in the top five.”

FAVERSHAM TOWN assistant manager Clive Walker says he is going to throw in some youngsters in for the game against Whyteleafe at Salters Lane tomorrow.

The Lilywhites are presently sitting in eleventh place in the Ryman League Division One South table, with a record of 12 wins, 16 draws and 10 defeats, and welcome a Whyteleafe side that are sitting nine points above the relegation zone in seventeenth place.

“With four matches left to play, we hopefully will be looking for 9-10 points to finish the season on a good note, especially as we have three players (Tom Hickman, Matt Bourne and Shane Hamshare) out for the season.

“So being stretched we will be giving opportunities for our young players, which will give us a good insight to next season,” said Walker, who reported that Ashley Brown and Dave Bathgate will be available next weekend.

MAIDSTONE UNITED player-manager Jay Saunders knows his side must beat Concord Rangers at Homelands tomorrow to avoid suffering relegation from the Ryman Premier League.

The Stones have not won a single league game in Ashford this season, but a win over the Canvey Island based side - who are two places and two points underneath the play-off’s, would do the trick.

Maidstone United are seven points from safety and only have four league games left to play.

Saunders said: “Tomorrow is a massive, must-win game for us and it will be a hard game as Concord have had a good first season in the Ryman Premier.

“But we are going in to the game confident we can come away with three points as we are a very good attacking side, so if we can be solid at the back I’m sure we will score goals.”

Former Tonbridge Angels striker, Jay May, returns to the squad, following the birth of his daughter, but on-loan striker Adam Burchell is suspended.

Saunders added: “Other than that, the boys know what we have to do.”

SEVENOAKS TOWN boss Keith Levett insists his side will not lie down and die when champions-elect Hythe Town visit Greatness Park tomorrow.

The Oaks sit in sixth place in the Safety Net Associates Kent League table with a record of 12 wins, 3 draws and 11 defeats, and Hythe are five points clear of Herne Bay at the top, with only four games left to play.

“We are all looking forward to the game against Hythe,” said Levett, who also runs the Welling United Academy.

“Hythe are a good side and have some very good players.  They have also strengthened further during the last few weeks and if we are to get a result against them we must make sure we compete or we will be in for a difficult afternoon.

“We also have some good players and we will be aiming for a positive result and to finish as strongly as we can.

“We have struggled to be consistent but I think that comes with a young side.  On our day we have been a match for most teams in the Kent League and we will certainly go into the game with a positive attitude.

“I think the pressure is on them to get a result and we hope to make it as difficult as we can for Hythe but that wouldn’t be any different for any team we play.”

THAMESMEAD TOWN assistant manager Hugo Langton says he will miss the club’s home game against Enfield Town tomorrow as he is overseeing Martin Allen’s coaching camp in Nottingham.

Pro FC - www.profc.net - is a five-day, four-night residential training camp.  On arrival, each Pro FC player will join a squad.  Managers and coaches from the LMA and PFCA will then manage, train and coach their respective squads before selecting a team of players from their squad who are most likely to win their “Pro FC Match” on the Friday.

Players will be given a rare opportunity to train with managers and coaches who have worked at one or more of the top 92 professional League club in England.

Each evening, players will attend a presentation from specialists in their field who will talk about various career opportunities within football (a pro footballer or manager, health and nutrition experts, scouts, medical staff, technical analysts, commercial execs, club secretaries, referees and more...) 

Pro FC also offer football managers and coaches the chance to learn from the best, working alongside professional managers and coaches throughout the week. Their 'Assistant Manager' positions are limited and sold out extremely quickly ahead.

Forest-Hill based Langton, who has coached Gillingham’s Ladies, Rusthall, Holmesdale, Ashford Town and now Thamesmead Town, explained why he is working with the current Notts County boss.

“I met Martin Allen in January and we got on,” said Langton, who is employed as a coach at League One club Charlton Athletic.

“He invited me to help with the coaching at his first Pro FC camp in Warwick in February.  This is the second one now, although I have been mostly at Notts County with him and I‘m also helping him oversee his Pro FC training camp at Keele University, Stoke.”

When asked what’s it’s like working alongside the former Barnet boss, Langton replied, “He’s a good proper man, a great manager and coach and a great motivator.  His players at Notts County will testify to that.

“He is very much his own man and does things his way.  Some say he’s mad, believe me he ain’t.  He’s a very clever bloke.”

VCD ATHLETIC boss Ricky Bennett says he wants his side to pick themselves up to ensure they hold on to third place in the Safety Net Associates Kent League.

The Crayford based side are three points clear of fourth-placed Greenwich Borough and Bennett doesn’t want his side to drop by the wayside in their last remaining four league games.

Vickers were controversially relegated out of the Ryman League after just one season due to ground grading issues and Bennett replaced Paul Foley (who opted to move to Chatham Town) and Bennett had to re-build his squad from scratch.

“I’m looking for a positive reaction to be honest after last week’s defeat against Greenwich Borough,” said Bennett.

“Our performances of late haven’t been good enough and we can’t let all the hard work throughout the season go to waste by just seeing out the rest of the season in “jolly up” mode.

“We know we will be in for a tough game against Deal on Saturday as when we went to their place a couple of weeks back they really worked their socks off, but they also have some good players too, so we will need to be on our game as they have hit a bit of form of late.

“I think the runners up spot it too much of an ask to be fair, so we must make sure we get that third spot, which will still be a great season in terms of what we set out to do when we were putting this side together in the summer, but the performances will have to improve for us to achieve that.”

WELLING UNITED player-manager Jamie Day insists he will treat relegated side St Albans City the respect they deserve when he takes his side to Clarence Park tomorrow.

St Albans have suffered with a ten-point deduction, and as a result are rock bottom in the Blue Square Bet South table, whilst the Wings are in the play-off picture in fourth-place.

“It’s a game which we’ll not be taking lightly,” said Day.

“They have nothing to lose so will be making it difficult, but hopefully we can get a good result and keep us in the play-off’s.”

Day added: “We know the teams around us are playing each other so we need to be professional and get three points.

This year’s final will be played at Dartford’s Princes Park Stadium and will be contested by two Blue Square Bet South clubs (Dartford and Bromley) on Bank Holiday Monday, 2 May, which should attract a crowd of at least 1,500.

Paul Dolan said: “We are still in negotiations with the club’s regarding the Kent Senior Cup and we hope to make an announcement in the very near future.”

Meanwhile, Mr Dolan has confirmed the match officials for Sunday’s Kent Senior Trophy Final, which is being contested by Tunbridge Wells and Erith Town at Park View Road, Welling (3pm).

Ian Fissenden will take charge of the game and he will be assisted by Paul Yates and Kevin Welsh, with Mike Marsh taking up fourth official duties.

When asked if there was any prize money involved in the Kent Senior Trophy, it appears that the two Kent League club’s will not be in line of a cash bonus for reaching the showpiece final.

Mr Dolan said, “As per the competition rules, the two clubs in the final will receive 30% each of the gate receipts.”