Soccer Shorts: Struggling Stones defer players wages

Friday 15th January 2010

Click here to read tonight’s Soccer Shorts articles

THE HEADLINE on the BBC’s website – 'Stones future in doubt' – will have sent a shiver down the spine of many Maidstone United supporters.

Nearly two decades after the demise of the original club some must have feared history was about to repeat itself.

"These have been some of the most difficult weeks I have had as Chairman of this club," Paul Bowden-Brown told www.maidstoneunited.co.uk.

"Clubs throughout the football pyramid have been hit by this bad weather.

"Our main and practically only income is from gate receipts on home matchdays. You only have to look back through the fixture list to see how few home games we have had in recent weeks. The weather has not frozen our outgoings and you don't need to be an accountant to work out the pressure that has caused.

"Businesses up and down the country have been affected by the conditions. They have had to make difficult decisions and a football club is no exception.

“I spoke with the management team, explained the situation and my plans to see us through. They have supported me and asked the players to do the same by deferring payments for a few weeks.

"We all have to work together. The management and players have shown their commitment and knowing our supporters as I do, I'm sure they will rally round for this great club.”

Manager Lloyd Hume added: "The chairman has been very supportive of me and Alan (Walker). We know the last few weeks have been hard for him.

“It was difficult breaking the news to the players but they understood and appreciated the reasons why. We said that if any of them wanted to leave they'd do so with our blessing.

"However, because we've built up such a strong and loyal side, we're going to get on with the job. Let's not forget we’re doing well in the league and are still in the FA Trophy and League Cup."

The Stones hope to finally get their home FA Carlsberg Trophy first round tie against Blue Square Premier side Histon underway at Homelands Stadium next Tuesday.

However, if the game falls for the SEVENTH time, then the Stones will have to travel to Histon to play the game the following evening.

Mr Bowden-Brown has issued a plea to Kent clubs for the use of their grounds next Tuesday, and one Kent club, Ebbsfleet United were offering to help, although their plans were scuppered by the Football Association.

Fleet secretary Peter Danzey said: “After having discussions with everyone at the club, including (grounds man) Peter Norton & Liam (Daish) we were prepared to offer Maidstone United the use of Stonebridge Road next Thursday, at a price of course anyway.

“I ran the idea past the FA and found out it is not possible, the game is scheduled to be played at Ashford Town next Tuesday, if the ground is still unfit then it will be played at Histon the following day.

“Obviously what Maidstone are asking for is a ground for next Tuesday if Homelands is unfit, obviously we cannot do this as were are at home to Kettering, the FA thanked us for our offer but unfortunately had to decline it.”

The Fleet can climb out of the Blue Square Premier relegation zone with a win over Altrincham at Stonebridge Road tomorrow.

Manager Liam Daish hopes his side blow away the cobwebs and continue with their impressive form over Christmas, which included completing the double over rivals Grays Athletic.

“We have to remind ourselves about the two wins over Christmas and remember how we played and take that into Saturday’s game,” Daish told BBC Radio Kent.

“We haven’t looked too bad at home so hopefully we’ll keep that going.

“Everyone is back, a few need a game in the next week or so but at least they’re all medically fit.”

Midfielder, Gavin Heeroo, is available to Daish, having suffered whiplash injuries following a car crash en-route to Hayes & Yeading on Monday 28th December.

DOVER ATHLETIC were the only team from Kent to have played since 2nd January, a 1-0 win at Fleetwood Town in the FA Carlsberg Trophy last Tuesday.

The Whites resume their promotion bid with a Blue Square South game at home to Havant & Waterlooville tomorrow.

Manager Andy Hessenthaler told BBC Radio Kent: "They've been stop-start but they are a dangerous side.

"They beat us in the first league game we lost, we beat them in the FA Trophy but let's hope we go into the game approaching it the right way and it's not after the Lord Mayor's show."

Dover are likely to change their central midfield partnership of Nicky Southall and Hessenthaler, at a combined age of 82.

Hessenthaler admitted he planned to play the first hour against Fleetwood but stiffened up after the half-time team talk so came off at the break.

WELLING UNITED have confirmed the results of yesterday’s FA Tribunal for former player, prolific goalscorer, Charlie Sheringham.

The Wings have been awarded £6,500 plus a 25% sell-on clause for the striker, who signed for their Blue

Square South rivals Bishop’s Stortford during the summer.

MARGATE manager Mark Butler welcomes his former club Ashford Town Middlesex to Hartsdown Park tomorrow, the first time he has faced them since leaving them in October.

Butler told BBC Radio Kent he knows as much about their opponents as his own side going into the game.

"I'd lie to you if I said I didn't look up when we were playing Ashford," he said.

"All 11 who played in the last game were all players who were there in my time but I understand they have changed their shape since I went.

"I would never back against my side, Margate, but they (Ashford) are solid and settled, and probably everything we're not at the moment.

"But we have got talent, we're just moulding it at the moment. It won't be long before we are on a par with Ashford."

Butler also revealed he is trying to sign midfielder Paul Johnson from his old side but he confirmed that he will not play on Saturday.

If Margate sign him before the match Butler confirmed that there will be an agreement in the deal preventing him from playing.

Margate have confirmed that striker Adrian Stone will not be joining the club, following his release from Blue Square South side Bromley.

“The club can confirm that Adrian has not signed for the Blues and that we have no intention of signing him,” said a club statement posted on www.margate-fc.com.

Meanwhile, Gordon Wallis has resigned from the board at Hartsdown Park, citing ill health.

A club statement said: “The directors are disappointed to announce that they have accepted the resignation of Mr Gordon Wallis from the Board of Margate Football Club.

“Gordon, who was appointed to the Board and to the position of Director of Football in October 2009, submitted his resignation in December citing ill health. He has further withdrawn his offer of funding for the club.

“The directors wish Gordon a speedy recovery.”

CHATHAM TOWN suggest that their home game against Merstham tomorrow looks destined to be called off.

A pitch inspection will be made at half-past-nine tomorrow and the Ryman League Division One South game looks to fall victim to a frozen pitch.

“There is still a carpet of snow a couple of centimetres deep over the whole pitch,” said a club statement today.

“Whilst we haven’t given up hope of playing yet, there’s probably only a 20% chance of playing. A lot will depend on the thaw today and any rain during the next 24 hours.

“To that end a final inspection will take place at 09:30am on Saturday morning to determine if the game can go ahead.

“It’s unlikely that the game will be played but the club must give the thaw every chance.” SATURDAY MORNING UPDATE: CHATHAM TOWN HAVE CONFIRMED THAT THE SNOW HAS MELTED AND THAT THE GAME HAS PASSED A PITCH INSPECTION

GREENWICH BOROUGH secretary Steve Firkins has revealed landlords Holmesdale will solve their floodlighting problems shortly.

Borough agreed a three-year groundshare deal with the Bromley based club, after being forced out of their modest Harrow Meadow ground at the end of last season.

“I received an email yesterday from their new secretary saying that a new generator is being installed in two weeks,” Mr Firkins told www.kentishfootball.co.uk today.

Putting his manager’s hat on, he added, “We managed a light training session last night for 40 minutes, which inevitably ended up as a massive snowball fight.”

ERITH TOWN are confident that their home game against Deal Town in the Bulmers Cider Kent League tomorrow will go ahead.

The last couple of days has seen a lot of hard work put in by manager Steve O’Boyle and club official Phil Legg to clear snow off the pitch and ready for the game.

The pitch at Erith Sports Stadium was covered in snow earlier in the week, but with the temperatures slowly rising any doubts of a frost have hopefully been erased.

The game will see the Dockers play their first league fixture for seven weeks.

TONY ATKINS possesses one of the best goalscoring records in the Kent League. Now the 32-year old striker is back at Sevenoaks Town and looking to add to his prolific tally in his second spell at Greatness Park.

He started well enough with a goal on his debut in the club's last game - a 3-2 win at Corinthian, in the club's last game on December 12, just as he had done in August 2006 when he was among the scorers in a home 3-3 draw against Slade Green.

However his return - and the arrival of former Holmesdale team-mate Badar Mohammad was a surprise as Simon Jones moved in to sign them, following a players walkout at Oakley Road.

Barristers clerk Atkins though wasn't involved in the dispute, running late due to family commitments while the other players were voting on refusing to play against Deal after a club dispute.

"I left there on good terms, life's too short to do anything else, but I was without a club,” Atkins told www.sevenoakstownfc.org.

“I had a few options, but was really impressed with what Simon had to say. He has built a really good squad, and Joe Little also has a very good reputation.

"Sevenoaks has real stability, and is a friendly family club, and I know people here very well like Tony Smart, Graham Logsdon and Eddie Diplock. It was a hard decision to leave in the first place, and I am pleased to be back."

He left to join Beckenham, had a short spell with Cray Wanderers in the Ryman League, before moving to Croydon, helping them beat Erith Town in the Kent Senior Trophy final at Welling last year.

He then joined Holmesdale "five minutes down the road" from the family home in Orpington, scoring eight goals for the Bromley based club this season, two of them against Sevenoaks.

Now he is looking to help push them on in the league and two cups, and added: It's a shame the weather has interrupted the season, and it will be like starting again.

He has been lucky enough to miss the snow and freezing temperatures with a New Year family break in the Spanish sunshine. However the downside, if there is one in those circumstances, was the flight home being delayed for five days

Manager Simon Jones is appealing against a Kent County Football Association misconduct charge after being ordered from the dug out during the 3-0 Bulmers Cider Kent League defeat against Faversham Town at Greatness Park on December 5.

The boss is accused of "improper or insulting behaviour towards match officials" but says it was mistaken identity, with the alleged comments apparently made in the direction of an assistant referee, by a spectator standing behind the barrier.

Referee Constantine Hatzidakis took the action after being alerted by his colleague. leaving Jones to watch the rest of the game from in front of the dressing rooms. He has appealed in writing and is waiting for a response.

Sevenoaks Town's Kent Senior Trophy tie against Milton & Fulston United at Bourne Park Sittingbourne tomorrow has been postponed for a FIFTH time. A new date will be confirmed as soon as possible.

It looks very unlikely that the Bulmers Cider Kent Premier Division Cup quarter-final first leg tie at home to Deal Town next Tuesday(Jan 19) will also go ahead.

The reserves home game against Erith Town on Saturday has also been postponed.

TUNBBRIDGE WELLS boss Martin Larkin goes into tomorrow’s trip to Sporting Bengal United feeling satisfied with his side’s campaign so far.

“I think ‘satisfied’ is a word I would use loosely,” he reflected, when speaking to www.tunbridgewellsfc.co.uk.

“We are never totally satisfied, but eighth in the table - considering the injury problems we have had - is probably a fair reflection. Having said that it could have been so much better, as we led in most of the games we have drawn, so we should really be at least eight points better off.

“But we have given ourselves a platform to really push on for the rest of this season. I am very keen that we constantly improve, and we certainly won’t be drifting through the remaining months. We still have our internal targets to achieve.”

Overall, 2009 was a year generally written off as a time best forgotten, but inside of Culverden, Larkin has a mixture of highlights as well as lowlights to reflect on. He started the year as assistant to Mike Robbins with Tunbridge Wells in a strong position near the top of the Kent League table.

Although the club would eventually finish in mid-table, Robbins opted to try his hand at a new challenge, and Larkin took up the reins.

Economic factors got their teeth into the club too, and Larkin was immediately tasked with retaining/building a squad with no budget, and as the months progressed, that side has gelled nicely leading into 2010 - and look a unit that can match most sides in the league on their day.

“Being offered the job was certainly a highlight, as was the players’ response when I told them I was thinking about taking it. They told me they would stay at the club if I took the job.

“On the flip-side, I think our cup games this year have certainly made for some of the lower points, which is a shame as they can really boost the atmosphere around the place, and obviously bring in much needed revenue.

“In the long-term I would say things have gone to plan though. Unless you have a lot of money you have to build towards success, and that is what we are doing here: the players seem much more integrated into the club this year, and training has certainly improved. We haven’t won as many league games as we would have liked but at the same time we haven’t lost too many either. These past six months have certainly given us a platform that wasn’t there back in July.”

So from the spring-board that the latter half of 2009 brought, Larkin and his staff look ahead to 2010 with specific demands for the second half of the season.

He said: "We will be sitting down with the players individually, telling them were they need to improve to remain in the team and to be asked back next year. We will be looking at improving our league record from the last two years where the club finished 10th. Our own target is slightly higher than that, and the guys themselves have no interest in just drifting through the remainder of the season. There’s still plenty to come and watch for the rest of 2009/10 Season.”

Among the things to watch out for is the continued emergence and development of the youngsters starting to come through the ranks - Ryan Waterman and Ben Williamson among them.

“There are four boys in total that are training with us each week: Ryan and Ben are the two who are old enough to sign forms, and hopefully we will be able to give them some game-time towards the end of the season, as long as the situation allows for it,” Larkin promises.

But on a more immediate level, the rest of January sees two potential banana-skins on the road for The Wells - in the form of a rejuvenated Sporting Bengal under the guidance of Mamum Chowdhury MBE on Saturday, and Norton Sports to close out January. Those games sandwich a tough match with title-chasing Hythe at Culverden.

“Sporting Bengal will be totally different to the Sporting we beat here on the opening day of the season, so that will be a real test," Larkin predicts. "They have beaten some good sides this year.

“We just keep looking to improve performances week-in-week-out and look to go on another unbeaten run. It’s pretty simple really: if you are picking points up each week, then you will not only maintain your place, but improve it. That is what we are looking to do.”