The club is very close of going out of existence if people don't help us, warns Keith McMahon

THAMESMEAD TOWN manager Keith McMahon has revealed the club is on the brink of going out of existence.



The cash-strapped Ryman League Division One North club have been frustrated for two years with the delay of getting into the new facilities at Bayliss Avenue and the costs are spiralling out of control.

Chairman Terry Hill said in his programme notes last night, “Our new stadium is taking longer to complete than first thought due to numerous reasons, which is out of our control.

“If you look to the left of the new building you can see our impressive 3G pitch. We keep looking at is, but we can’t use it! So it’s a frustrating time for us. We have been given a completion date of end of September.  The last thing to be demolished will be the clubhouse, which will become a new car park.  When it’s finished it will be fantastic for all at Thamesmead Town Football Club.”

McMahon, who was speaking after his side’s impressive 3-1 win over Romford, which was watched by a higher-than-average crowd of 70 fans, painted a much darker picture concerning life at Bayliss Avenue.

He said: “It’s nip and tuck. I won’t lie to you with what’s going on with the development being delayed. 

“The club is very close of going out of existence if people don’t come onside to help the club out a little bit.

“The committee have been brilliant. We’re working up against it.   You can see the surroundings we’re in. A few people are dragging their feet and putting the club on its backside at the moment and thinking what’s going to be great here and not thinking about what made the place great here and I think the football club need a little bit more respect and credit a little bit more for what we’ve done or the community and the area and hopefully if that’s all put in place the club will thrive.  Without it, very soon the club will go. Simple as that!”

McMahon, who has been first team manager since 2006, continued: “We were given a date and like most clubs you can only make money especially through the summer through functions and things like that and we haven’t been able to because we were told to cancel all bookings and everything. 

“The football club has not taken a penny since the last game of last season until now and it’s difficult.

“We’re going along the best we can. We’ve got some top players who are playing for hardly anything and we need a few people to rally round.

“This football club have been here for 41 years now.  They’ve done well. We do a lot in the community for the kids’, we coach for a lot of the schools and other things. 

“If things are right and done right with the development is coming along with us the whole area could flourish but I think people need to restock and have a little look and think what is going on here and what it is for.

“It’s not all for the football club, definitely not. It’s here for the community. I think people need to see the football club is meant for the community.  If that happens and things move forward we’ll be fine but at the moment it’s obviously precarious times.”

When asked when he expects the club to be in a position to move in to the new facilities, which include a 150-seater stand, which at the moment is closed to supporters, McMahon replied, “Haven’t got a clue! It was meant to be the end of September. We haven’t heard anything!

“If you go over there everything inside the building is nearly done. We’re waiting for the electric to be connected. There was a problem outside because of the Olympics and digging up roads because all councils say they couldn’t do it.

“I’m in the dark as much as everyone else. We’re supposed to be a part of it. We’ve been out of the loop. I’ll be surprised if we get in before Christmas. I’m not sure though!”

McMahon, who is also the club’s treasurer and his company’s name is on the front of the team’s green shirts, was asked about his future at the club.

He said: “Right at this minute in time it’s the hardest it’s been at this football club, everyone knows it locally.

“It’s for the players and the committee. I’ve got a lot of love for the committee that have been here for 40 years and without that I’d walk away tomorrow.

“I don’t know what the future’s going to hold for me if I’m honest, but at the moment it’s only the football that is keeping me here – apart from that I think I’d go!”

McMahon refused to name and shame the people that are to blame for putting Kent’s smallest Ryman League club on the brink of disaster.

He said: “Listen, I’m not going to point fingers at people, especially at the moment we’re trying to sort things out. There are people who have certainly to blame at certain points. We’ve had builders that have gone bust.

“I don’t want to start pointing fingers and things like that.  We have to get it all resolved.

“This football club is not all about me or any individual. It’s about the committee, Albert Panting, the Peter Tierney’s, Alan Martin’s and Terry Hill’s, who have been here for years and founded the club.

“After I go, if it’s midseason or end of season, whatever, this football club has still got to be here and that’s the most important thing. 

“We’ve tried so hard and we’ve tried everything we possibly can now.  I know deeply what’s gone in two years at this club. We seem to be the most unluckiest football club ever. We seem to be getting things together and then behind the bushes we get whacked at the back of the head by things we never knew about. That’s part and parcel of it.

“We want to resolve it and get into the building, grow a great partnership with the Trust (Trust Thamesmead) and everyone else and the community and push this football club on.

“I credit what the Trust are trying to do here in the community, but it’s got to be in the right way.

“It’s a very hard situation to do things with the community and try and make money.

“The disadvantage to us now with the amount of money the development cost because of the delays they have to make it back. If we didn’t have the builders go bust from day one we’d be in the building two years’ ago and maybe without the problems it has now.

“I feel very sorry for the Trust.  They must be pulling their hair out but it’s really, really hard at this end. Unfortunately there’s nothing we can do about it.  We’re right in the middle of it.  Hopefully it will all be resolved and we have a great time and the club can move on and I can do whatever I want to do and we’ll all be happy.”

McMahon revealed a charity game that will be staged at Bayliss Avenue on Wednesday 5 September, that he hopes will attract people through the gates and spending money through the bar.

He said: “We’ve got a massive charity event on 5 September, which hopefully the press will jump over.

“We’ve got a phone call to play HMS Ocean that’s moored up at Greenwich before they leave after the Olympics so we’re doing it for Help The Heroes.

“We want everyone to come out and basically say goodbye to the people who looked after us for the Olympics. 

“They’ve come to us and we know we can stage it and we owe them that and hopefully the community will come out to do that.  Hopefully raise some money behind the bar for us. If we can get people down here we will do anything for the community if we’re asked but we just need a little bit more help back.”

McMahon admitted first impressions of the club look bleak as the ground appears to be like a building site, but asks the local community to remain patient and still keep faith and watch his team in action.

Last night’s crowd of 70 was encouraging and McMahon wants similar or better crowds for their next game – against Brentwood Town on Bank Holiday Monday – or a FA Cup replay against Walton Casuals on Tuesday if Saturday’s Cup tie ends in a draw.

“When you walk into the car park it’s not the most appealing place,” McMahon admitted.

“Once this clubhouse is down, I know what it’s going to look like. It’s going to be an absolutely fantastic place to come to and sadly I doubt if I’m going to be here to see it when it’s all completely finished, who knows, but it’s something that Thamesmead should be proud off as a whole community and once it is there we’ll want people to come to watch it but you need a football club to do that.  Hopefully the people are proud what they’ve got here.”

For a club the size of Thamesmead Town to have established themselves in the Ryman League for five years is a remarkable achievement and the club is certainly punching above its weight.

McMahon has got to take credit for that and the football his side plays is certainly worth watching.

He said: “We’ve got ourselves up from a junior football club all the way to the Ryman League in such a short period of time and we’ve done well and we haven’t thrown money at it and hopefully we can go on and have a great future and everyone can be happy.”

Colin Mair, the club’s press officer, launched an internet appeal for sponsors to come forward to help out the club in their hour of need.

McMahon said: “We’ve very much so on the brink. We’ll do whatever we can. We’re not going to fall out of the league. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think we’ll let that happen, but we need some help big time!

“It’s a difficult time for everybody for sponsorship but there’s a few local people, local companies or local partners that could put themselves forward - but don’t.

“It’s one of those things we need to sort out but it’s difficult. I think every club apart from the bigger ones are finding it difficult to find a sponsor so anything you can get is a bonus.

“If there is anyone out there please get in contact.”

McMahon kept tight lipped as to the total amount of money that would see the playing side of the club through for the rest of the season.

He said: “You could say nothing for wages because we could always field a side but the players’ deserve their expenses. There not on bundles.

“We just need to get into the building at the moment the football club, especially since the last year or so is haemorrhaging money left, right and centre and it’s nothing to do with players’ wages. It’s just to do with unpaid bills.

“There’s so many of us who can’t keep doing the same things. We do need help in a big way!”

If you can offer Thamesmead Town any financial assistance please call Keith McMahon on 07779290928.

Visit Thamesemead Town’s website: www.thamesmeadtownfc.co.uk