We can attract better players if we go up, says Fleet Leisure boss Lee Richmond

FLEET LEISURE manager Lee Richmond says he hopes the club will be accepted by the Kent Invicta League next season.



The club traditionally hail from Northfleet but have been playing their home games at Rochester United’s Rede Court Road ground in Strood and they have applied to enter the Step Six league next season.

Richmond, 50, guided the club to a top-four finish in the Haart of Kent County League after collecting 13 wins and eight draws from their 26 league games.

Fleet Leisure denied Metrogas the title with a 2-1 win at Coney Hall’s Tiepigs Lane yesterday.

Metrogas only needed a point to clinch the title on goal-difference but goals from Tony Swann and Marcus Heddon gave Fleet Leisure the three points, which gave leaders Hildenborough Athletic their sixth title in six years.

“I think we have applied, it’s just a matter of wait and see,” said Richmond.

“We can attract better players if we go up and it’s progression for the young ones.  We’ve got a lot of youngsters in there and if you’ve got a chance to play in the Invicta League that’s what they want.

“It’s a carrot to go for but also you can keep hold of the other players if you say you’re going in the Invicta.  You can attract a better caliber of player, so it’s a nice carrot to go for.”

Richmond revealed the club are happy to stay at Rochester United’s ground next season.

“Yes, I think so, they’ve signed, I think there’s talks on at the moment,” he said.

“They’ve treated us really well. I like it down there. The pitch is superb, the facilities are superb and they look after us as well so we’ve got no complaints, so hopefully from my point of view, I’d like to carry on down there.”

Fleet Leisure were without the services of suspended midfielder Colin Richmond, who has played Ryman League football for the likes of Sittingbourne, Maidstone United and Leatherhead.

“He’s had 10 offers, it’s up to him. He’s big enough and ugly enough now,” revealed dad Lee.

“He’s finished top scorer of our team (with fourteen goals). He’s played regular, he’s played every game apart from yesterday. He’s enjoyed his football and he’s playing with a smile on his face again, which he lost when we was at Leatherhead in the Ryman Premier because he was playing ten minutes.  He was training at Leatherhead twice a week and for the game and not getting on.
“He said to me if I took over a team lower down, he just wanted to play football.

“I don’t know what he was on at Leatherhead, about £150 a week.  To come here and pay subs he was quite shocked.”

Richmond, meanwhile, explained why his side fell nine points short of the title.

He said: “I think we’ve had 12 weeks cancelled with waterlogged pitches and stuff like that. It’s the same for most of them.

“We started off well and in the midweek games we started playing Wednesday, Saturday, Wednesday, Saturday and we couldn’t get players because of work. 

“We haven’t had the same team out for the last nine weeks and you just need consistency.  We brought in reserves just to get a team out sometimes.  One Wednesday night we had 11 drop outs and it’s been hard.”

For league runners-up Metrogas, they must wait and see if they can get a groundshare deal arranged in time to play Kent Invicta League football next season.

Manager Roy Davies revealed that the club are in negotiations with Kent League club Beckenham Town – but it came to light yesterday that Championship outfit Crystal Palace are interested in sending one of their teams to play at Eden Park Avenue next season.

“I believe Hildenborough are not applying to go up so they will take the second spot so hopefully we can go up into the Invicta,” said Davies, after his side chocked on the final day.

“Again, that depends on this groundshare scenario that we’re after.  We just have to wait and see what develops on that front. 

“I don’t deal with that, that’s dealt with behind the scenes.  We’re waiting to hear.  If that doesn’t pan out for us then we’ll have another crack at winning this.”

With the Haart of Kent County League season now completed, there is still one more trophy to claim on Tuesday night (7pm).

Otford United (Recreation Ground on the High Street) stages the Sevenoaks Senior Charity Cup Final between Ightham and Ide Hill.

Ightham won the Sevenoaks & District League Premier League title and they play a division below Ide Hill, who finished their Haart of Kent County League Division Two West campaign in sixth-place.