We'll go about our business quietly, says Cray Valley boss Paul Gross

CRAY VALLEY (PAPER MILLS) manager Paul Gross says he’s getting priced out of the market by rival Southern Counties East Football League clubs.

The Millers won their first four pre-season games against Glebe (4-3), Chipstead (2-1), Sutton Athletic (4-0) and Bearsted (4-1) but Gross suffered his first defeat as manager in last night’s 4-1 home defeat to VCD Athletic.

Substitute Harry Fenner gave the Millers the lead in the 59^th minute, before last season’s Ryman League Division One North champions VCD Athletic hit back.

Former Tunbridge Wells winger Jon Pilbeam pulled a goal back nine minutes later, before striker Michael Power, who scored 19 goals in 22 games to help win them the title, scored a fourteen minute hat-trick to give Tony Russell’s 20-man squad a flattering victory.

Cray Valley were looking on course to creating an upset against newly-promoted Ryman Premier League opposition.

Gross made four changes at the break and used 19 players, leaving substitute keeper Brad Morgan as the only man to remain on the bench.

Gross looks set to release midfielder Jojo Degraft, who failed to impress and was guilty of losing shape as Vickers improved during the last 25 minutes of the game.

“We’ve brought boys in who haven’t been training that I’ve got to look at.  We only met Kojo (Degraft) tonight, who I brought on, so they didn’t know where we wanted to press, how we were pressing.

“But it’s no excuses. We’ve been beat by a good team but anyone who was here could see the game changed when we made all the changes – that’s pre-season!

“It’s just to get players’ minutes and see how they adapt to different things.”

Last night’s starting eleven would probably be the side that would line up in the Southern Counties East Football League this season.

Gross has five more games to prepare before the big kick-off at home to Tunbridge Wells on Saturday, 9 August.

“It’s going to be a long old pre-season,” said Gross.

“I’ve done it because as a player I preferred playing games than training so we’re not sure what we’re going to do with the five friendlies.

“We’ve got a base of a squad now so we’ll see how we approach that. We might take time to have a look at a few of our under 18s. We’ve got two very good under 18 sides so it might be a chance to look at them.”

Gross said he may be in a position to add to his squad, now that players are being made available after being released by higher league clubs.

“There’s still going to be a lot of movement,” he said.

“Clubs are cutting players’ so they’re slowly falling down the pyramid. We could still end up with three or four come our way.”

Gross revealed that he has lost out on a couple of players as Martin Larkin has enticed them to Tunbridge Wells.

When asked his thoughts on the opening day fixture against a club that will once again be pushing for the league title after finishing in fourth-place last season – 15 points adrift of promoted champions Whyteleafe – Gross quipped: “Nice and easy start eh! You couldn’t have given us a much tougher one! But we’ll go into it, worry about ourselves.

“I’ve gone in for two of their players just last week.  Two players that they’ve managed to snap up so it shows where they’re trying to get and where we’re at at the minute so that’s a club that maybe in a few years’ we can look up to and try and get to the levels that they’re at now.

“They’re now one of the biggest clubs in our league.

“We’ll just enjoy it and see how we go. We’ll worry about us. We won’t worry about other people.”

The Millers finished in seventh-place under former manager Steve Chapman – who watched last night’s game – last season.

Gross said: “I’ve set no targets, as I’ve said to you, progression.  I was told to progress the club despite what people say and think, my budget’s not massive.

“I’ve tried to get a couple of players and lost out to other teams that live on the doorstep of this club so why are they travelling 40 miles to go and play for someone else? You tell me!

“Look, we’ll go about our business quietly and we’ll just do the best we can with the resources we’ve got and as long as I progress I’ll be happy.

“It’s a learning curve for me as well and my backroom staff.  Frosty (Daniel Frost, who has come in from Kent Invicta League Bridon Ropes) is new to this level and he’s been brilliant. The boys love him.  I’m sure if we get them all happy, they’ll be playing well and we can see where that takes us.”

When asked what he is looking forward to the most in his first job as manager, Gross replied: “Looking forward to? I don’t know! Seeing if we can do it! Pitting your wits against managers like Tony (Russell), that have been there and done it. Let’s see how good I am.

“I didn’t think of management. Tony was the first one to put me to management because when he came in at VCD he offered me a player-coach role. I never thought of it up until then.

“I’ll just enjoy it. I’ll try my hardest. If it works, it works. If it doesn’t, I’ve given it a go but one thing I’ll do it my way and if it doesn’t work out, I’ll have no regrets.”

Visit Cray Valley’s website: www.cray-valley.co.uk