We need to cut out the silly draws to get out of the Kent League, says Becks coach Jason Clews

BECKENHAM TOWN coach Jason Clews says his side must turn draws into wins if they are to clinch the Kent League title this season.



Beckenham opened their pre-season campaign with a morale-boosting 3-2 home win over Ryman Premier League neighbours Cray Wanderers, but they came crashing back down to earth after Blue Square Bet (Conference) South side Bromley came away from Eden Park Avenue with a 5-1 win last night.

Midfielder Alex Wilks, a summer signing from Ryman League Division One South side Chipstead, netted a late consolation for Jason Huntley’s side after a full-strength Bromley sealed victory courtesy of goals from Gareth Williams, Aaron Rhule, Warren McBean (2) and Pierre Joseph-Dubois.

Clews took plenty of positives from their game against Mark Goldberg’s side, keeping the ball better during the second half was one.

Attention now turns to Saturday’s visit against Southend Manor – last season’s runners-up in the Essex County League – where Beckenham’s management team can assess exactly how things are against a side at their own level.

“Four friendlies (remaining), there’s a few people who were away at the weekend and missed a couple of training sessions so that’s a chance for them to get their match fitness up and work hard and try to stake a claim for a place in the opening (league) game,” said Clews.

“That will be a tough game with Southend Manor. I think they won their league a couple of times in the last few years, I’ve been told.

“That will be a team at the same level as the Kent League so we can find a little bit about ourselves on Saturday and see where we are and work on a little bit more fitness and see who needs a little bit more work.

“If we can retain the ball like we did in the second half (against Bromley) and use it a bit better we should be alright on Saturday.”

The Kent League fixtures were finally published yesterday morning and Beckenham will  travel to VCD Athletic on the opening day of the season (4 August), before welcoming relegated Whyteleafe to Eden Park Avenue on 7 August.

Ricky Bennett’s Vickers’ finished in third-place last season and lifted the Kent League Cup, while Whyteleafe finished in last place in the Ryman League Division One South last season.

The Surrey side will want to bounce back at the first attempt and if they think they will get out of the Kent League comfortably then they are in for a rude awakening as Kent League sides never lie down and die against the bigger clubs.

Clews said: “A tough start for us against VCD.  They’ve brought in a few players in. I think they’ve got Chris Hill, our former centre half (signed from Chatham Town), so I think they will be up there as well.

“It’s a good test to start off with. That’s what we’re aiming for really that opening day, getting our team sorted and ready for that game and then we’ve got the first home game against Whyteleafe.

“That will be a good game. Hopefully we’ll have a big crowd.

“I don’t know much about them, not seen them. They’ve come down from the Ryman South.  They will be a tough team to play against.

“At home, apart from Bromley playing three league’s above us, I don’t think many teams will come down here this season and get much from us.  We want to make this place a fortress.”

Beckenham Town finished in sixth-place last season and when asked what the club’s aspirations are this season, Clews inevitably replied, “Obviously going a lot higher!  We want to try and get out of the league. That’s the big aim.

“There’s lots of development around the ground so we definitely want to get out of the Kent League and get into that Ryman South or North, whatever they want to put us in.”

When asked how the club will realise their true potential, Clews replied, “A lot of games we played we drew a lot of games we played so we need to try to finish these games off.  Most of the games we played we had a lot of draws in but we didn’t finish them off and we allowed teams to get back in it.”

Beckenham Town drew eleven of their 30 league games last season.

Clews added: “That is where we dropped the points. I think we drew six or seven, maybe more.  Those dropped points were costly at the end of the season and if we can cut them out this season we’ll have another 10 or 15 points in front of us.

“That’s what we need to do, cut out the silly draws and get the maximum points. 

“Our aim is to get out of the league and finish as high as we can – if not first place.”

Visit Beckenham Town’s website: www.beckenhamtownfc.co.uk  

Beckenham Town  v  Southend Manor
Pre-Season Friendly
Saturday 21^st July 2012
Kick Off 3:00pm
at Eden Park Avenue, Beckenham, Kent BR3 3JL