We're building towards winning the league next season, says Erith Town boss Mark Tompkins

ERITH TOWN boss Mark Tompkins says he needs to bring stability to the club.


The Dockers’ have gone through three managers and countless players this season, but sit in third-place in the Kent Hurlimann Football League table with 52 points from 28 games.

There slender title aspirations vanished when they went down to a 3-1 defeat in the Erith derby at Park View Road last night.

Striker Fabian Batchelor restored parity in the 57^th minute after Erith & Belvedere had taken a sixth-minute lead, courtesy of an own-goal from Dockers’ seventeen-year-old left back Conrad Lee.

But Erith & Belvedere clinched a crucial three points when Kieran McCann and substitute Alex Waugh scored in the final eight minutes.

Micky Collins’ side remain two points clear of VCD Athletic, who clinched a 1-0 home win over Tunbridge Wells last night.

“We’re building for next year already, that’s what we’ve got to do,” said Tompkins.

“There’s been so many players go through this club this season – that can’t happen!

“You can’t have a turnaround, I think it’s about 60-70 players that we’ve had this season and that can’t happen, but they’ve had three managers this year and that can’t happen.  You’ve got to have one manager.

“Micky Collins has been at Erith & Belvedere for a couple of seasons now.  I know Tony Russell’s gone to VCD but he’s taken a load of players with him so he knows all the players and they know how he wants to play. 

“We’re just building.  We’ve thrown a side together near enough in the last month.”

Tompkins’ side welcome VCD Athletic to Erith Sports Stadium on Saturday and is expecting to come across a different style of football.

Vickers’ management team of Tony Russell and Ray Powell started the season at Erith Town, taking the club to the summit before opting to move to Oakwood and are presently fourteen games unbeaten, since going down to a 3-0 defeat at Canterbury City on 17 November 2012.

“Not a similar sort of game, a different sort of game,” he said.  “They’re a passing side VCD. It might suit us, I don’t know.

“We’re looking at players now for next season. We’ll give it a go, we always do.  We’ll just see what happens but we are building for next year.”

When asked what types of players he is searching for, Tompkins said: “A bit more experience in the side I think.  We’ve got to get the spine right as they say.  Another centre half, probably another centre midfield player, another wide right player.  We know what we have to do.  We only need four or five players to push, keep the boys that we’ve got here. Have a good pre-season and just add to it.”

But Tompkins, who said he wants to win their last four games, against VCD Athletic, Whyteleafe (at home next Monday), at Deal Town on 27 April and at Holmesdale on 30 April, doesn’t want to make up the numbers next season and wants to win the league title for chairman Albert Putman.

Tompkins said: “I want to win the league.  I’d like to do it for Albert.  Win the league for him or get them promoted.”

Visit Erith Town’s website: www.erithtown.co.uk

Erith Town  v  VCD Athletic
Kent Hurlimann Football League
Saturday 20^th April 2013
Kick Off 3:00pm
At Erith Sports Stadium, Avenue Road, Erith, Kent DA8 3AT