We're going to finish as high as we can, says Corinthian assistant Matt Longhurst

CORINTHIAN assistant manager Matt Longhurst says the club are not afraid to blood youngsters in their first team as they aim for a top eight finish.


With manager Tony Sitford on holiday in the Dominican Republic, Longhurst remained in charge of their goal-less draw at Fisher on Monday night as they booked their place in the semi-finals of the Macron Kent League Cup.

A brace from Lee Barnett in the first leg secured a 2-0 win on aggregate and they were joined by unbeaten Kent League leaders Herne Bay in the semi-final draw, after Simon Halsey’s second string humiliated Erith & Belvedere 4-0 at Park View Road last night, sealing a 7-1 win on aggregate.

Erith Town welcome Woodstock Sports to Erith Sports Stadium next Monday with a slender 1-0 lead from the first leg, while VCD Athletic look to claw back a 2-1 deficit when Beckenham Town visit Oakwood the following evening.

Corinthian are a club who are not frightened to throw kids’ into Kent League football and Longhurst said: “The team’s got a lot of potential.  Realising that potential is a dangerous word. Lots of people get spoken about potential. Fulfilling it is a different matter.”

The club, based at Gay Dawn Farm in Fawkham, sit in tenth place in a sixteen team division, with seven wins and three draws from 19 games and Longhurst says there is plenty to play for during their final eleven league outings.

He said:  “Listen, if we can finish in the top eight teams then I’ll think the majority of the teams who will finish above us will pay money.

“We probably lack a little bit in the final third, where the money is at the end of the day.

“We played Herne Bay a couple of weeks ago and lost 2-0.  What we lacked was a killer touch at the top end of the pitch to put the ball in the goal so that probably separates us from the teams that are in the top four or five, but having said that the main thing is we give these lads a good, good grounding.”

Herne Bay boss Simon Halsey, meanwhile, last night insisted that his squad are still playing for nothing following the club lost their sponsor in November.

“Everyone’s saying we’ve got money but no-one knows our situation down at Herne Bay,” said Halsey.

“I can assure you there’s no money down there.  If anyone thinks I need to come out and lie and say we haven’t got no money, why would I do that?  For one, they know our sponsors gone, there’s no money.”

Corinthian welcome Holmesdale to Gay Dawn Farm on Saturday and Longhurst knows the threat that seventeen-goal striker Steve Strotten poses.

“The big lad, Steve Strotten, who plays up front, caused us problems when we played them a few weeks back in the Cup and it was 1-1 at home and we played them in the Kent League Cup and we had to come from behind to beat them.

“It will be a tough game but as I say they’re all difficult games in this league.”

Longhurst added: “We’re not going to win the league so we’re going to try to finish as high as we can but at the same time try to continue to blood Alfie May and Matt Holder, who are sixteen and eighteen, blood the youngsters so this time next year they will be a lot more experienced and hopefully that will help us finishing in an even higher position.”

Corinthian  v   Holmesdale
Kent Hurlimann Football League
Saturday 28^th January 2012
Kick Off 3:00pm
At Gay Dawn Farm, Valley Road, Longfield, Kent DA3 8LY