Kentish Football 
We're progressive and we don't want to stand still, says Phoenix Sports chairman Andrew Mortlake
The Barnehurst based outfit were crowned Kent Invicta League champions last Wednesday after their
1-0 home victory over second-placed Hollands & Blair.
Mr Mortlock appointed Steve O’Boyle and Tony Beckinhgham as joint-managers last summer after Scott Saunders resigned after leading the club to runners-up to Bly Spartans (now Rochester United) in the inaugural Kent Invicta League season.
Mr Morlock revealed that it hasn’t been a two-season wonder – the club has had to work hard for their moment of glory.
“I’ve been planning for this,” he said. “I’ve been chairman for ten years and we’ve tried to improve the senior section. We’ve always had a good junior section and the last couple of years we’ve been slowly, slowly building towards it.
“We’ve worked hard off the pitch to improve the facilities but really the new managers Steve and Tony have really kicked on with the football side of it so it was a great day for the club and the highest we’ve been in our 78 year history.”
The chairman learnt from last year’s disappointment and admitted it’s amazing that O’Boyle and Beckingham – who have both managed in the Kent League previously – could rebuild an entire team and only lose one game in 29 league games.
Reflecting on last season Mr Mortlock said: “At one stage we thought we had a good enough team there. It’s just unfortunate the lack of personnel at the end. We didn’t have a big enough squad to get us through that final hurdle.
“We realised at the end of the season, the manager resigned and we needed to bring in more experience that have managed at a higher level and they maybe could draw in players who could get us through that finishing line, which they have managed to do.
“We’ve build on last season, we realised the mistakes we’ve made and we’ve put them right this season.”
A crowd of 164 watched the club crowned champions and Phoenix Sports have the potential to fly up into the Ryman League in a short space of time.
“We’ve got 37 teams from under 7’s to vets so we’ve got a big membership base of players and parents,” explained Mr Mortlock.
“I’m really big on trying to encourage all of them to come down and support the team. I hope that we can average over 100 for the coming season. We’re a big club. There’s not many in our area with as many teams and now we’ve got a senior section that they can all look up to and inspire to and hopefully that will encourage all the junior players and parents to watch the football down here.”
The club play their games at a smart-looking ground on Mayplace Road East – close to VCD Athletic’s Oakwood ground in neighbouring Crayford – and the club have raised the funds to install floodlights, a seater-stand and improved car parking facilities – with more improvements set to be made during the summer.
“The project that we’ve just completed, the floodlighting, the stand, the car parks and hard standing has been £100,000 total cost,” revealed the chairman.
“We’ve spent a lot of time getting a Football Foundation grant, which covered 70% of that so as a club we’ve had to find £30,000 and we got £70,000 from the Football Foundation so for a club it’s taken a lot of fundraising and some sponsorship and by hook or by crook we’ve got there.
“We’re a big club. We’ve got to the Kent Premier League now and hopefully we can maintain that and maybe push on. We’re progressive and we don’t want to stand still. We’re enjoying it what we’re doing now and we’ll enjoy the moment and look to build from here.”
The club’s title success is reward for all of the hard graft that a lot of volunteers have put in over the years.
“I took over myself and the vice-chairman Steve House got involved when there were some problems at the club ten years’ ago when we both run junior teams here at the time.
“We’ve come in and it’s a bit of a thankless task at times, voluntary, and what we’ve seen the way the club’s moved on we know there was potential here because of the base and the amount of teams.
“We try to do things the right way and grow it and for a club that’s now coming up to almost 80 years to take it to its highest level, it’s a good day for everyone and it’s testament to all the committee and all the hard work that the chairman, vice-chairman, the board members, the football committee. There’s a lot of volunteers who all put a lot of hard work in behind the scenes voluntary and they all deserve to enjoy this moment.”
The chairman paid tribute to his management team and the players that have worn the green shirt this season that have lost only once in the league all season.
Phoenix Sports travel to Kent Invicta League Challenge Trophy runners-up Lydd Town next Saturday to complete their champagne campaign.
“I must admit it felt weird when we lost the game, it didn’t sit nicely,” admitted Mr Mortlake.
“It’s a tremendous record and testament of the team and the managers. They set their stall out. They didn’t have a team at the start of the season. The team from last season went in different directions, some to Seven Acre, some to Ashford. We had two players at the start of the season that ended last season so to then come and build a team that can go and gel so quickly and go on that sort of run is amazing!
“Obviously we’re going to enjoy this now. We know it’s going to be a different story next season. To go one defeat in that amount of matches is amazing!
“We can’t get too excited until promotion to the Kent League is confirmed but we have been planning. We know it’s a bigger commitment with regards with players, financially, travel, just the way that it’s run on a more professional basis.
“We’ve got plans to extend the clubhouse. There’s still some more facility improvements and I think people will like our ground when they come here. I think we’ve got a tidy ground, it’s nice and we’re a family club, so hopefully we’ll be a good addition to the Kent Premier League.”
Beckingham said he was disappointed that Bridon Ropes beat them 3-2 on 6 April and denied them the tag of invinciples.
He said: “We’re still bitterly upset about the defeat, even though you shouldn’t be because other teams are entitled to beat you. When you get so near (to going the entire league season unbeaten) we were kind of hoping we could do it, but it wasn’t to be. It’s a fantastic record.”
O’Boyle added: “I’d like to say it’s an absolutely freak year because Hollands & Blair’s record should normally won them the league but they’ve taken us all the way. The top three, maybe stroke four have done really well but Hollands & Blair have kept going and going and they made it a massive game.”
Once the season has finished and the celebrating has finished, O’Boyle and Beckingham must sit down and plan for next season.
O’Boyle said: “You must see the potential here. It’s a nice, tidy stadium now. Things are going on in the summer as well, improvements even more, with the lights and the stand and the dressing rooms being done up.
“People should want to come and play down here because it’s a bloody good club, with a good committee and I’ve said all along, winning the league we’ve overtaken a few in the Kent League now and this has got so much potential.”
Beckingham added: “I think it would be a good time to say we should thank the committee and the people off the pitch for actually getting us in this position. We’ve obviously done well on the park but they have actually stuck to their side of the bargain and more and this is for them.”
It’s very rare that a joint-management team are successful and Beckingham explained why this partnership has worked out well.
“We speak every single day, we’re like an old married couple me and him. We have rows like an old married couple but we get on and when it’s good it’s good and when it’s bad it’s probably not.
“We’re planning. We know the areas where we need to strengthen. We want to keep all the boys. They proved that they deserve it. We do need to add a little bit and we’ve got players in mind who we’re going to target in the summer. Hopefully they’ll want to come down. Why not?”
Yesterday’s goal-less draw at Seven Acre & Sidcup was the first time that Phoenix Sports have failed to score in their 36 competitive games this season.
Visit Phoenix Sports’ website: www.phoenixsportsclub.org
Lydd Town v Phoenix Sports
Kent Invicta League
Saturday 27th April 2013
Kick Off 3:00pm
At The Lindsey Field, Dengemarsh Road, Lydd, Kent TN29 9JH
Red Dragon I.T. Ltd