Kentish Football 
We're trying to make Oxford Road our home, says Seven Acre & Sidcup boss Lee Hill
Cray Wanderers were forced out of the Sidcup based ground back in 1999 when they could not fulfil the Kent League’s floodlight criteria at the time and they secured a deal to play at Bromley’s Hayes Lane ground.
The Wands’ reserve side remained at Oxford Road before moving out last summer and Seven Acre Sports, who were based in Abbey Wood and were playing in the Kent County League Division Two West, secured a ten-year lease and were admitted into the inaugural Kent Invicta League under their present name.
The team are set for a top-nine finish in their highest level of football and Hill revealed last night that the club want to progress off-the-field too.
“We’ve approached the council. I know in the past it’s been rejected here but these new eco lights, I’m told, are just like streetlights shining down onto the pitch,” said the 48-year-old.
“We’ve looked into it. We’ve got the council helping us on that. Obviously it’s a four-year plan. We can’t afford them but we’re definitely looking into it. As I say it’s got rejected before. Who knows? We’re definitely going to try. I think we’re going the right way in doing it and hopefully we will achieve ultimately to get the floodlights.”
Hill revealed the floodlights will cost up to £55,000.
“I’m quite confident in the plan we’ve got down here,” added Hill. “That’s why we brought it along to play here. Hopefully we can get the grants and hopefully we can get floodlights in the end.
“We had a couple of estimates and they’re talking in the region of £45,000-£55,000, but that’s with all the cabling and the lights itself.”
The club have done a considerable amount of work to the rustic old football venue, which attracted a record crowd of 1,523 for a FA Vase tie between Cray Wanderers and Stamford in 1980.
“We took over in the summer and people are saying ‘what you doing going down Cray, it’s not a nice place to be?’
“But we’ve got good people on board at the moment with the chairman and a few other people behind the scenes and we’ve done a tremendous amount of work, spent a tremendous amount of money and hopefully people will start enjoying coming back down to Oxford Road.
“Obviously the club is backing us all the way. We need to get these grants to keep the work going. We’re trying to make it our home really.”
Hill is going to field a side in a new under 21 league next season and he would like to hear from anyone who can become the club’s third team.
He said: “The Kent County League have approached all the teams in the Kent Invicta League and the Kent County League about an under 21 league and at the moment we’ve just got no under 18’s and we need to bring some more through.
“We’re trying to get a side in this new proposed league on a Saturday morning and I’m looking for a team to come on board to create another team really so we can have back up for the reserves and first team and take the club forward even more.”
But he will be losing assistant manager Martin Reece, who will be joining up with Dartford-based side Crown Alexandra, who are expected to be joining the Kent Invicta League next season.
Hill said: “He’s done tremendously well this year. He’s put his cards on the table. He’s told me what he’s doing six weeks ago. It’s not a secret. He wants to be his own manager in his own right. He’s brought us up to the next level with his coaching. He’s an absolute outstanding bloke. He does a lot for our club, even now when he’s going and I wish him all the best at Crown and hopefully they’ll be in our league as well so we’ll have a nice game against him next season.”
Hill, meanwhile, would like to build on his side’s solid first season in the league.
He said: “We want to improve on the top nine. At the moment we don’t pay our players. They pay us a signing-on fee. That might change next season but we need to get a strong squad together, better players. Everyone’s probably saying the same thing.
“I’ll be disappointed if we don’t move up a few places, cement our place next year and see how it goes, but we’re just building and building year in year out.”
One name in his side is central defender Ricky Hardie, who has played Kent League football, most recently for Bromley-based outfit Holmesdale.
Hill added: “He’s probably the oldest one out there. I think he’s only 25 as well. Ricky has done well for us. He’s come from Holmesdale, he wants to play for us. Hopefully a couple of older heads next year will take the club forward.”
Seven Acre & Sidcup, who were defeated 3-2 by Hollands & Blair last night, play one more game, at home to Woodstock Park. The game was arranged for Wednesday night but the Sittingbourne based club can’t field a team and American Football outfit Kent Exiles play are playing at Oxford Road on Saturday.
Visit Seven Acre & Sidcup’s website: www.sevenacresidcup.com
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