We've cut the budget as the title is out of our grasp - Radbourne

Monday 22nd February 2010

ERITH & BELVEDERE boss Richie Radbourne has confirmed that the club has been hit by budget cuts, writes Stephen McCartney.

The Deres are twenty points adrift of Bulmers Cider Kent League leaders Faversham Town and as they are out of the title race the board have decided to cut the playing budget and for the team to rebuild for next season.

“The last few weeks have been very up and down so we’ve had a little look at things,” Radbourne told www.kentishfootball.co.uk.

“We obviously want players to play for our club who want to be there. We’ve had a wage cut so you’ll see the characters who want to be there and the ones who don’t.

“You’ll see the ones who are mercenaries, who want to be there for the money and the ones who aren’t, which is, in a way, good as you actually go into the game with people who want to be there and will give you 110%.”

Radbourne admits performances in recent weeks haven’t met his standards.

He said: “It’s been very up and down. Since we beat Faversham at home 3-1, our season has seemed to turn for the worst for whatever reason, I don’t know.”

“It’s not a recent thing. It happened a little while ago Most clubs do it this time of year if they don’t seem like their going anywhere.

“Every club needs to look after their club to b honest. The club doesn’t want to go into financial trouble if they don’t need to be. The title has gone. We know that!”

Sevenoaks Town arrive at Park View Road on Tuesday night, and already there is some spice ahead of the match.

Sevenoaks boss Simon Jones claims that he has signed central defender John Maloney, 29, from Erith & Belvedere -but Radbourne is having none of it ahead of the game.

“We are still a basically young squad and I think John’s experience and guidance will help us,” Jones told www.sevenoakstownfc.org.

“I feel he is another good acquisition, like Tony (Atkins) and Badar (Mohammed) were when we beat off interest from other clubs to sign them.”

But Radbourne insisted he has blocked the former Holmesdale, Beckenham Town, Tooting & Mitcham United and Fisher Athletic defender’s move ahead of the two side’s clash.

When asked whether Maloney has moved to Greatness Park, Radbourne replied, “Well, no he hasn’t! This is the thing, John Maloney hasn’t signed for Sevenoaks! Jim is a mate of mine and I spoke to him on Saturday morning and he wanted his forms released so he could play in the Cup game (the Kent Senior Trophy tie between Deal Town and Sevenoaks Town on Saturday).

“I told him there was no point in releasing his forms to play in the cup game because he couldn’t play due to not being signed on in time. It had to be a week prior to the ORIGNIAL fixture so regarding John Maloney’s forms he is still an Erith & Belvedere player, although I haven’t seen him.

“There’s no reason why I would do that before Tuesday’s game as I wouldn’t want him to play against us.

“He’s still on our books. I have read (Sevenoaks’ website) and I find that quite funny really.”

Looking ahead to the game, Radbourne expects a tough match against a side that are in the top eight, six points behind.

“Sevenoaks are a good side,” he said. “They’ve done well this year and have surprised a few. They’ve got some good players down there so it will be a tough game.”

Radbourne knows exactly what he needs to ensure the Welling based club are vying for the title next season.

“We’ve got players back from suspension and injuries, which is good for us. It’s not a patched up side by any means,” he said.

“It’s a side that if it stayed together it would have challenged for the league, but due to people getting suspended and injured and everything else, the last few weeks has been a nightmare for us, trying to get 11 players out on the pitch is hard enough.

“We’ve had people come in who we’re looking at and it’s been a topsy turvy time really.

“Next year, if we can keep the nucleolus of six, seven or eight players at the club now we basically need experience into the club. We need maybe one or two winners coming in to drive the team forward when things are going bad for us they will pull their sleeves up and pull the team forward.

“It’s something we’ve struggled to find. Players like that don’t come (cheap). We have been speaking to players who will come in for next year but I can’t take their word as gospel at the moment but we have been working very hard to get players in.”

Sevenoaks Town, meanwhile, are left in just one cup now, as Deal Town knocked them out of the Kent Senior Trophy at the weekend.

Deal now face a two-legged semi-final against Beckenham Town.

"I can't believe we lost, and to be honest it hasn't sunk in,” revealed Jones afterwards.

"The performance we put in and the chances we missed was unbelievable. I think from the first whistle to the last we produced wave after wave of attacks, and chance after chance, but as I said to the guys in the dressing room afterwards, who were all down in the dumps, it's about taking them.

"Deal had two - they hit the post with one and scored the other - we had conservatively six in each half, including one-on-ones with the goalkeeper.

“We had no luck either, and the one that sticks in my mind is the at the end, when we hit our own player three times, and then an overhead kick by a Deal defender is palmed away at the last minute - on another day they would have all gone in."

Jones added: "Tony Atkins had the sort of games strikers dream about, and then have a nightmare over, and I am sure he'll never have a day like that again.

"I am upset and disappointed, but the players did everything I asked of them, and the only thing we lacked was that final piece of magic to put the ball in the back of the net."

Visit Erith & Belvedere’s website: www.erithandbelvederefc.co.uk

Visit Sevenoaks Town’s website: www.sevenoakstownfc.org

Erith & Belvedere v Sevenoaks Town

Bulmers Cider Kent League

Tuesday 23rd February 2010

Kick Off 7:45pm

At Park View Road, Welling, Kent DA16 1SY