We've got more fire in our bellies to go on and be successful again, says Blair boss Paul Piggott

HOLLANDS & BLAIR manager Paul Piggott says everyone at the club still feel devastated after not gaining promotion into the Southern Counties East Football League.

The Gillingham-based club won the Kent Invicta League title by ten points last season but came back from Wembley Stadium on 26 June bitterly disappointed having lost their appeal.

The club have since roofed their stand but no floodlights have been installed at their three-sided ground at Darland Avenue.

On the pitch, Piggott’s side have put the club’s disappointment to one side as they have a 100% record from their four pre-season games.

They stunned Ryman League Division One South side Hythe Town with a 2-0 win yesterday, courtesy of second half goals from strikers Rob Denness and substitute Anthony Carlton, who have now both scored three goals apiece.

Piggott insists his side should be playing at step five this season – the Southern Counties East Football League.

“More than gutted.  The way the FA treated this club this year has devastated us,” he said.

“If they only knew the time and money that we’ve put into this club by certain individuals.  They’ve devastated those people, me as a manager and our players, but the one thing they have done if they’ve given us more fire in our bellies to go on and be successful again.”

Piggott’s side have also defeated Greenwich Borough (4-0), Faversham Town (5-2), Fisher (5-1) and are clear favourites to win the Kent Invicta League title again.

Piggott’s aspirations for the season ahead are clear.

“Is to get out of the league, that is our main goal,” he replied.

“We want to do well in everything we do. We try to compete in every game of football we can but we’ve got to get out of this league. 

“The club deserves it, the players deserve it. That will be our main goal.”

Blair kick-off their league campaign with a home game against Kent Football United on 9 August.

The two sides met at Oakwood in Crayford on the last game of the season with champions Blair coming away with a 12-1 victory.

Piggott expects a tougher encounter between the two sides on opening day.

He said: “A lot can happen between now and the end of last season.  You don’t know what’s going to happen.  You don’t know what they’ve got in or got out.

“We’ll just concentrate on ourselves and what I’ve got in there I’m pretty confident that we’ll go out and give them a good game.”

You would expect a mass exodus of players after not gaining promotion, but Piggott revealed he has only lost one, who has signed for Southern Counties East Football League side Phoenix Sports.

“The only we’ve lost is Louis Valencia. We knew we would lose players if we didn’t progress and we haven’t done that for reasons that are out of our hands.

“But we have signed Jordan Gallacher (from Phoenix) so you lose one and you win one.

“We’re lucky that we’ve kept players and it’s important for the club because we want to progress.”
 
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