We've not thrown in the towel, says Cosgrove

ERITH & BELVEDERE joint-manager Chris Cosgrove has unveiled the re-signing of star-midfielder Adrian Deane from Blue Square South side Braintree Town, writes Stephen McCartney.

Sidcup based Deane, 25, returns to his local Kent League side, following spells in Essex this season, and Cosgrove is delighted to welcome him back.

Deane, with Irish under 21 international caps to his name, has spent most of his playing career at a number of higher league clubs.

He started out as a two-year trainee at Charlton Athletic, where he had a first-team squad number, although he didn’t play for the first team, and has also played for the likes of Crawley Town, Farnborough Town and Gravesend & Northfleet.

Despite leaving the Deres last July to sign for Braintree Town, he fell out of favour at Cressing Road, and was shipped out to local Ryman Premier League outfit Billericay Town on loan.

Cosgrove, speaking to www.kentishfootball.co.uk, explained the reasons behind Deane dropping down three divisions to play for the Deres.

“He thinks I’m such a great manager, he can’t wait to join me again, he’s missed me so much,” he chuckled.

“Seriously, we have a very good rapport, he’s obviously not happy with the travelling I think and whatever.

“It’s a local club for him and we’ve always got on well together and I suppose he comes back to a club he knows.

“He’s just got married and started his own business, so I think he’s got to concentrate on that instead of the competitiveness of football and training and travelling down motorways.

“When he phoned me up and he said “do you want me?”, I said “of course I do!” - “He’s probably the best ball player in the (Kent) League.”

Deane is ineligible to return for Saturday’s delayed Kent Senior Trophy Second Round tie against Lordswood at Park View Road, as he wasn’t signed in time of the original fixture.

Cosgrove, who has been suffering with a blood clot in his leg, is, however, expected to be back inside the technical area to face a Lordswood side that are second from bottom in the Kent League table with only 5 points from 16 games.

The Deres, meanwhile, are underperforming and are currently in sixth place in the table - 15 points adrift of leaders Hythe Town, although the Deres have two games in hand.

“The fortunes of the gods aren’t shining on us,” admits Cosgrove on their lowly league position.

“But we can’t sit there and feel sorry for ourselves. It’s going to be hard now, but we’ve got to keep going.

“We haven’t ruled it (winning the title) out but we’re not in a favourable position, like a few games back. We’ve made it hard for ourselves with regards to our last two results.

“But I’ve got a big fighting spirit and I never say never and the boys at the club have the same spirit.

“We’re prepared to give it our best shot - we can’t lose any games until the rest of the year. It’s a big, big step. Where there’s a chance, we won’t stop going for it.”

Cosgrove has to wait until their next league game before handing Deane a blue and white shirt again.

“Adrian is a midfielder, a ball player, who can play behind the front two,” said Cosgrove. “Twenty-five is a good age, not too young, not too old.”

Cosgrove wants Deane to spark the Deres back into life to get their Kent League title bid back on the right track.

“I’ve been out for five weeks, which isn’t the ideal solution,” said Cosgrove. “We’ve not had much luck. We’ve had so many men sent off this year and we’re supposed to be a footballing side.

“We’ve underachieved. I would like to have six points more than we are at the moment, but we can make the ground up in the second half of the season.

“We have not thrown any towels in. In the first part of the season we’ve had no luck, hopefully we can get some rub of the green in the second part of the season.

“We’re not the favourites at the moment, we will fight to the end, and see where it takes us.”

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

Visit Lordswood’s website: www.lordswoodfc.com

Erith & Belvedere v Lordswood
Kent Senior Trophy Second Round
Saturday 10^th January 2009
Kick Off 3:00pm
At Park View Road, Welling, Kent DA16 1SY