Kentish Football 
We want to be in the Kent Invicta League, says Milton & Fulston boss Aaron Perry
Crown Alexandra’s chairman Michael Day issued a statement on the Kent League Forum yesterday explaining why the Dartford based club’s future in the Step Six League looks uncertain.
The club were playing in fourth tier of the South London Alliance last season, finishing in eighth-place of eleven sides, but they secured a place in the football pyramid structure after winning an appeal – but the club have struggled both and off the pitch this season.
Problems at their ground at Leigh Academy Ground, which is a stone’s throw away from Dartford’s Princes Park Stadium, have been ongoing and these problems have forced the club to admit defeat.
Mr Day said: “A recent change in personnel within the business management at the Leigh Academy has made our first team’s position at this venue untenable and our continued participation in this season’s Kent Invicta League less likely.
“It is not appropriate for me to go into any great detail on this platform as to the nature of the breakdown with the new business management at Leigh Academy, suffice to say despite the best efforts of my management team and I, I have been unable, at this stage, to reaffirm assurances provided by the previous management.
“Allied to this and recent events at the home fixture with Hollands & Blair has made our position at the Leigh Academy untenable.”
Mr Day added: “I recently attended a Kent Invicta League meeting where I was informed they did not consider the Leigh Academy fit for purpose. The net result was a directive from the League to identify an alternative venue for our next three home fixtures in December, by the 1st December and also to secure a groundshare agreement with a venue with suitable facilities by 31st December.
“Despite the best efforts of my colleagues and I, a suitable alternative venue has not been secured for the December fixtures, although discussions continue with interested parties with regards to a groundshare, although we face an uphill battle to secure an agreement by the end of the month.
“I have put forward a proposal to the League that we will be allowed to fulfil our fixtures at the Leigh Academy, whilst our Secretary makes a final attempt to resolve the issues we have with the Academy, this would appear to be the option of least disruption to the League, its members and ourselves.
“Should we fail then relegation at the end of the season would appear to be the probable outcome on ground grading issues, rather than being kicked out with immediate effect which not only would be unfair to the players who are here and continue to put every effort in to change our fortunes on the field but would be a massive slap in the face to those who have invested money into the club to take the chance given to us by the FALC when the application process went less than smoothly.
“A League EGM will now be called to discuss the future of our first team’s continued participation. For my part, I am bitterly disappointed at these turn of events and the behaviour of individuals in and outside the Academy and those involved in the process, but as you can all hear and no doubt have been told the league have taken upon itself to postpone this Saturday’s fixture against Lewisham without any concern to the club’s already stringent financial wellbeing.
“I can, however, say passionately that any club given the opportunity to play at this level would never have turned it down whether it be a loop hole or by a straight forward application.
“The FALC listened to the clubs aspirations and understood what we wanted to do and how we planned to get there and gave us the chance that the original application didn’t so nobody can be blamed for those gents giving grassroots another chance.
“We may regret that in the future if we don’t already but I don’t think even this level of football and the accolade it may or should have brought with it can prepare you for the cut throat dealing that we have experienced, the downright embarrassing behaviour we have witnessed or the two faced sponsor poaching we had to endure before we have even kicked a ball.”
Crown Alexandra lie second-from-bottom in the Kent Invicta League table, with a playing record of two wins and three draws from thirteen games, two points above basement side Meridian.
Milton & Fulston United currently ply their trade two leagues below the Kent Invicta League, and are presently sitting in sixth-place in the Haart of Kent County League Division One league table after winning four games and drawn two of their ten league outings and are five points behind leaders Bexlians, but with two games in hand.
The club have the Kent Invicta League in their sights and have secured a groundshare deal with Ryman League club Sittingbourne and played their first game at Bourne Park last Saturday.
“It’s been a bit of an up and down league to be fair,” said Perry, who has previous coaching experience in the Ryman League.
“The League’s wide open from top to bottom so it’s just about us trying to get a run together, which we’ve started to do now.
“It’s vitally important that we get it right. If we get maximum points in December then we’ll be in the top two at Christmas, which I’ll be delighted about.”
Parry admits managing in the lower reaches of the football pyramid has been an eye opener for him after previous coaching spells at the likes of Margate, Ramsgate and Sittingbourne.
“It’s definitely been an eye opener,” he said. “It’s been an experience and I’ve learnt a lot I feel from the League and whatever else. Most importantly we worry about ourselves really and look after ourselves and that’s the key really.”
Perry added: “I said at the beginning of the season the top six at the end of the season would be a massive achievement and I said we need to be top four at Christmas if we’re going to push on. I’ve got no doubt about that.
“We’re five points behind the leaders and we haven’t played the top two yet. We’re in good stead and we’ve got some good games in December, which is massive or us and we’ll be looking for maximum points in December.”
Perry says the club will be ready for Kent Invicta League football if their application is successful.
“We’ve moved ground, we’re now playing at Sittingbourne which is big news for us,” he said.
“Our aim is the Kent Invicta. We want to be in the Kent Invicta. The club have stuck to their words by moving us forward of the pitch and we’re excited about playing at Sittingbourne.
“We played our first game in there on Saturday and won 5-1. We’re in good stead as a club, which is good.
“Our aim is to win this league and things will be assessed for us. As far as I’m concerned from there the club are going to put an application together to get into the Kent Invicta because that’s where we want to be.
“We don’t want to be in there by finishing tenth – we want to be there for the right reasons. We feel we’ve done a good job. We try and do things the right way on and off the pitch and as far as I’m concerned we’re ready to go in the Kent Invicta.
“It’s not a Micky Mouse league. There’s some good sides in there, your Ashford’s, Phoenix’s, Bearstead’s, there’s some strong sides in that league this year and if we’re not ready we wouldn’t be going. We’ve already spoken to players for next season where we want to be.
“We’ve got good relationships with contacts in higher leagues – a few contacts that I know at Ryman League clubs.
“The Kent Invicta is a big step for the club but this club finished third-from-bottom last year so it’s a massive step, but we feel we’ve got the groundworks in place and we’ve definitely got the players as well.
“We feel we’re only going to get stronger.”
When asked whether his side will be well supported at Bourne Park, Perry replied, “I hope so. We’ve always been well supported. We’re lucky in that aspect and we’re hoping people come down to watch us. We try to put on a show for people. We play the right way and we teach our players to make sure we play the right way. Not all teams in the league play the right way and we get undone a little bit, but we always stick to our guns.
“We’re not going to change what we do. The stats and results don’t lie – we must be doing something right!”
Perry takes his side to ninth-placed side Kennington on Saturday – the Ashford based club moved to the Julie Rose Stadium in a bid to progress.
“We’re away to Kennington on Saturday, which will be a bit of a tough one,” said Perry.
“They’ve won their last four but they lost on Saturday so their winning run has come to an end.
“It’s a nice stadium, a nice pitch, so hopefully that will suit us.”
Visit Milton & Fulston’s website: www.miltonandfulston.com
Visit Kennington’s website: www.kenningtonfc.co.uk
Visit Crown Alexandra’s website: www.crownalexandrafc.co.uk
Kennington v Milton & Fulston United
Haart of Kent County League Division One
Saturday 8th December 2012
Kick Off 2:00pm
at The Julie Rose Stadium, Willesborough Road, Kennington, Ashford, Kent TN24 9QX
Red Dragon I.T. Ltd