Ebbsfleet United v Cambridge United | Matchday Programme | 27.07.24
PROGRAMME AWARDS NATIONAL LEAGUE PROGRAMME OF THE YEAR
EBBSFLEET UNITED v CAMBRIDGE UNITED
Saturday 27 July 2024 – 3.00pm
Pre-Season Friendly #2
Back we come after Tuesday night’s win over Tonbridge to an altogether different type of game, our first meeting with Cambridge United since pre-season six years ago.
Cambridge’s summer thus far has involved a week in the Algarve where they played local side CS Maritomo – losing 2-0
– and then Bromley where two games ended 2-2 and 2-0 to our near neighbours. Last night, meanwhile, a Cambridge XI won 3-0 at our new National League rivals Braintree Town.
Under relatively new management (former Swansea legend Garry Monk was only appointed in March), it is no surprise that the visitors have undergone something of a summer transformation with the new-signings count currently at eight. The U’s squad includes a couple of players with more than 500 appearances to their name, a sprinkling of internationals and a likely appearance for one or two of the more promising academy players who went to Portugal on first-team duty this month.
We have been regular foes at Southern League and Conference level but have only met in pre-season friendlies since Cambridge won back their Football League status in 2014 to end nine years of non-league exile. They have since made a further jump into League One after finishing as League Two runners-up during the Covidaffected season of 2020/21.
Morale is high amongst Cambridge fans who have been pleased with new boss Monk’s recruitment to date and they are seeking an improvement on last season’s 18th place finish – with the more optimistic ones perhaps casting an eye to a second-tier ambition that the club haven’t graced since 1993.
IN THE MIDDLE...
Today’s referee
HARRY WAGER
A National South referee from Tunbridge Wells who was here last season as the fourth official in our league match v FC Halifax Town and also refereed our 6-2 win over Hampton in February 2023 as well as a KSC win over Dartford that same month. He also took charge of our friendly at Tonbridge on Tuesday!
CHAIRMAN AbdullaH AAAF Al-Humaidi
CEO Damian Irvine
DIRECTORS AbdullaH AAAF Al-Humaidi, Dherar Al-Humaidi, Abdulrahman Aaaf Alhamidi
CLUB SECRETARY / GENERAL MANAGER William Tan
FINANCIAL CONTROLLER NICOLA BORG-MYATT
COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER Ed Miller
EVENTS MANAGER Cheryl Wanless
BAR & CATERING MANAGER Debbie Ludlow
EVENT & RETAIL COORDINATOR Meghan Love
MEDIA MANAGER Katie Humphris
CLUB PHOTOGRAPHER Dave Plumb
MATCHDAY ANNOUNCER Steve East
ASSOCIATE DIRECTORS John Copus, Sue Copus
HONORARY ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR Jessica McQueen
HONORARY KIT MANAGER Maggie Danzey
FIRST-TEAM MANAGER DANNY SEARLE
ASSISTANT MANAGER ANWAR UDDIN
SPORTS THERAPISTS & REHABILITATORS
Katie Knowles, Tom Stephens
CLUB ANALYST MAC EGAN
ACADEMY MANAGER Danny Kedwell
WOMEN’S MANAGER QUINTON NAIDOO
EBBSFLEET UNITED FOOTBALL CLUB THE KUFLINK STADIUM, STONEBRIDGE ROAD
NORTHFLEET, KENT DA11 9GN
01474 533796
info@eufc.co.uk | www.eufc.co.uk
HONOURS
FA Trophy 2007/08
Southern League 1957/58
National League South 2022/23
Ryman League Premier 2001/02
Southern LEAgUe, Southern Division 1974/75, 1993/94
Southern LEAgUe Cup 1977/78
Southern LEAgUe C’ship Cup 1978/79
National LEAgUe South Promotion Final 2010/11, 2016/17
Full Members Cup 2000/01
Kent Senior Cup 1948/49, 1952/53, 1980/81, 1999/2000, 2000/01, 2001/02, 2007/08, 2013/14
Kent Floodlight Cup 1969/70
John Ullman Cup 1982/83
They won’t let us just have the ball so it will a good lesson for us, a different type of game – and we’ve been meticulous in arranging these matches the way we have...
GOOD AFTERNOON TO EVERYONE FOR OUR LATEST PRE-SEASON FRIENDLY AS WE WELCOME
CAMBRIDGE UNITED.
It’s another level of challenge for us after the last two games against a skilful West Ham side and a Tonbridge Angels team who had a lot of good players and asked us some questions in the second half.
I hardly need to remind anyone of our opposition’s League One standing –which makes today and next Saturday against Crawley Town very useful exercises for our squad ahead of the opening-day trip to Gateshead.
Our first home friendly last weekend returned a clean sheet and that’s a habit I like us to get into. Defenders putting their bodies on the line is as key to being successful just as much as scoring at the other end and you can see the boys we’ve brought in in those
DANNY SEARLE
EBBSFLEET UNITED MANAGER
areas love to do that and are only to get better and complement each other as the weeks and months progress.
We’ve got some real competition for places now and that’s a great environment to work in for the squad. There’s variety there, too, and we don’t want to be a one-trick pony in our play, in the way we go forward and create goals, so mixing things up and varying our game is very much something we’re working on.
Tuesday night at Tonbridge was very positive in the first half but we contributed to them having more chances and they should likely have scored late on. But some of our boys did their first 90 minutes so it was about that as well.
Nathan Odokonyero should have had 90 as well so I was a little disappointed in the challenge that ended his evening and led to an injury on the night. Like the one on Rakish Bingham, it’s unnecessary in pre-season, it’s frustrating for us and especially so for the players themselves.
We move on to Cambridge this afternoon, the first of two League One sides. They won’t let us just have the ball so it will be a good lesson for us, a different type of game – we’ve been meticulous in arranging these matches the way we have and we’ve hand-picked the opposition to be ready for August.
WELCOME TO THE MID-SECTION OF OUR HOME PRE-SEASON FRIENDLIES AS THAT BIG KICK-OFF GETS ever NEARER.
We extend that welcome, of course, to Garry Monk and everyone from Cambridge United this afternoon who will be our toughest opponent to date this summer.
Our last two friendlies brought in two more wins and for those of you who have regularly attended the games this month, it’s great to see and hear the enthusiasm amongst our fanbase for the squad, with the new faces winning new fans by the game.
We’ve had a few enquiries since the change of government about how that affects our stadium planning. Congratulations firstly to Dr Lauren Sullivan MP on her election – she has been a very visible local presence, taken
DAMIAN IRVINE
EBBSFLEET UNITED CEO
a real interest long before the election and is a good friend of our club. We say that not as a political statement of any kind but simply as a matter of fact. Northfleet Harbourside aligns completely with the new government’s strategy for development and housing targets and the Council will be making an imminent submission to government for review so we are hopeful of a favourable response there.
Infrastructure spend – building, construction, etc – especially with private investors ready to be involved, is a no-brainer for economy and growth. With the additional jobs boon for the local economy, we remain confident that the development can co-exist as a residency and retail space beneficial to Northfleet and Ebbsfleet.
Land acquisitions are taking place, we’re in negotiations across the area and there’s lots in progress. Plenty happens on a daily basis to keep us busy but it boils down to the fact that this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for the area and for the club.
Another big part of the football club’s involvement is our desire – during our time away from Stonebridge Road – to leave a legacy facility for the community and local sports within the borough
that I touched upon in interviews over the summer. There is of course a long way to go on that but we are working closely alongside a very supportive Council.
Back to football and we head into our final week of friendlies preparation. Don’t forget we have an open training session here on Thursday (August 1st) from 4pm. It’s free to attend, just make sure you register at tiny.cc/open-eufc. Food, drink and a chance to greet your squad up close and personal – what better way to kick off August?!
Our Women’s team have their first batch of fixtures published and begin with two home games – newly relegated Haywards Heath Town visit us on Sunday August 18th and one of the likely title contenders Fulham the week after. Women’s season tickets are on sale online and at club
reception where of course you can also pick up your men’s season tickets (or purchase one if you’ve not already done so, for savings on regular admission). And you can expect squad updates regarding the women’s team over the course of the next week.
Supporters have already been turning out in numbers for our away friendlies and we will need your backing in those first few away games, with visits to the likes of Gateshead, Yeovil and Altrincham all up early on in the fixtures calendar. As ever, the Fleet Supporters Trust are offering away travel so make sure you’re with us home and away as 2024/25 fast approaches. There was quite the array of new home and away kits on display in the stands last weekend which is great to see – and we also have the new training range available online and in-store.
MATCH CATCH-UP
0 1 THE FLEET WEST HAM U21 2 0 SAMUEL 48’, THOMAS 71’
05.08.2023 | VANARAMA NATIONAL LEAGUE | CROWN OIL ARENA | REFEREE: XXXXX | ATTENDANCE: 2,691 ONLINE MAN OF THE MATCH
West Ham’s older players at the back –Luizao and Levi Laing – kept Fleet quiet in the first-half despite chances for Dominic Poleon, Greg Cundle and Jim Kellermann. The visitors played some nice football and hit the woodwork before the break but three minutes after
it, Dominic Samuel was on target again for the Fleet to put the hosts in front. It came from another Ben Chapman rampage down the right and Samuel met the delivery to send in his fifth goal of pre-season. New signing Kwame Thomas scored the second after coming off the
bench, starting a move that saw Trialist A deliver a cross back in for Thomas to head home. Craig Tanner wasn’t far off with a cheeky attempted long-distance chip over goalkeeper Finlay Herrick but Fleet were good value for the third win of July.
05.08.2023 | VANARAMA NATIONAL LEAGUE | CROWN OIL ARENA | REFEREE: XXXXX | ATTENDANCE: 2,691
Longmead hasn’t exactly witnessed a feast of Fleet goals in the recent past so the visitors made up for that by scoring all of theirs during the first-half. The game was only 9 minutes old when Nathan Odokonyero went down in the box under a challenge that forced him to
limp off and up stepped Kwame Thomas to bury the penalty.
It was soon 2-0, a long Tyler Cordner throw-in flicked on and landing for Toby Edser to swipe home. And then two minutes before the break, Thomas was
ONLINE MAN OF THE MATCH
positioned well to finish off Dominic Poleon’s run and shot. Tonbridge might have made the scoreline more respectable in the second half but for wasteful finishing and assured goalkeeping by Harrison Firth, while Poleon and Thomas also had chances.
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Former Oxford United goalkeeper who made his debut as a 20-year-old. He has played for Oxford City, Tamworth and Port Vale on loan, clocking up almost 180 appearances in the process. He played 33 times for Cambridge in League One last season after signing from Oxford in 2023.
Captain: Michael Morrison
Now in his second spell with the club after coming through the youth ranks to make his debut in the Conference in 2005/06. He went on to play for Leicester, Sheffield Wednesday, Charlton, Birmingham City and Reading, returning to Cambridge in 2023 after spending a season at Portsmouth. He also has England C caps.
Danger man: Shayne Lavery
The Northern Ireland international striker is a new signing this summer from Blackpool where he played in the Championship.
A former Everton youth, he has played in Scotland and Northern Ireland for Falkirk and Linfield respectively. He has scored more than 50 goals in a 150-game career to date.
IN THE DUGOUT GARRY
MONK
Appointed: 03.2024
The 45-year-old former Swansea City centre-back made the journey from League Two to the Premier League as a player with the Welsh club, becoming manager in 2014 after helping save them from relegation from the top tier. He has since managed Leeds United, Middlesbrough, Birmingham City and Sheffield Wednesday. After three years out of the game, he took the U’s job in March.
THE U’S : WHO’S WHO?
Danny Andrew
Left-back signed from Fleetwood Town last summer. With more than 500 appearances to his name, he has featured for Cheltenham Town, Macclesfield Town, Grimsby Town (where he was player of the year) and Doncaster Rovers amongst others.
Liam Bennett
Right-back and local player signed from St Neots Town in 2021. He has played for Hemel Hempstead Town and Walsall on loan and was ever present for the U’s in League One last season.
James Brophy
Midfielder who played and scored against the Fleet for Leyton Orient. Formerly with Swindon Town, he was scouted from non-league football in 2015. He was a National League winner and FA Trophy runner-up from his time at Brisbane Road. Signed for Cambridge United in 2021 and has been a regular starter since.
Jordan Cousins
Former England youth and Jamaican international who started out at Charlton Athletic, signing for QPR in 2016. After three years there, he moved on to Stoke City and then Wigan Athletic. After more than 300 senior appearances, he signed for Cambridge in 2023.
Paul Digby
Central midfielder and former England youth international who made the grade at Barnsley before time at Ipswich, Mansfield, Forest Green and Stevenage. He moved to Cambridge 2020, winning promotion in his first season, and has now played 200 times for the club.
Gary Gardner
New arrival this summer from Birmingham City, the 32-yearold central midfielder was with Aston Villa from boyhood until 2019, playing 50 times. He also went on loan to Brighton, Nottingham Forest and Barnsley before a five-year spell at St Andrews. A former England U21.
James Gibbons
Full-back who came through Port Vale’s youth system, going on to play more than 100 times for the club. He spent the last two years with Bristol Rovers before arriving at Cambridge on loan in January, a move since made permanent.
George Hoddle
A second cousin of Glenn Hoddle, the midfielder was a Bishop’s Stortford youth player before he joined Cambridge in 2020. He has been out on loan at St Neots Town, Royston Town and St Albans City, where he sored four times in 25 games in the NLS last season.
Elias Kachunga
German-born Congo international forward who was with Borussia Monchengladbach, Hertha Berlin and SC Paderborn before arriving in England with Huddersfield Town. He had a year at Sheffield Wednesday and then move to Bolton, from where Cambridge signed him last August.
Sullay Kaikai
A Sierra Leone international winger born in South London, Kaikai started out with Crystal Palace, being loaned to Crawley, Cambridge, Shrewsbury, Brentford and Charlton. After a spell in Holland, he moved on to Blackpool, Wycombe and MK Dons, rejoining Cambridge permanently 12 months ago.
Ryan Loft
A forward who has played here for Tottenham’s U21s, the new signing has played EFL football for Stevenage, Carlisle, Scunthorpe, Bristol Rovers and last season Port Vale. He signed two weeks ago for a fee on a three-year deal.
Glenn McConnell
Joined the Cambridge academy aged nine and has come through the ranks, gaining experience at St Neots Town and St Albans City on loan. He also made his Republic of Ireland U18 debut in November 2022.
Brandon Njoku
Former West Ham youth who came through the Cambridge academy to make his debut last season. The teenage forward also has experience from loans with St Neots, Braintee Town, St Ives Town – where he scored 13 goals in 19 games – and Peterborough Sports.
Jubril Okedina
Bexley youngster who was on Tottenham’s books before moving to Cambridge on loan in 2021, which was later made permanent. He made his international debut for Malawi earlier this year. The defender has since played more than 100 times for the U’s.
Vicente Reyes
Goalkeeper and new arrival this summer on a season-long loan from Norwich City. Born in the USA, the 20-year-old is a Chile U23 international and has gained loan experience at Braintree Town and Forest Green Rovers.
Taylor Richards
Another loan signing this summer, the midfielder arrives from QPR, where he has played 19 Championship games. A former Manchester City and Brighton U21, Richards made his Premier League debut for the Seagulls in 2021 and has since had loan experience with Doncaster Rovers and Birmingham City.
THE U’S : WHO’S WHO?
DEFENDER
ZENO ROSSI
MIDFIELDER
GEORGE THOMAS
MIDFIELDER
KOREY SMITH
DEFENDER
KELLAND WATTS
Zeno Rossi
Signed in summer 2022 from AFC Bournemouth, the centreback played four times in the Championship for the Cherries as well in the SPL in two loans with Dundee and Kilmarnock. He featured in 11 League One matches last season.
Korey Smith
Newly signed from Derby County, the experienced midfielder won promotion with Norwich City in 2010/11 and enjoyed long spells with Oldham, Bristol City and Swansea City since, clocking up in excess of 500 games.
George Thomas Welsh internatonal midfielder signed from QPR in January 2023. He came through Coventry’s ranks, where he won the EFL Trophy, and has also played for Yeovil, Scunthorpe United and Dutch side ADO Den Haag.
Kelland Watts
Former England U19 who has just been released by Newcastle. He has gained experience via loans at Stevenage, Mansfield Town, Plymouth, Wigan and Peterborough over the past five years.
IF YOU KNOW THEIR HISTORY...
In 1991/92, Cambridge United’s squad of largely free-transfer journeymen – including future Fleet boss Liam Daish – came within 90 minutes of promotion to the first ever Premier League after finishing fifth in the old Division Two. Under manager John Beck they climbed 55 League places in just 28 months – and made it to the play-offs that season, only to lose to Leicester City and miss out on the PL riches.
HEAD TO HEAD
WON 4 DRAWN 7 LOST 9
20
MATCHES PLAYED
Our best victory: 4-1, September 1958
Worst defeat: 0-4, Nov. 1962 / Oct. 2009
Last time out: 1-1, March 2013
LAST SEASON IN NUMBERS
FLEET v THE U’s
Our earliest clashes go back to our Southern League days and our best win and best attendance (3,082) came in the first ever meeting between the clubs, when the Fleet were reigning Southern League champions.
OUR LAST MEETING
CAMBRIDGE UNITED 1-1 FLEET / 19-03-2013 / Attendance: 1,737
Heading towards relegation, the Fleet travelled to the Abbey Stadium and almost pulled off a shock against a Cambridge side destined to finish 14th, their lowest league position of the last 15 years.
Loan star Matt Godden fired the Fleet ahead with just 20 minutes left of this poorly attended evening game, shortly after smashing a shot off the post. The jubilation that Fleet might get their first ever three points at Cambridge lasted only 10 more minutes, however, as Harrison Dunk slid in to pounce on Paul Lorraine’s clearance in a goalmouth scramble for the equaliser.
Cambridge United’s current badge (far left) and Designs One, Two and Three –the current contenders to take over
CAM-BADGE UNITED
TODAY’S VISITORS ARE GOING ABOUT A BADGE REDESIGN IN JUST THE RIGHT WAY – CAREFULLY AND WITH FAN INPUT
Wave goodbye to the Cambridge badge on the front cover because if we meet the U’s in pre-season action next year, they’ll have retired their current club crest for a new one.
Hoping to avoid the kind of fallout many clubs suffer from when changing their badges, Cambridge have been in consultation with fans throughout the process and narrowed down their choice to three designs after a series of amendments following previous fan feedback, with more consultations to follow. Design One is
an evolution of the current badge, Design Two is inspired by the local Abbey Church that lent its name to the club from
1912–48 while Design Three’s ‘Book & Ball’ is a throwback to a previous crest design.
There are other new badges around the country this season.
Yeovil Town’s new design (below) was met with a generally poor reception but has been implemented over the summer nonetheless.
Elsewhere, National League newcomers
How Design Three might look
Tamworth have slightly modified theirs with the addition of two stars to reflect their recent back-to-back promotions. And Scunthorpe United’s 125th anniversary update is proving popular with supporters.
Further up the football ladder, Aston Villa are also sporting a new badge this season. Villa’s crestshaped design replaces the new roundel version that was only introduced last year with more of a nod to what came before that unpopular choice.
Stoke City upset fans with a teaser earlier this close season that was quite a radical departure from the club’s existing crest, which was a minimalist ceramics tower to reflect the history of pottery in
the area. But the club confirmed it would only be used as an icon in some merchandising and not as a replacement to the 23-year-old current badge.
Similarly, AFC Bournemouth are wearing a new badge on some shirts this season but insisting it is not a direct replacement for the 1970s-style existing logo.
A new trademarked design reflects the
club’s nickname of the Cherries, but some fans have likened it to a cider brand! However, like Stoke, Bournemouth are not replacing the badge as such, merely using it on some merchandise. With new American owners the new logo features on a special-edition shirt that Bournemouth wore in their California pre-season tour but their old badge still features on most other club products and channels.
Tamworth and Scunthorpe have new looks while Stoke City’s minimalist merchandising refresh will not replace the badge
Aston Villa... as you were!
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PART TWO | OCTOBER - JANUARY
REVIEW OF THE SEASON
OCTOBER 2023
After September closed out with a win, Fleet looked like carrying on where they’d left off, Darren McQueen scoring his third goal in two games early on at Eastleigh. But with the league’s top scorer Paul McCallum in clinical form, his hat-trick helped
the Spitfires to a 5-2 win. And it turned out to be a winless month for the Fleet, with FC Halifax Town avenging their FA Cup defeat of the previous season with a 2-0 win at the Kuflink Stadium.
A point at National North champions AFC Fylde was useful despite a ridiculous
sending-off for Ouss Cissé in a case of mistaken identity. Southend enjoyed a 3-0 win in the Fleet’s first ever visit to Roots Hall before Lady Luck deserted us altogether when we hosted Dagenham & Redbridge, the visitors winning the game with virtually the final kick of the 90.
October was a tricky month for the Fleet with an FA Cup exit and league defeats
In between those league games came entry and exit in the Emirates FA Cup. Two own goals denied Slough Town at the Kuflink Stadium, but on home soil in the replay they scored twice without reply to upset the Fleet’s higher-tier status.
There was also a debut for former Liverpool star Jordon Ibe, signed by the Fleet in his attempt to make a return to football, that grabbed plenty of headlines.
NOVEMBER 2023
A shorter November
schedule allowed Fleet to bring in Myles Kenlock and Dominic Samuel, with the latter scoring in the 95th minute on his debut at Hartlepool to secure a draw and preserve the Fleet’s unbeaten record against Pools.
Out the door, meanwhile, was Haydn Hollis who
made the move to our old National South foes and fellow relegation battlers Dorking Wanderers. The remaining three games were a mixed bag as fellow South promoted side Oxford City got into their stride to shock the Fleet in a 4-0 win at the Kuflink. A hard-working draw against Maidenhead followed
Fleet took the lead against Maidenhead but couldn’t hold on for all three points
Slough suffered two own goals from corners
before one of the results of the season as a Fleet late show rocked Oldham in our first ever visit to the former Premier League stadium. Samuel made it another late goal to cap a 4-1 win in what proved to be the club’s goal of the season.
DECEMBER 2023
Although Fleet kicked off the festive month with defeat at fellow relegation rivals Kidderminster Harriers in freezing conditions, and an FA Trophy exit on penalties to Bishop’s Stortford, there were signs of revival.
Oldham scored a penalty equaliser on home soil before Fleet ran riot to win 4-1
Barnet were held to a draw and Christmas came a few days early when Mark Cousins broke 77 years of history by becoming the first and only Fleet goalkeeper to score when he headed home a glorious late equaliser from a corner at York City.
Boxing Day against high-flying Bromley was a brave performance with two goals by Dominic Poleon but just not enough to overcome a smart side with plenty of experience in the division – and Michael Cheek was an inevitable scorer for the visitors.
The return at Bromley two days before the end of the year, however, was a sobering experience for the Fleet despite Luke O’Neill giving us an early lead. Bromley fought back, took a lead into half-time and extended that lead to the tune of 5-1 in front of a 4,000-strong crowd to leave the Fleet sitting in 22nd place, a point from safety but having played more games than our rivals.
JANUARY 2024
The New Year arrived and the first month was very like the first month
Two of the newer arrivals at Kidderminster –Myles Kenlock and Dominic Samuel
Fleet’s best moment of the double-header v Bromley was Luke O’Neill’s goal at Hayes Lane
Kenlock takes aim against his future employers Barnet!
of the season – win one, lose one. We began with a deserved 2-0 victory over Wealdstone before a wonder goal out of the blue finally gave Hartlepool a win at the Fleet’s expense.
Samuel’s late-goal habit was evident again at Maidenhead as he earned the Fleet three more precious points at fellow
strugglers Maidenhead but the reds still couldn’t build on victory to establish back-to-back wins and bottom club Oxford achieved the double with a 1-0 win on their own turf. That wasn’t quite the end of the matter, however, as it led to title-winning Dennis Kutrieb’s departure on 29th January after more than three years in charge.
Managerless heading into February, the Fleet had three months to effect survival – and were sitting fourth from bottom... still in touch of the sides above but with our rivals having more games to play.
Our concluding thirdpart in our Review of the Season is to be found in next Saturday’s issue v Crawley Town.
A chilly start to 2024 – but three points v Wealdstone
Loanee Declan Skura was an important new addition – here he is in action v Hartlepool
The end of Dennis Kutrieb’s reign came at Oxford City
A big three points at Maidenhead
THE UNTOLD GAME
BRIEF ENCOUNTERS
BY MARTYN GREEN OF THE UNTOLD GAME. FIND MORE
AT THEUNTOLDGAME.CO.UK
LESSER-KNOWN
A CLUB IN MELTDOWN
The Avanhard Stadium in the old Soviet Union was supposed to hold 11,000 diehard supporters for its football team. Newly built, it was supposed to be the symbol of a Stalinist regeneration in the area. The club had spent its decade of existence in the USSR fourth division, but with a new ground, an excited and enthusiastic fanbase, and backing from Moscow, hopes were high that the future would be bright. But the stadium
was never used. In 1986, just a week before it was due to be opened, disaster struck. Because the centrepiece of the area’s regeneration was a nuclear power plant. The area was Pripyat, the name of the plant was Chernobyl.
When Soviet leader
Brezhnev declared Pripyat to be a new atomgrad – a nuclear city – he could not have imagined how prophetic his words would be. Construction was started in 1972, and completed five years later. In the middle, builders who were conscripted
for the project found they had little to do with their free time, so started a football team. Founded in the nearby village of Chistogaovka, Stroitel Pripyat displaced the amateur side that was already in place, absorbing their fans and some of their players into the new club, as the population grew past 50,000. They were slowly joined by players from all over Ukraine and by 1979, the power plant was operational. The builders stayed in Pripyat and continued playing for and supporting Stroitel.
By the new decade, Stroitel Pripyat were becoming a local force. In 1986, they went on an unprecedented run in the Ukrainian Cup, to the semi-finals ... but fate had other plans.
On the morning of 26th April 1986, Stroitel’s players were going through some light training when a helicopter landed on the pitch. Men, wearing protective suits, disembarked. There would be no football that day. There had been an accident at Chernobyl. Radiation levels were already too high.
It was another two days before the players – and everybody else in Pripyat – were evacuated to where the radiation levels were safe. Some returned soon afterwards as part of the cleanup crew, half a million volunteers whose heroic efforts belied the wilful mistakes of their leaders.
Fans struggled to make the journey, but the players, brought together by the disaster, managed to finish third the following season. But due to falling crowds, a lack of investment and – crucially and sadly inevitably –health problems caused by the accident at Chernobyl, the team disbanded for good in 1988.
Power Plant itself was so badly irradiated that it won’t be safe to enter for another 20,000 years. Pripyat is a ghost town.
The remaining players moved the club 30 miles east of the Dnieper River, to Slavutych, where they made an effort to reestablish themselves.
The exclusion zone around Pripyat is a tourist attraction now, for those brave or foolhardy enough to enter it. The Chernobyl
The loss of a small amateur football team, who had existed for barely a decade and had won exactly nothing, is largely an insignificance compared to the human cost. But in the middle of the exclusion zone, overgrown and forever empty, sits the Avanhard Stadium. A symbol of what might have been.
Former Fleet boss Kevin Watson is assistant to Rod Stringer as Welling look to build on their Great Escape from last season. Familiar Wings include Reece Grant and Dave Winfield. Our last visit there, as recently crowned NLS champions in 2023, ended in a 3-2 defeat.
A FRIENDLY FROM THE PAST
Darren McQueen models Fleet’s new away kit for the 2018/19 season in a 2-2 draw with Cambridge
2018
FLEET 2-2 CAMBRIDGE UNITED | Attendance: 414
▲ CHECKING IN...
Midfielder Ricky Aguiar joins former Worthing hotshot Ollie Pearce and manager Adam Hinshelwood at York City. Australian defender and Welling player of the year Lachlan Bird has signed for Aldershot Town. Kent-born former Fleet trialist Bradley Stevenson, meanwhile, has moved to Solihull Moors from Billericay.
▼ AND SHIPPING OUT...
New Fleet signing Louis John played in this one for the visitors six years ago, who had won 2-0 in a friendly a year before. It looked like they were going to repeat that scoreline when Reggie Lambe linked well with George Maris to open the scoring on 40 minutes. And it was 2-0 before the half-time whistle sounded as Maris skipped through again to beat Nathan Ashmore. Darren McQueen had an effort ruled out for a dubious offside and with just three minutes left, the U’s were on course for the win. But Fleet came back from the dead, first when Danny Kedwell lashed home a Jack Powell corner and then with seconds remaining, Myles Weston’s fine individual piece of skill carved out an equaliser. Fleet: Ashmore, Wilson, Magri, Bush, Winfield, Graham, Adams (Whitely 45), Powell, Weston, Coulson (Kedwell 60), McQueen (Shields 70). Subs not used: Miles, King, Moncur
In the lower divisions, Oxford City have re-signed Bromley defender Cole Kpekawa permanently. He scored on his loan debut at the Kuflink Stadium last season. And Chatham Town have made a move for experienced striker Freddie Sears, late of Dagenham and Braintree Town.
FLEET REVIEW
Editor, Design and Layout Ed Miller
CLUB OWNERSHIP
Photography Dave Plumb, Simon Lapwood, Ed Miller, Tom Harris
