Thamesmead Town vs Sittingbourne by Jamie Barwick

BOSTIK LEAGUE SOUTH SUNDAY 10TH SEPTEMBER KICK-OFF 2:00PM

THAMESMEAD TOWN v SITTINGBOURNE

THE MEAD 06

> CONTENTS

ISSUE 06 Welcome

Good afternoon everyone and welcome to the first of our Sunday matches here at Princes Park as we welcome everyone from SITTINGBOURNE for this BOSTIK South fixture… After a week of cup football its nice to be back playing the “bread and butter” of League football and a special welcome from me to the Pitts brothers – John and Peter – two gentlemen I have known and, like many others in Kent football, respected them both for many years, and it gives me a lot of pleasure to welcome them to Princes Park this Sunday afternoon as our guests.

In today’s Mead, The Wooden Man makes his debut from the terraces in the first of an occasional series; we’ve more of the action from our cup win last weekend; we go oneon-one with new Mead keeper Lewis Carey and there’s the latest from the Gaffer and the Chairman’s office. Don’t forget we’re back here at the weekend BUT on Sunday rather than Saturday… So put the roast’s back until tea-time and we’ll see you all on Sunday afternoon. Enjoy the game and safe trip home Greenie

THAMESMEAD TOWN FC KEY PERSONNEL

Hon President: Albert Panting Honorary Vice-Presidents: Gareth Connaleigh, Terry Hill, Alan Martin, Eddie McCann, Keith McMahon, Peter Tiernay, Alan Woodward Chairman & Club Owner: Paul BowdenBrown Vice Chairman: Richard Bowden-Brown Directors: Paul Bowden-Brown & Kai Isaksen General Manager: Ian Docker Club Secretary: Mike Green Boardroom Hospitality: Sue Dingwall

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Press Officer: Mike Green Club Photographer: Allen Hollands

FOOTBALL MANAGEMENT

First-Team Manager: Tommy Warrilow First-Team Assistant: Alex O’Brien First-Team Physiotherapist: Carly Payne First-Team Coach: Craig Gibson Academy Manager: Ian Docker Academy Coacher: Steve Quashie & Steve Rouse Kitman: Terry Sedge

MATCHDAY PROGRAMME

Editors: Jamie Barwick & Mike Green Designer: Jamie Barwick Email: jamie_barwick363@yahoo.co.uk Print: Darenth Print and Design

GROUND ADDRESS Princes Park Grassybanks Dartford DA1 1RT

THE OFFICIAL 2017/18 MATCHDAY PROGRAMME

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THE CHAIRMAN <

PAUL BOWDEN-BROWN THE CHAIRMAN

May I welcome the officials, players and supporters of Sittingbourne FC to Princes Park on this Sunday afternoon being played at our new home for the next five years. And after an enjoyable game have a safe journey home! Well, here we are once again, playing a football club that has a soft place within my time non-league football. Whilst I was bringing Maidstone United up through the leagues, it was Andy Spice the previous chairman of Sittingbourne Football Club that offered to allow MUFC, after gaining their senior status to play their matches at Bourne Park. Firstly at the top then at the lower pitch, but they were enjoyable times and, although I understand Andy is no longer involved in the everyday running of the club, I think he and Tania are vice presidents of the club, so a great big thank you from me to Sittingbourne FC for being a genuine friend back in those days, without whose help we would never have achieved our aims in

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those days. Last Saturday we had an enjoyable game of football in the FA Cup against an in-form Lewis, but we came away with our name in the cup for the draw on the Monday. Last Wednesday we met Phoenix Sports in another league cup and came away 4-3 winners. We played some good football, but due to silly mistakes we were cruising at 4-1, but allowed them to come back and if it was not for Max playing out of his skin in our goal, I think the scores on the doors might have been different. Well this afternoon we play a team that is sitting high in the league under the leadership of Nick Davis the manager.

THAMESMEAD TOWN V SITTINGBOURNE

As a player, I know a lot about him as he was a member of a Maidstone squad whilst on our travels and he should be very proud to what he has achieved with the resources he has, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s always great to see a player go into management and succeed, so well done Nick for what you have achieved. Our game today is being played on a Sunday due to our landlords playing on the Saturday, so this will be the first of two consecutive Sundays we play at with us also hosting Billericay next Sunday in the FA Cup. A lot has been said about this draw, I personally believe itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a great chance for the club whether we win or lose as long as we act professionally and give it our best I will be satisfied with whatever outcome.

> THE CHAIRMAN

Of course Billericay have publicly stated their intentions this season and beyond and it reminds me of the early days when I was at Maidstone United in the 90s, I believe we should all be proud of what this club is doing for the game therefore they have my vote.

within my notes welcoming our new and old supporters to our new home of Princes Park, because as it is well documented that we as a club do not have many supporters and that was one of the reasons I moved the club from Thamesmead.

I hope many Dartford’s supporters have taken the opportunity to watch this and next week’s game by buying the Mead Card that allows you into all our games on a concessionary price of £5 and, if you are over 65, you get in 50% cheaper so a very good deal.

I have offered many initiatives to try and rectify this trend and it would seem to be working our gates are increasing each week we play at Dartford, so to all of you I thank you for your continued support.

I have written previously

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Enjoy the game. Paul Bowden-Brown Director and Owner

“Last Saturday we had an enjoyable game of football in the FA Cup against an in-form Lewis, but we came away with our name in the cup for the draw on the Monday.”

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THE MANAGER <

TOMMY WARRILOW THE manager

Good afternoon everyone and welcome to Sittingbourne as we return back to Bostik League South action A warm welcome to Nick Davis and all the people at Sittingboune Football Club to Princes Park this Sunday afternoon. They’re another team (similar to Hythe Town) who’s colours I have worn during my own career when times were very good for the club over at the very impressive Central Park Stadium when we got great gates – 3,000 or 4,000. I remember even one game when there was around 5,000 in the ground. It was a real shame to see what happened to the club, but it’s nice to see it surviving and looking so healthy today. Nick’s doing a good job at Woodstock Park and is getting a good young side together and trying to push the club back in the right direction. We go into the game today off the back of two very good

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performances in different cup competitions. Last Saturday, we beat Lewes in the FA Cup – they are a good side who will be in with a shout at the end of the season, and we put a great performance, not only with the ball, but what pleased me even more was the way we were without the ball. We hunted in packs after flying out of the blocks where we took our chances again and didn’t make many mistakes at the back. That was the difference in the previous game – I know we’re going to make mistakes, but as I said to the boys, the important thing is that we learn from them and don’t let them happen again – it’s as simple as that! We took that into Wednesday’s League Cup tie and again I was happy with the performance as we gave boys match time who so far haven’t been getting

THAMESMEAD TOWN V SITTINGBOURNE

minutes. We’ve only got a squad of 16 or 17 players and that’s us. We didn’t rest people – they were on the bench and the rest of the boys started. I told the boys that it wasn’t a weakened side, it’s just that they hadn’t had game time as the players who have had the shirts have gone in and done a good job for us. Unfortunately, we faded out of the game in the last 20 minutes after a good performance when they got at us a bit and at 4-1 we tried to be professional and see the game out. Sadly, it went the other way and were under constant pressure, but our youngish squad managed to see the game out which is another part of their learning curve. We showed great character to see the game out and earn our

> THE MANAGER

place in the next round as we had a few boys struggling in the end with various knocks and bumps. We’re in the hat for the next round of a cup again which is good for the club again. Overall our performances seem to be getting more consistent which again is very pleasing – we are demand more from the boys but that’s because we know that there is still a lot more to come from them. So, we’ve got to be patient and make sure we win our games, get better organised as we go on with every game. The expectation levels around the club seem to be getting that

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bit higher and that’s down to the start that we’ve had and of course the performances.

pull up trees – he needs to go and get some football as he’s a good player and I wish him well.

We’ve a new addition to the club this week with Richard Avery agreeing to join us from Ashford United. There’s been a bit of fall-out down there with the managers leaving, and Avo’s been injured too and he’ll be a very important experienced member of our squad.

So, I needed to be honest with him as I have during pre-season and give him ample time to find somewhere he can get regular football.

Unfortunately leaving the club last week was one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met in football – Richard Butler. I was just trying to be fair and honest with Butts to get minutes. It would have been unfair for me to leave him on the bench and expect him to go on for half an hour and get a start every now and then and

Sittingbourne have made a great start and we know that we’re in for a tough game before we even think about next Sunday. So, enjoy the game and see you in the bar afterwards as usual, Enjoy the game! Tommy Warrilow First-Team Manager

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> THE CAPTAIN

LEON SMITH THE CAPTAIN

Hello everyone and welcome to Princes Park, where we take on high-flying Sittingbourne in the Bostik League South It was a really good win last Saturday which has seen us progress another step in the FA Cup. We were quick out of the blocks and Vinesy had us ahead with a great header in the first thirty seconds. He scored his second from a penalty and we settled down nicely and played some good football. Again, I think, we came out slightly off the pedal at the beginning of the second half, but we worked our way back as a team with some good stuff played in midfield from Tom and Kinchy, as well as another clean sheet for the defence thanks to a great save from Lewis. Our subs came on and helped keep the momentum build again and a third final goal from Tash sealed a great win. Then on Wednesday, it was a close-run game with Phoenix in the end that shouldn’t have been after we were on top for most of the match.

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They scored first, but we recovered quickly and were 3-1 up at half time. There were good performances from Glovesey, Tom (again) and Laurent with another two goals from Alex. Ryan and Glovesy got in on the scoring too that just about sealed the win. Yet again we’ve got some areas to work on starting today, but in the end a good performance and a place in the next round by digging in and pulling out the win. And so, Billericay are up next here next Sunday and as I said before what a game that will be – another tough game, but a great one to play in as the whole competition is, and a great day for all at the club. But still have to negotiate today first which is an important game for us! Thanks for your support as always, Leon Smith First-Team Captain

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MEAD MATTERS <

THAMESMEAD TOWN

mead matters CHAMPS BAR SHUT TODAY Because of a pre-booked event, Champions Bar will NOT be open today before or after the game with Sittingbourne. We’d like to thank Dartford for allowing us use of one of the internal bars instead for Sunday only – access to this bar will only be from inside the ground. HOWEVER THERE IS A PRIVATE FUNCTION IN THE OTHER BAR AND WE ASK YOU TO RESPECT THEIR PRIVACY!

NO HERNE BAY THIS WEEK A quick reminder that Wednesday’s scheduled home game with HERNE BAY has been postponed due to their continued involvement in the Kent Reliance Kent Senior Cup. The game has been rescheduled until WEDNESDAY 18th OCTOBER with a 7:45pm kick-off.

HASTINGS TBA At the moment, there’s no new date for our trip to HASTINGS UNITED that has been postponed following our win in the FA Cup last weekend – we hope to be able to announce the new date in the next week.

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THAMESMEAD TOWN V SITTINGBOURNE

DARTS AT HOME A reminder that before our Cup tie will Billericay, there is action here at Princes Park on both Tuesday and Saturday as DARTFORD are at home to Eastbourne Borough in Vanarama National League South on Tuesday, before hosting Barking in the FA Cup next Saturday.

> MEAD MATTERS

NEXT SUNDAY

SPONSOR A PLAYER

As you will all know by now, next Sunday – September 17th – the Mead will welcome BOSTIK Premier pace setters BILLERICAY TOWN to Princes for possibly one of the ties of the round.

We’re looking for individuals, groups of supporters or companies who’d like to sponsor your favourite Mead player! Be it Paul Vines, Lewis Carey, Richard Butler or even the Gaffer himself, simply see Greenie or the Chairman and they’ll happily talk you through the details…

We ask you to keep an eye on the clubs official website, Twitter and Facebook for full details of the day, but we’d like to remind our Season Ticket holders that your tickets are NOT valid for this game.

FINALLY Happy Birthday to BODE ANIDUGBE who’s birthday is on Thursday next week – have a good one from all of us…

PRINCES PARK IS A NO SMOKING STADIUM THANK YOU FOR YOUR CO-OPERATION WWW.TTFCOFFICIAL.ORG

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> THE ACADEMY

STEVE QUASHIE THE Academy

Hello, and here’s hoping for a successful season for Tom and the lads in our first year at Princes Park. These are my first notes for the first team programme since joining the club.

afterwards to bow out of the competition three nil on the night.

Ian’s asked me to write these after our FA Youth Cup tie on Tuesday night.

Despite our natural disappointment both Ian and I have to give credit to our players for equipping themselves well, and a special mention and commendation must go to our keeper Wonu (Rilwan Odaranile) for a man-of-the-match performance.

We made the trip down to the coast to play on Margate FC’s new 4g pitch which was as Greenie described like a carpet. The lads approached the game positively and they competed well against a physically strong team. Sadly though, a lapse in concentration resulted with the home side opening the scoring after twenty-eight minutes. Despite this and to their credit undeterred, the players worked hard and came close to equalizing before half-time. The second half was quite an open affair with both teams creating lots of chances, before the home side scored a second goal that was dubious at best – an offside flag didn’t come – and unfortunately we conceded another shortly

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Next game will be our first league game, and Ian will tell you all about that and the coming weeks next time. Enjoy this afternoon and best of luck to Tommy and the first team, Cheers Steve Quashie Academy Coach

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CARLY & RHYANNA THE physios

Good afternoon all and welcome to Princes Park for another home game of the 2017/2018 season. Most of you will be aware of Rhyannas presence in the dugout for most of last season and I’m pleased to confirm she’s agreed to stay with us again this season as my assistant.

starting line up.

Her help for me is invaluable and I for one am delighted to have her on board again.

There were a number of players with little niggles during pre-season which is to be expected after the break and with a few carrying a little extra weight we’ve worked them hard in gruelling one to one sessions to shift the pounds and get fit.

We’ll mix things up this year with both of us providing updates on injuries and any squad news. So it’s been a busy pre-season for Rhyanna and myself, we’ve had our work cut out getting Vinesy back fit after his knee injury in the back end of last season. It was a tough two months, but we’re pleased to have him back in the squad and competing for a place in the WWW.TTFCOFFICIAL.ORG

He’s worked hard not only in rehab sessions with us, but also putting in the work himself to get into shape and ready.

We’ve come into this season with a different mindset, for us it’s all about making sure the boys are taking care of themselves away from the squad.

eat correct, to self manage injuries and niggles and we’ll be regularly weighing the boys ensuring they’re maintaining a healthy weight especially when injured. We want to help them help us and in turn we hope to see a reduction of injuries this season. We saw Bode come off injured in our final pre-season game against Folkestone, luckily is wasn’t anything too serious and we’re hopeful he’ll be back within the next week. That’s all from us and hopefully these notes from us will be kept short and sweet from now on! Good luck today lads!

We want to educate the boys to be preparing right before games etc making sure they

Carly & Rhyanna First-Team Physios

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> MATCH REPORT

5 THAMESMEAD TOWN Teniola (1, 7, 55), Kinch (12), Anidugbe (18)

Saturday 26th August Princes Park Attendance: 105 Bostik League South

0 HORSHAM The Mead moved into second place in the early BOSTIK South table with another impressive performance and a near perfect start. In front after barely a minute, and four up inside the opening twenty, there really was no way back for the first Saturday league visitors at Princes as the Hornets from Horsham received a real sting in the tail following the Mead rather limp exit from the Kent Cup in midweek. Alex Tenolia again stole the headlines with his second hat-trick in a week, with Scott Kinch and Bode Anidugbe giving scoring support, but this was all about a stunning opening burst giving a near perfect start to a terrific team performance. How different to the Mead’s first home game of the season which was edged with almost the final kick of the game against Hythe Town. Alex’s partnership with Tashi-Jay Kwayie seems to be bringing the best out of each other, and it was Alex who duly completed his treble just before the hour courtesy

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of two terrific crosses from Harvey Brand (a great early birthday present for the Mead full-back) and a magnificent drive that flew into the top corner of the Horsham net after only seven minutes to double the lead that Alex had given the home side in the opening minute as he rammed home Harvey’s brilliant ball into the box. Kinchy then was on hand to bravely head home Ellis Green’s corner to make it three in only twelve minutes, and when Bode fired home gloriously from the angle still inside the opening 20 minutes, the game was won

with out any doubt. Full credit to Horsham though who kept at it, but even their most staunchest of followers were resigned to an afternoon in the sizzling Dartford sunshine as the Mead made it five early in the second half when Alex again was on hand to bury the chance that Harvey’s fine ball in had created. It could have been more as Alex himself, Tashi and Tom O’Connor all went close, but in the final analysis a glorious win in glorious sunshine - not a bad way to start a Bank Holiday weekend.

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MATCH ACTION <

MATCH ACTION VS.

PHOENIX SPORTS

Pictures taken by club photographer Allen Hollands

Tomâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s on the ball

Ryan fire home the third just before half-time

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THAMESMEAD TOWN V SITTINGBOURNE

Alex drills the Mead in front

> MATCH ACTION

Simon (who scored the Meadâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fourth) slides in...

Max denies another Phoenix Sports attack

Leon stands firm

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VIEW FROM THE TERRACES <

WOODIES WORDS THE VIEW FROM THE TERRACES Today we begin the first of an occasional series when Princes Park own “Wooden Man” gives his views from the terraces on the Mead’s season so far beginning with the Mead’s final pre-season game at Folkestone Invicta… ‘Sea, sea, Seasiders’ sang the local faithful to warm themselves on what was a mad English summer’s day in Folkestone of torrential bursts of rain mixed with sunny spells. And pardon the pun but I felt a sea change in the Mead’s play from the first friendly against Tonbridge Angels which was a typical first game back with many players being given a runout/trial seeing the Mead lose three sloppy goals and going down by 3 goals to 1. We bossed the game from the off looking fit and organised making a decent looking Invicta side look average and home fans could be heard commenting on what a good side we were. Many chances went begging before Tom put us in front with a cracker from the edge of the box. Folkestone hadn’t a decent little spell in the PAGE 20

second half which was to be expected but the mead continued to create chances and could count themselves very unlucky to concede a dubious equaliser with Joe lay flat out injured in the six yard box. So on to penalties we went and unlike England the mead proved to be rather good at them and the Sid Burvill trophy (played every year in honour of a very popular figure at the Fullick’s stadium) was ours. Cray Wanderers away looked a tough fixture to open up with in our new Bostik league south division, as I am sure they will be in the mix come the end of the season. A really enjoyable game of football saw the honours even which was about right with new loanee Tash causing problems with his non-stop intelligent running and 2 goals, the first from an exquisite

THAMESMEAD TOWN V SITTINGBOURNE

Kinchy through ball and a deserved last minute headed equaliser. Once again, the boys looked positive and fit with Harvey my man of the match for the Mead looking Kyle Walkeresque with his constant raids down the right. A last-minute winner from Vinesy against Hythe and a record-breaking Fa Cup win at East Preston 8 (EIGHT) 0 kept up the fantastic start to the season. Horsham arrived at Princes Park in the glorious sunshine and they might have well been advised to bring their deckchairs as the mead blew them away in a truly devastating opening spell 4 0 up in 18 minutes with some fantastic goals. They looked visibly shaken as did PBB who nearly cracked a smile (it was that good) and

> VIEW FROM THE TERRACES

offered only little resistance with the mead continuing to create chances and should have added more than the single goal to run out 5-0 winners. What is that saying about after the Lord Mayors show? Well VCD away on a lovely Bank holiday Monday was testament to it with the Mead passing up a host of opportunities only to see the home side capitalise on a couple of mistakes to go in 2-0 to the good. Alex continued his rich vein of form to pull a goal back but another mistake gifted VCD a third and that was that, a dog of a game but we wipe our mouths and move on to a well fancied Lewes. They were dispatched three nil in the FA Cup at Princes Park and we now await the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s greatest Billericay Town in what should be a fantastic day for the mead with a decent crowd to boost the coffers. Its early doors as they say but the commitment and effort of the players is visible they look organised and fit and are playing some great football to boot so we can ask no more. Well done TW, all the boys and girls, PBB, Ian, and Greenie, keep up the hard work. Woodie

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THE OPPOSITION <

INTRODUCING

sittingbourne Thamesmead Town host high-flying Sittingbourne in, what should be, one of the games of the Bostik League South season. The Brickies sit second in the table having won three and drawn two out of their five opening games. Sittingbourne switch their attentions back to the league having progressed in the Kent Reliance Senior Cup with a 2-1 win over Faversham Town. In the league, Sittingbourneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s last outing saw them beat

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Whyteleafe 2-1 after goals from Kane Rowland and Tom Loynes. Two sensational pieces of skill memorably won this game for Sittingbourne and took them up to the dizzy heights of second in the Bostik South League. For the Mead, they too have confidence coursing through their veins after seven points from their four games. Their good form have has also translated into Cup competitions and all points to an entertaining match today.

THAMESMEAD TOWN V SITTINGBOURNE

CLUB GUIDE Nickname: The Brickies Founded: 1886 Chairman: Maurice Dunk Manager: Nick Davis Last Season: 15th Ground: Woodstock Park Capacity: 3,000

> THE OPPOSITION

SITTINGBOURNE

Recent CLUB HISTORY Midway through the 1998/99 season Barry Bright felt that he had taken the club as far as he could and handed over the Chairmanship to Andy Spice. Andy and the new committee took a long hard look at the finances and made a few drastic decisions in the best interests of the club. Hughie Stinson took over as (unpaid) Manager and the only paid employees of the club were two players on contracts. Sittingbourne finished this season in 13th position in the Dr Marten Southern League Southern Division. So the new millennium saw Sittingbourne in a healthier financial position than they had been for some time and with a Chairman and committee pledged to making them a successful club with a sound financial footing. With the playing budget pruned the next two seasons were difficult for the club, 1999/2000 saw them finish just above the relegation positions. Season 2000/2001 was even worse, they finished second from bottom and looked like heading back to the Kent League. With just a few months to go, Hughie Stinson resigned and Reserve team manager John Roles took over. Although results improved for a time, the damage had already been done. At the eleventh hour they were reprieved because of the sad demise of Baldock Town. Ironically the last team Sittingbourne had played that season. Season 2002/2003 saw the management committee make the decision to move out of the main Central Park stadium. The club signed a 10 year lease with Caernsport for the use of the training pitches and feverish activity during the summer of 2002 by an army of volunteers led to a new ground being developed for the new season. The ground was given the name “Bourne Park” and a temporary stand

shipped in from Mount Ephraim Gardens which was used throughout that season. Ex Leeds, Brighton and Maidstone Utd goalkeeper Mark Beeney assisted by Steve Nolan took over in October 2001. Steve Nolan had a brief spell in charge on his own in early March 2005 when Mark could no longer continue owing to full time commitments at Chelsea as a goalkeeper coach. The reins then passed once again to Steve Lovell who had returned for his third spell at the club in April 2005. The 2005 -2006 season was destined to be the last one Sittingbourne played in the Southern League because of the FA reorganising the leagues on a more geographical basis so the club said goodbye to many old friends and faced a brand new challenge playing a number of “unknown” teams in the Ryman’s Isthmian league for season 2006 - 2007. That last Southern league season saw Sittingbourne finish a poor 18th out of 22 clubs however in their first season in the Isthmian league they finished in 10th place in the table despite a terrible run of 15 matches without a win. In November 2007, Sittingbourne appointed a new manager in non league goal scoring legend Gary Abbott. Steve Lovell had left to join Ashford Town *Kent) who had had a substantial cash injection from investors, Steve took many of Sittingbourne’s key players with him. Despite this Gary managed to guide the team to a very respectable 9th position by the end of the 2007 -2008 season. Gary Abbott was successful in guiding the team to a Kent Senior Cup victory over Folkestone Invicta at the end of season 2009-10. The team struggled somewhat after the playing budget was slashed midway through the 2010-11 season and Gary was replaced by his assistant Richard Brady in 2011-12, Richard was joined by ex

Brickie Jamie Coyle as his assistant. Richard Brady and Jamie Coyle opted to join Leatherhead as Manager and Assistant in October 2011 and ex Brickie Joe Dowley, assisted by players Bryan Glover and Bradley Spice took over the reins till the end of the season. Unfortunately the trio couldn’t turn round the clubs fortunes and Sittingbourne finished 19th in the table, just two points off the bottom. Jim and Danny Ward, well known in Kentish footballing circles, joined as joint managers at the beginning of season 2012-13 and immediately the fortunes of the club improved and they finished a very respectable 9th in the league having been candidates for a play off place for much of the season. Jim and Danny Ward departed from the club during September 2013 by mutual consent and coach Matt Wyatt and captain Nick Davis took over as joint managers. Season 2012-13 marked a new milestone in the clubs history with the club gaining a new chairman in Maurice Dunk and also moving home to Woodstock Park, South of the town, as Bourne Park was proving prohibitively expensive and outdated. The club and supporters owe Andy and Tania an enormous thank you for keeping Sittingbourne FC afloat after the disastrous mismanagement of the previous regime that led to the club on the brink of extinction in the early 1990’s. Andy and his wife Tania’s contribution has been immeasurable not only in the way of finance but also in general management and in building the infrastructure. In July 2014 Nick Davis resigned as joint manager and Matt Wyatt continued as manager on his own for a short period and then resigned himself in October 2014. His replacement was his previous joint manager Nick Davis. The team have been in the lower reaches of the table recently but it is hoped that a strong youth policy will gradually bring improvement.

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PLAYER INTERVIEW <

FEATURE INTERVIEW:

LEWIS CAREY

This week’s player feature is with the Mead’s new keeper who we signed during the summer from Eastbourne, and has made an instant impression on and off the pitch. Today, Greenie turns the spotlight on LEWIS CAREY…

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THAMESMEAD TOWN V SITTINGBOURNE

> PLAYER INTERVIEW

We started by trying to understand what makes the Mead stopper tick and exactly how he found himself between the sticks: “I used to play outfield,” Lewis told us, “and I think one day my youth side needed a keeper so I had ago and never really looked back. My idol was Shay Given when growing up because I followed Newcastle United. But if you asked me, I guess the player who’d I’d probably like to meet Buffon the Italian keeper. Before every game and at training, Lewis and fellow keeper Max Ovenden are through their paces in warmup by our keeper coach Craig Gibson, but we wondered what the sessions were like? Lewis admitted, “Yeah it’s good to have some to work with and get advice and criticism off. Craig’s a nice bloke – honest and Max is terrific and great to work with. “I had a few offers in the summer after I left Eastbourne Borough. I spoke to Tom in the summer and everything just got sorted from there. “It seems like we’ve got a good dressing, with a good blend of

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youth and experience. “Gaffer and OB and good to play for – I’ve worked with them at Tonbridge and I’ve known Tom for years as he used to play with my dad, Sean, many many, many, years ago!! “They both have great enthusiasm for football which definitely makes a difference in the dressing room!” We then asked Lewis about his time in the game – his answer was very thoughtful as he said, “I wouldn’t say I’ve got any regrets so far as I’ve quite a journey when it comes to football.

kit bought (either for you or by you)? Newcastle goalkeepers kit. First album/CD owned? 50 Cent First football match attended? A game watching my dad I’d imagine. First car owned? Vauxhall Corsa. First foreign holiday? Spain.

“I think being at Thamesmead now and not seeing football so much as a ‘job’ it means I’m able to enjoy it a lot more!” Finally, our “Five First’s” as we ask everyone the same five questions… First football

THE OFFICIAL 2017/18 MATCHDAY PROGRAMME

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CRAIGâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S CORNER <

CRAIG GIBSON THE coach

Welcome to Princes Park our new home - Jamie and Greenie have finally let me write some words for the programme, so here goes! These are exciting times at the Mead I think you will agree. The FA Cup win against Lewes, for me, was one of our most accomplished performances for a very long time and well deserved. Lewes were a good side and of course the early goal from that man Vinesy was a great start. I was delighted the way ALL the squad reacted following our defeat at VCD, we were banging

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the drum about how good sides bounce back and we did that.

They have to do this week in & week out if we are to achieve something special this season.

entertained Phoenix Sports in the League cup, at the time of writing we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know the result, but I am sure It will be a fiercely contested tie between us. Let us hope we have progressed to the next round as it would be nice to have a run in this competition. I truly do not understand when teams at this level do not take this competition seriously, we all have a realistic chance to win this one, a trophy a little glory should not be sniffed at.

On Wednesday night we

Today we entertain

This shows character & a good spirit. I will not name names, but I was also delighted with two or three players in particular who managed their own games very well, which of course in turn made great contributions on the day.

THAMESMEAD TOWN V SITTINGBOURNE

Sittingbourne in our first Sunday home fixture this season, I really do not know if I should have my roast dinner before or after the game?

> CRAIG’S CORNER

This has really turned my weekend upside down! I love a kip in the armchair on Sunday afternoon’s maybe I will have to settle for the bench this afternoon LOL! Hopefully the lads can wake me up with a stirring performance culminating with another three points in our league campaign. Then next week, (on Sunday AGAIN!) we have a plumb draw, tie of the round in the FA Cup 2nd qualifying round when we welcome Billericay Town, never heard of them? You should have, they have been the most written/talked about non- league side during the past six months. I shall write more on this for next week’s programme, I am sure the game will be highly anticipated by us all here at Thamesmead & hopefully many more will be curious enough to swell the gate and give us a great atmosphere worthy of an FA Cup tie. Can we make it three BIG FA Cup stories for the Mead, Guernsey last year, Eight (8) against East Preston this year, Billericay? I for one cannot wait. Enjoy the game and make it a date next Sunday, have your roast on the Monday you know it makes sense Craig Gibson First-team coach

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THE OFFICIAL 2017/18 MATCHDAY PROGRAMME

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