Preview: Charity Match Kingsdale Legends
24 Apr 2012

As much as quite a bit of the focus away from the club is on the first teams match against Charlton Athletic Legends, there is a match kicking off prior to that game where the Kingsdale Reserves will be taking on the Kingsdale Legends.  Match sponsorship for this match is provided by the clubs sponsor The Aligor in Bexleyheath.  This match sees former players from Kingsdale take on the Reserves who have just completed their first season in the OBDSFL and kicks off the Kingsdale charity day for Demelza Hospice Care For Children.

The Kingsdale Legends squad includes many players who were about when the club was first formed.  This includes Michael Collins, who founded the club and is the clubs Life President.  On the pitch Mick is a hard working player who has maintained a decent level of fitness as well as being a composed presence on the ball.  Pat Molloy is the former club captain.  Injury prevented him from completing more minutes in the 25^th anniversary game, but Patsy is a vocal character who never shirks a challenge.  His long throw is a useful weapon in the Dale Legends arsenal and we expect you to see this a few times during the game.  Barry Beesley is currently involved with the Reserves side and has even netted for them this season to hold the honour of the oldest scorer to score for the Dale in a competitive match.  He does claim that he can’t lose as he is looking to represent both sides on the day.  Shaun Hanley is another player who has represented the Kingsdale Reserves during the course of the season and is an excellent shot stopper.  The years maybe increasing but it is never a surprise to see Shaun in goal somewhere or other.  One striker that holds Kingsdale scoring records is the Baron Brian Rance.  Rancey just couldn’t stop scoring and in the 25^th anniversary game showed he hasn’t lost his touch of finding the net, scoring 4 times.  It wouldn’t be a surprise if he found the net again in this fixture.  Michael Costello has spells up front and at the back for the Dale.  His height automatically marked him as a threat in aerial situations.  Gary Pipe is another Legends player to be considered a threat.  Pipey has excellent close control and he can’t play a good ball when he wants to.  Michael Barcoe is travelling over from Ireland to take part in this clash and the former Dale centre back will be a big challenge for the young Dale Reserves forward line.  Another player who gets stuck in for the Kingsdale cause is Roy Marshall and he will be hoping he can win over the midfield for the Legends.  The Dale Legends are full of gritty players and another full back the squad has included is Joe Horner who personifies this.  Martin Hall was involved with setting up and running the Reserves side in the early 2000’s and is due to take to the pitch for the Dale in this game.  Another former player who has links tied to the Reserves side is Mickey’s brother Ian Collins, who effort and endeavour is due to be on show on Sunday.  With a whole list of other players coming down, the Dale Legends have plenty of playing talent to choose from and that will make it harder for the younger Dale Reserves to run the legs off their opponents.  The weekly sessions at Goals could pay dividends for the Dale Legends in this match.

It goes without saying, Kingsdale wouldn’t be where it is today without Michael Collins and many of the other Kingsdale Legends involved in this game.  For a start, we wouldn’t be called Kingsdale.  The values that they put in place when the club was started in the 80’s have remained to this day.  As has been mentioned a few times in the past. These were the lads that have passed the torch on to the new generation who have taken the club into the modern era and grown the clubs reputation.  It is with great pleasure that the club pay tribute to Mickey and Co and the most fitting way to do this is on the pitch.  The Kingsdale Reserves will be in for a game as the Legends haven’t lost their competitive edge.  The qualities though of Mikey Masher and Tom Jones will be put to the test by the likes of Mickey Barcoe and Roy Marshall, who won’t be allowing the young lads much room or time on the ball.  The clash should be an entertaining way to start the charity day and we’re hoping that they’re performance will make people dig deep for Demelza.  The aim of the day is to raise as much as we can for Demelza and that is the ambition of all squads taking part on the day.  Be ready for the Kingsdale Reserves taking on the Kingsdale Legends as an excellent start for the day when Kingsdale and Charlton Athletic raise money for Demelza to give lives to days, when days cannot be added to life.


If you wish to make a donation to Demelza and are not able to attend on Sunday, you can either via the web link below or via text to the number below:

http://www.justgiving.com/Kingsdale-FC0

Text KSBJ71 to 70070 stating amount (minimum £1).