1st Team

Green Boss Matt Longhurst looks back over the month of March

Over the course of March we have beaten Deal away drawn with Deal at home lost to title chasing VCD at home and beat Sporting Bengal , so it s been a tough March , with some good performances and so average ones as well . Against Deal away we were excellent from start to finish and showed great character at home to turn the game around after being 3 1 down , we have scored some excellent goals over the course of the month but also conceded far too many which is why I was more than happy to keep one in the game against Sporting Bengal. The month has seen several changes amongst the p-laying staff with JP returning from injury , Adam Morrish from work commitments and also the signing of Danny Nicholls these three players along with what we have will bolster the squad till the end of the season as well as the long awaited return of defender Ben Payne from his long suspension in April we will finish the season with the strongest squad we have had all season without a doubt .

We have also seen Kris Hollidge depart for Croydon although Kris didn’t actually ever feature under me as he has been injured but Croydon offered him the opportunity to play games until the end of the season which I couldn’t do , we have also lost captain Ryan Johnson to Ryman League Sittingbourne which is a move up the football ladder , but just shows that is the quality of player we are attracting here at the Small Glen now . Looking forward to the final month of the season we have some tough games against a couple of the top four teams and also teams around us so its the biggest month for this young team so far since I took over and we will be looking to gain as many points as possible to climb the table . In the form table we are on the same points from the last 6 games as Erith Town and Erith and Belvedere and they are clubs with a considerable amount more money to spend on players than us so I think we really are moving in the right direction . I have put in place the wish list of players I want for next season and am very confident we will get them ready to start pre season with us , with a good pre season behind us I am confident we can really push the top sides next year . I am looking forward to the game against Beckenham as I feel they are the best passing team in the league and this is something we will try and emulate next season for me they are the best al round team but struggled to deal with lengthy lay offs to key players before xmas I expect this to be a good game of football on a good pitch they will have the pressure on them to get a result to stay in the hunt for the championship and we will be trying our hardest to stop them doing just that see you Saturday Matt.

MATT'S NOTES (v VCD Athletic)

The VCD game was played in really difficult conditions , I felt the first 20 mins we dictated the play and played some decent stuff , with Tedder making a good save from Lee Barnett after a neat one two , however with only 1 minuet remaining of the half the referee failed to see Lee Craig fouled and the ball went in the box and VCD scored , the second half again we had lots of possession , but we didn’t really cause VCD any real problem , we didn’t play with any real penetration there was no real conviction in what we were doing and another poor mistake defensively basically gave the game to VCD . The positive is that we were expected to get a better result and were very disappointed to get beaten by a team that are in the running for the league title , so after a few months at the club this can only mean we are going in the right direction , results over the weekend haven’t gone for us but if we can beat Sporting Bengal Saturday we ll be in a healthier position , however this will not be an easy fixture and is a difficult place to go and play , we will keep going over the pattern of play as I felt this let us down Saturday we didn’t use the pitch properly and also with us hope full of a returning name to the team sheet this week it should bolster the squad at the right time with a run in that we need to be picking up wins against the teams around us . I have set the team a target for the last 6 games and if we achieve this we will finish in a better position than we are in now . Its been a long hard slog to get to where we are and I still feel that we are one or two players away from really competing next year in this league and I have identified the lads I want and am confident that we can get them on board . We are moving forward off the pitch as well and are putting in place lots of things for next year so that it gives the club the best possible opportunity to do well . The confidence is high in the camp still having lost only to our mistakes , no one in the last couple of months has really come and beaten us because there a better team we have made naive mistakes and this is something I am addressing at the moment and is something we must not do next year if we are to challenge the top teams . Over al I remain positive we can finish the month on a high going into the final month of the season with some massive fixtures that will determine the outcome at the top and bottom of the league table . Hope to see you all Saturday at Sporting .



POST MATCH QUOTES (Deal Home 3-3)
Another fairly good performance saw us throw away a one goal lead with simple mistakes that we need to address quickly , and the players were told this in no uncertain terms at half term . However they showed great character to come back from three one down . Second half I thought we were excellent Joe Horlock took the game by the scruff of the neck and dictated things for us and the introduction of Ebeneza Msade changed the game as he made both the equilising goals with his electric pace , Ebs is a great character around the club and has been patient waiting for his chance , he listens and is starting to understand just how good he could be , I expect him to start producing this quality on a regular basis and if he can do this he has a great future in the game . Lee Barnett again scored to make in 4 goals in 3 games which is great for the lad who is working hard to get fit for pre season, and Jock will be looking forward to this weeks game against his former club and looked fairly sharp in the first half grabbing a great goal . It was good to have Jock and Rhett back and I felt they made a difference . With loads of positives to take from the game I also have to start to stop us conceding goals with such ease which is again what we will be looking at in training this week , I don’t want a grey hair until im atleast 40 and the way we defend at times they are well on their way . I am personally looking forward to the VCD game it s always good to test yourselves against the best teams and managers and I feel VCD are one of the better teams and Paul Foley is one of the better managers as well I know the players are looking forward to this one as we felt we should have got atleast a point at Oakwood earlier in the season. We have another big game on Bank Holiday Monday against Tunbridge Wells who are on a great run at the moment and the new management team have done a great job turning things around there both teams will feel they can win the game which should bode well for a end to end game which is good , we have set a target for the month of March and are on the way to getting what we want but these next two games are massive for us and I expect the players to deliver the goods , I hope to see as many of you as possible Saturday and Monday Matt.

MATT REVIEWS SATURDAY'S WIN AT DEAL
A great result Saturday and one I think we deserved on a difficult day to play football , there were some excellent positives from the game the togetherness of the squad was evident as well as the strength in depth with four players of Rhett , Jock , RJ and Ben Paynes quality missing it made the result even better. Sam Biggs again proved his worth in the goal with a couple of great stops and Jay Wiltshire made a fairly decent debut , along with a good return from Lee Craig. The front two worked tirelessly for me Lee Barnett got his just rewards with 2 goals , but Sam Mays performance I think justified his selection as captain as he led brilliantly from the front line , his hold up play was good and he stopped there back four playing at ease which is something we have worked on in training defending from the front. The players still need to continue to learn how to play in the Kent League sometimes we over play in wrong areas , but it is coming along nicely now , if we can match other teams in terms of work rate then I feel we have enough quality going forward that we can win most games , we still have some tough games to come with VCD , Beckenham , in the title run in it would be nice to cause a few upsets along the way which I feel we are capable of doing . This week we should welcome back Rhett and Chris Johnston into the squad which will strengthen us further from last weeks squad , as I m sure this weeks encounter with Deal will be another tough game and we will need to be at our best to get something from the game . We will work hard in training again this week Tuesday and Thursday making sure we give the players the best possible opportunity of winning the game , there are certain aspects of our game that I am still not happy with which is what we will be addressing this week so hopefully that will improve us still . All in all we still moving in the right direction and I look forward to Saturdays game .


Matt Longhurst brings you his latest thoughts

I would like to firstly welcome back Lee Craig from Ramsgate things haven’t worked out for Lee down at Ramsgate and he has rejoined us from the Rams until the end of the season , I will be naming a further defender from a fellow Kent League club this week ready for Saturdays trip to Deal Town . Having lost RJ to suspension we have named Sam May as captain while RJ is missing , we have our reasons for this and these reasons have been made known to the players in training this week , we will train both Tuesday and Thursday as we had no fixture Saturday. Other than RJ and Ben Payne I hope to have a full squad to choose from , Kris Hollidge played 60 mins for Crockenhill last week and him and JP should get some minuets under their belt this weekend for the Crocks and may well be in contention for a place in the squad come the VCD game in two weeks time. We are looking forward to a tough month in terms of fixtures but one we will relish the opportunity of causing a few upsets in the title run in as we still have Beckenham , VCD and Erith Town to play in the coming weeks . With two players missing of Ben and Ryan s calibre it is excellent for the club to have replacements such as Rhett and Lee Craig , there won’t be many squads in this league that could deal with having both center backs out suspended at the same time , when we have everyone available including JP , Geordie , Kris Hollidge , Ben Payne and RJ which will be about 3 weeks from now I really feel we have a squad that can compete well at this level, which will stand us in good stead for next season , we are continually getting 7 day notices on our players offering players money and it is a credit to them that they have stayed with us . I too have recently been offered an opportunity to coach at the next level up but have turned that offer down as I feel I owe Slade Green the decency after they gave me the opportunity initially and feel with the players we have we really can cause a few upsets between now and the end of the season , and next season push on and head for a position higher up the table , with good cup runs as well we really want to put Slade Green on the map . After taking over with Adam Morrish the club had played 11 games and had one point we have now played 23 and have 17 points if we had taken over with that amount of points we d be 8th or 9th in the table with 34 points which I feel would be respectable , I am still not happy with the points tally we have from my games in charge but feel that with a good pre season behind the squad we will start on an even keel with everyone and next season will be a very different story , there are clubs in this league with lots of money and they should be at the top and have the highest expectations , but next year we will have the ambition and quality to compete with them and if we can do that it will be an amazing achievement. We are passing the ball fairly well have a couple of patterns of play and set pieces as well as a togetherness off the pitch so we are getting there now let s just hope we can continue this month where we left off in February .

See You All Saturday At Deal Matt



MATT LONGHURST LOOKS BACK AT FEBRUARY'S MIXED BAG OF RESULTS

Looking back over February we have a up and down month starting off with a great win away to Herne Bay , but after that game we lost Lee Craig to Ramsgate , we then had a disappointing performance against Holmsdale on a poor pitch but managed a draw and then suffered a really bad result against Tunbridge Wells at home losing to silly mistakes again , and finished off with a fairly good performance against Greenwhich Borough which is a game I felt we should have gone on to win in the second half . We have now lost Ben Payne and Ryan Johnson for 3 games , which is disappointing but after signing Rhett Bernstein we have one able replacement and I am hopeful of signing the second replacement this week . This month has seen us play some decent football at home and dig out results away on not so good pitches so the players are starting to understand , however it was evident on Saturday that we still need to learn when to play and when to go a bit longer , I am hoping this season will stand us in really good stead for next season , we are building for next season and the players along with myself are committed to getting things right here .

We go into next month with no game this Saturday so it gives me a chance to watch the two teams we have next in Deal Town and VCD , this should give us a chance to capitalise on any flaws in their game and also home in on anything they are good at , it s going to be a tough month away at Deal and then at home to them with VCD at home and an away trip to Sporting Bengal it completes a difficult set of fixtures for us however we feel that there will be points picked up along the way , we just need to defend properly and give ourselves a chance , its been a long slow progress turning the clubs fortunes around and we are along way from where we want to be in terms of league position but behind the scenes we are working hard to get it right so come next August we have a squad ready to push on and cause a few up sets. I would like to thank Raph for his services however he felt that he needed a new challenge and has opted to join Greenwich Borough so I wish him all the best also leaving the club this week is Javal Stewart , Javal wasn’t in the first team plans and has decided he needs games which is fair enough. I am hoping to have Kris Hollidge back soon from his shoulder injury and he will play on loan at Crockenhill this week to get much needed match practice having been out so long , Kris is an experienced Kent League player who will be a benefit in and around the changing room , but I wont be rushing him back until we both feel he is ready which shouldn’t be too far away now . So as we look forward to another month of twists and turns in the top and bottom of the Kent League I would like to thank those who continually support the club and also Brian and Eric for giving us the best playing surface in the league see you a week Saturday at Deal . Matt



MATT LONGHURST POST MATCH COMMENTS
v Holmesdale

On a poor pitch we didn’t play well , but credit to the lads for grinding out a result , Holmsdale to their credit work hard , but I would expect us to beat them on a decent pitch , these type of pitches are a real leveller for us , but it is something the players are starting to understand , many of the current squad have been brought up playing the right way passing the ball , so its a tough job getting them used to Kent League Football which is why we have had indifferent results of late , they have to understand when to pass it and when to turn teams round and play in the final third of the pitch , I feel the penny is starting to drop with most of the players , I also said to the players at half time if your not playing well which we were not just make sure we do not get beat and thats what we did , I thought Jackson had a fairly good debut but we ll see more from him also Andy Arnold did ok , and I feel he can be a real handful in this league with the right coaching we can improve him and he can be an asset to us as a squad. I have to say that the standard of refereeing in this league is shocking the last two games have seen us have two players sent off for absolutely nothing ridiculous decisions , these players will miss games and lose money in fines , there have been accesors at both games and I cannot understand the ruling with the FA that we need video evidence to appeal , this is the Kent League Andy Gray doesn’t cover games at Holmsdale or Herne Bay so what are you meant to do , the FA need to look into helping people and clubs at this level by changing this rule especially when these assecors are at the games what use are they , both officials agreed with me the referee had got those decisions wrong so why can they not over rule the referee !, I have never moaned about refereeing decisions but they actually are ruining the game . Overall we are moving along nicely we have added Paul Votier from Herne Bay this week so he will be involved Saturday and also Dean Powell has come on loan as part of the Lee Craig deal with Ramsgate and will also go into the squad for Saturday against Tunbridge Wells . In view of the game against Tunbridge Wells it is a game we need to win , but I am sure they will feel the same , they have improved their squad over recent weeks and we will welcome Lee Barber back to the Small Glen after recently joining them from us , I have a full squad to choose from this week with Joe Horlock back from suspension so it is just JP and Kris Hollidge on the long term injury list , I expect us to pass the ball on our pitch which will allow us to play slightly differently to the last two games where we have changed the shape of the team we will have the players in training this week working hard on the shape of the team and the pattern of play ready to give us the best possible opportunity of getting three points . See you Saturday Matt.

MATT LONGHURST POST MATCH COMMENTS
v Herne Bay
After a frustrating few weeks at last some positive notes to write , we have continued to work hard on the training pitch and changed the shape of the team back to the one in which was successful in December and it worked , the players took on board what I asked them during the week and it showed as we looked organised when we lost the ball and played the pitch really well when we had the ball, these young players just need to learn when to pass the ball and when to go a bit longer and this showed Saturday that they are starting to realise that , Jock (Chris Johnston) made a great impact on the team even in the dressing room and to score two great goals on his debut was brilliant , I spoke to Paul Foley (manager of VCD) in the week and he said we were signing a really good player , I watched him in training this week just thought he gave us something we haven’t had upfront this season and he proved pivotal to Saturdays performance. There were lots of good performances on Saturday the goalkeeper is 18 years old and was previously with Gravesend and Northfleet and for a debut again he was excellent with two outstanding saves in the second half and one in the first half as well , what I was pleased with was the reaction of such a young squad who have had a tough month in January to go away to Herne Bay and win is excellent .

As well as the goal keeper and Chris Johnston I am hoping to name two known faces in the Kent League this week that could go straight into the squad for Saturday as well as getting Raph back as he missed Saturdays game due to work commitments so this should strengthen us still and at last I hope to have the squad that can take us forward I just felt that we needed some extra cover in the squad and also to add some vital experience to a very young squad still on Saturday the oldest player was 25 and next was 23 then it drops to 21 which is still above the average age of the squad , so we are still learning , but I keep saying if we can keep clean sheets we will win most games as we have enough players in the squad to score goals . The next few games are going to be tough against Holmsdale , Tunbridge Wells and Greenwich Borough but I expect us to pick up points if we apply ourselves properly these are games that can turn the season around a little bit for us , once again the support from the club has been excellent over a difficult time in January but I have remained positive and so have the players kept believing in themselves and with these additions I am looking for a change in fortune this month hope to see you Saturday Matt.

MATT LONGHURST REVIEWS THE RECENT GAME WITH FAVERSHAM.
After a really disappointing result I have to try and take the positives going into a new month , we have not registered a point in January and after going unbeaten in December it’s just not good enough , however against Erith Town we created enough chances to win the game and this was the same again Saturday against Faversham , we missed chance after chance and then gave 2 sloppy goals in the 2nd half much the same as against Erith Town , I will still reiterate that Sam May was the oldest player at 23 which is good for the future but maybe we had instant success and this gave us a false impression of how far we d actually come , we do need to add some experience but it has to be the right players in terms of experience not just age but experience in the Kent league and above , we have a team making the naive mistakes not just one or two young players making them in an otherwise experienced team this I feel is why we are having problems with the levels of performance on a weekly basis we need to find a balance and that is my job , however I will not go down the route of signing has been’s to get us through the season , I’m not going to sacrifice the way I believe the game should be played , I will keep getting us to pass the ball and am sure that we will get this right we deserved to win the game Saturday on chances and on possession , but these young players need to learn how to win one nil , this experience will come by playing games at this level , this season will be a learning curve for all of us including me , but I really feel the future is bright here at The Small Glen , Im still positive we can pick the results up over the rest of the season as well as build for next year , I have had a while now to assemble a squad and get things right on and off the pitch I don’t think we are far away but there are little things on the pitch that we need to learn and stop making the same mistakes I know this and no the areas we need to improve which I will get right I can assure you . Someone once said to be a good coach you have to be able to see what’s going wrong to coach to improve it , and then being able to get the players to understand it is the next step some will never pick things up some will quicker than others , we must have players that can take on board what is asked whether or not they are technically gifted they have to play in a team which plays to a pattern with and without the ball. Saturday we are going away to Herne Bay who we drew with 3 3 a month ago , this will be a tough game but one we can get something from if we get the shape of the team right and apply ourselves properly we have training twice this week to get this right and hopefully the players will listen and learn from our previous mistakes I am hoping to have everything in place to improve us in the areas that need improving for Saturday , so read into that what you will and I will see you loyal fans Saturday .

MATT LONGHURST LOOKS BACK ON SATURDAY'S HEAVY DEFEAT AT HYTHE TOWN
I have to accept the blame for Saturdays result as it’s my job to get the players to do their jobs properly and play the way I ask them to , however the mistakes that we made defensively including the poor goalkeeping was not good enough for the Sunday League let alone the Kent League , and I have to address this before the next game against Faversham , after a great month in December we have gone backwards in terms of performance but the squad I feel is actually better , but we are in a transitional period still and I put some of our defending down to this , the fact we were only playing Saturdays game with only 2 of the back 4 that had played the previous month didn’t help and also losing Geordie through injury hasn’t helped as we are already missing several other experienced players including John Paul McKey and Lee Barber , but still there can be no excuses for the last two performances . One thing I will say that we will benefit from the experiences of Saturday next season the players will know what to expect when we go there and it ll be a different outcome I can assure you . We will train twice from now on as at this level we need to have people to a better fitness level and it will also allow us to work on more things in terms of pattern play with and without the ball , one thing I can say is that we are working hard to turn things around and quickly and I m confident we will , we have as a good a starting 11 as anyone in this division and I really do believe this and its my job to get us playing as a unit , I m happy for the Kent League doubters to carry on doubting us and trying to knock what we are doing here at the Small Glen , but what I will say is watch this space as VCD , Thamesmead , Hythe Town , Beckenham Town didn’t get where they are in 5 minutes and neither will we but we will strive to be up there with those clubs this time next season and if we don’t it will not be for the want of trying to do it the right way with good young players trying to pass the ball .




MATT LONGHURST PREVIEWS SATURDAY'S TRIP TO HYTHE TOWN

After last week’s abysmal performance we are looking to bounce straight back with a far better performance against one of the leagues title chasing teams in Hythe Town. Having beaten them in the league at home we know that we are capable of doing the same away from home , however if we do not put the same effort in as last time with the same amount of quality on the ball it will be a very different outcome away from home . We will work hard in training this week to put right what went wrong last week , but if I’m honest there were too many people having off days and that’s what I put that down too as well as possibly the shape of the team which is totally down to me and I hold my hands up to this , but we are all learning together as we have a very young squad , now that we have Geordie sidelined for a while , and JP and Barbs still out injured the oldest member of the squad will be just 23 years old . I am however happy with this as I am certain that if we can stay together over the coming months we will win more games than we lose , with the February fixtures now available we have win able games coming up and I expect us to climb the table slightly but this will only happen if we continue to work hard and put in to practice what is asked of the players . Last week was not good enough and I can assure you the players were told we will not except that level of performance at this club and I will do everything I can to change that this week , I am hoping to have added at least one new face to the squad before Saturday but am awaiting the players decision , in terms of the squad I feel we are just one or two players away from being a really good side in this league and by the end of January I hope to have those players in place to take us through the season , there has been a lot of change in terms of playing personal and once we get to the end of the month I feel unless an amazing offer comes up we will work with what we have until the end of the season, and then go forward from there .

I have also this week due to injury named Paul Springett (Geordie) as my assistant manager and he will continue in this role until he is fit and back playing , Geordie is highly motivated and has a good understanding of the Kent League and has the upmost respect from the younger players in the dressing room , and I feel can help me push things in the right direction so I welcome him on board as part of the backroom set up .

Hope to see you Saturday Matt




MATT LONGHURST PROGRAMME NOTES
v Erith & Belvedere
Good afternoon everyone. Today we welcome to The Small Glen the players, supporters and officials of Erith & Belvedere F.C. I would like to extend that welcome personally to Erith’s joint manager’s Paul Gorman and Chris Cosgrove. After last week’s disappointing result against the other Erith I am expecting us to bounce back against another one of the leagues title chasing teams. We played some excellent football last week with no real end product although the goalkeeper had a good game for them I still felt that we only really created half chances other than the 3 or 4 good saves from the keeper and hitting the bar three times , but against the better teams in this league you have to take the chances you get otherwise like Saturday you get punished . However the players were gutted afterwards and this just shows the progress we have made over the last month , but we must make sure that we get back on track quickly and have worked hard in training this week to make sure we do this , we have two patterns we play too and we changed it last week into a 442 which I felt worked up until the end product we put more crosses in and had more corners than in any other game I’ve seen Slade Green play this season , but as I m sure you can see we don’t really have that aerial threat in the final third , which is something I am looking at . We may revert back to how we played against Hythe , Herne Bay and Lordswood in the first half , but I feel we are better to watch playing as we did against Beckenham , the second half against Lordswood and Saturday against Erith Town , but we need to get the mix right as we need results at the end of the day , there s no points for the best team to watch this season although I want eventually to have winning team playing the right way. Let’s hope we get the mix right today . Also this week I have made two further signings Sam Dixon who has been on trial with Norwich City FC recently and also another ex QPR youth teamer Javal Stewart who has come on loan from Dartford until the end of the season , Sam is a midfielder and Javal is a center forward who I am hoping can put pressure on Raph and Lee Barnett for their shirts for the remainder of the season.Once again I would like to thank the people behind the scenes at the club as sometimes this work goes unnoticed but is very valuable at this level of football without these people the club wouldn’t run . Hope you enjoy the game Matt


v Erith Town
Afternoon everyone ,
After an excellent December we are looking forward to a very tough January of which we have three home game firstly welcoming Erith Town to the Small Glen. I trust that their players, supporters and officials enjoy their trip down to The Green this afternoon.
The month of December saw a number of changes to the squad and has I am sure that everyone will agree that we have improved in all areas of the squad, although missing experienced players at this level we have competed well against extablished Kent League Teams , we now have a squad of players that are capable of competing at this level in the future I would like to think above this level as well . We have developed a couple of patterns of play that the players understand and have organised ourselves with and without the ball far better , I have to praise the players for taking my ideas on board I always felt that if I could get the players to listen and put into practice what I asked we would get results and this has been seen in recent weeks , the players have to believe in what I say and also in each other and with such a young and ever improving squad the future really is bright here at the Small Glen I feel.
However , we must nt run before we can walk and I have made sure the players still have there feet firmly on the ground and realise how we have worked hard on and off the pitch to get to where we are now and must keep doing so untill the end of the season and we ll see where we end up , so far its been and enjoyable ride and I d like to thank the clubs officials and supporters for being very supportive ina very transitional time here, but feel that I will repay the faith in results over the course of the rest of the season.

Hope You All Had A Great Christmas And New Year

Thanks

Matt.



PETER LITTLE'S POST MATCH QUOTES
AFTER SPORTING BENGAL GAME

‘ We was under no illusion we knew it would be a tough game their manager Jim Hendry has bought in a lot of experienced players . Even then though I was disappointed we didn’t take all three points. We had a plenty of possession but there wasn’t real end product. Paul Springett and John Gallagher looked threatening throughout the game. We were forced to play Shaun Malyon in an unfamiliar role as center half but he and Lee Barber were outstanding. Left back Terry Murphy looked very comfortable while our other full back Casey Scotter had a fine debut and made some great challenges and his distribution was very good. Georgian signing Zviad Kurhivashvili caused problems after coming off bench with his pace. After conceding such a late goal a lot of players heads could have dropped but the team showed fighting spirit after going a goal down to get a well deserved point. It was a well worked goal from the 2 new boys Terry and Tom.