Vickers Chatham Dartford FC

A new beginning next season at TOSC. Our new manager, Theo, sorry, Paul Foley, has arrived, along with what now looks like the entire VCD squad who finished 8th last season in the Ryman North. Turns out that's where we'll be playing next year, So, perhaps not a bad thing.

We were poor last year. This, despite my mocking title for this article, is, in my opinion, all good.

Foley is clearly a talented manager. His tenure at VCD was one of success, ultimately, it would appear, let down by the club not being run as a semi-pro club should be. Let’s hope our board don’t let him down. I’m sure they won’t. We’ve got ambition off the pitch for once as well, the plans well afoot for the redevelopment and improvement of the ground.

Looks like Foley is going to be bringing some financial investment to the club too – he’s promised the commercial nous he brought to VCD.

Disappointingly, the chance to sign Brendon Cass was again on our doorstep, and we’ve missed it. This is my only criticism of the new age – the desire to sweep clean has perhaps been more OCD than VCD in this case, and Cassie has dropped down to the Kent League to play for Hythe. Now, don’t get me wrong, money does talk in this league. But surely, the combination of Ryman League football and playing for the local club could have swung it? I’m also concerned about the future of certain players who bleed the red and black. I’m talking about not only the nine who’ve been invited back for next season (Solly, Probets, Denness, Rowe, Scott, Restell, Payne, Potter and Avery), but those who haven’t been – what about Justin Ascheri for example? Dean Ruddy? Sure, there’s limited space now, but how do we know if the quality we’re getting in is better than what we had? Suppose we’ll have to wait and see.

With reference to plying our trade in the R1N next season, I am looking forward to it. As much as the club will miss the local derbies, particularly the joy of getting beaten by Sittingbourne every_single_time, I am excited about not only two trips to the Cricklewood International Athletics Arena, Ilford (for both Ilford and Waltham Forest), but two “four go mad” style trips to Suffolk, to picaresque Sudbury, and less picaresque, more Steve Wright’s Night Terrors, Needham Market. Also, we get a trip to Ware – perhaps the nicest town I’ve ever seen a football match in, a place where even the chavs seem posher than most of Medway’s finest.

Obivously, its close season, and I’m going on holiday for a few weeks. I’ll start doing some updating around the start of the pre-season friendlies, but to be honest won’t go to many of them. The most interesting is the visit of Ebbsfleet United, a team who I suspect are very close to going bust unless they sort out the ridiculous MyFC situation. They’ve got just two registered players and only two friendlies arranged. I hope it sorts itself out for them, and they can go back to being called Gravesend and Northfleet.

TTFN. Jeff from ELO.