Men 3 (0) (0) 1 Boys

I like to display scores in the old school format, with the half time scores in brackets.

Last night saw the visit of Dagenham and Redbridge to the hallowed theatre of slapstick comedy, and rather predictably, they sent a youth team. I can't say I'm all that surprised by the lack of inclusion of full time heavily insured professional assets, but nonetheless, it was pleasurable to see what were in effect full time athletes at the Sports Ground.

Chatham's starting eleven featured the returning Brendon Cass, and it from the off it was apparent that this could be the first choice eleven (minus the injured Lee Barnett) for AOB for the coming season (now less than a fortnight away) American goalkeeper Dean Ruddy made his first start in Chatham colours (rather comically in a two years out of date John Whitehouse hand me down Ward Homes sponsored shirt - there were genuine cries of "we've lost the keepers jerseys" being bandied about by club officials), and Justin Julie Ascheri started again in place of the injured Barnett, with Rob Denness kept very much to a half time warm up cameo.

From the off, it was apparent that Chatham were not treating this as a friendly. Steve Hafner, back under the new management, had immense hunger on the right, left and just about everywhere, as Chatham tried to keep the ball down and run at their youthful opponents. On a fine pitch that is a credit to whoever has maintained it over the summer, Chatham took the game to Daggers from the off, and it was something of a surprise that the first half ended goalless, Chatham's best chance being an acrobatic overhead scissor kick from Brendon Cass that failed to find the net. To their credit, Dagenham's young side were not unduly intimidated and tried to play good neat football, but were undone by a Chatham midfield of the ever confident Brad Potter, and the industrious Matthew Solly. That said, the Dagenham Dave's only decent chance was a thunderous shot that saw that rarest of things in football these days, a flying save that resulted in the ball being caught, yes caught, not parried, by Ruddy, to the applause of everyone in the ground. The save must have done Ruddy's confidence the world of good, having earlier had some problems with his distribution - perhaps some of John Whitehouse's notorious kicking inability had rubbed off on the old shirt.

Come part two, and Chatham very much took off where they left off. There were run outs for Mark Green, Ray Powell and Notaspeckofdirt Jim Lyons, but the undoubted highlight of the half was the opening goal. A lovely diagonal ball to the far side of the box found Steven Hafner unmarked, who took one touch to control the ball before half volleying it across the keeper inside the far post. One nil Chatham.

Chatham's second was from a Hafner set piece, with Brendon Cass showing all the ability that makes him such a deadly fox-in-the-box striker, his dummied run leaving him unmarked for the easiest of headers and a two nil lead.

Dagenham underook a flurry of substitutions, with no less than seven off to be replaced at once, including the smallest goalkeeper seen at Maidstone Road since the 1987 u-13s cup final. The energy of these changes, and clear difference in fitness made for a more competitive final twenty minutes, where they pulled one back with a neatly worked goal where if we're honest the defence could have done better, but the Chats restored their two goal advantage when Justin Ascheri, who had been running at the Dagenham and Redbridge defence all night to great effect caused chaos in the box, and was rewarded with a simple effort after selfless work from Cass, who chose to set up his strike partner rather than have a go himself.

All in all, a good work out for the Chats, proving that their may be an embarrassment of riches and some problems for AOB keeping four decent forwards in Barnett, Cass, Ascheri and Denness happy and hungry for first team football this coming term.

Highlights: The first performance of Brendon Cass in the red and black for three and half years. Any concerns about pre-season fitness washed away, and he still wears his shirt like Hoddle did in the eighties. A commanding experienced performance from a man Chatham must get on contract if we're to fulfill our potential this season.

Lowlights: Hard to moan, but would have been nice to see Rob Denness get a run out with Cass, personally, I think he offers more than Ascheri with his all round game and ability to hold up play.

The referee: From Strood. Did an anonymous enough job, but had a pointless argument with Hafner over a quickly taken free kick that no one else really had a problem with.

Conclusion: A useful lesson for both teams. Would have done Chatham's confidence no end of good, but in reality it should be no surprise that a team that featured former professionals in the form of Probets and Hafner should have done so well against youthful inexperienced opposition.

Pointless fact: Dagenham's Charlie Hurlock is the son of 80's all round professional journeyman pro Terry Hurlock.


Chatham line up; Ruddy, Binks, Probets, Avery, Payne, Solly, Potter, Davey, Hafner, Ascheri, Cass.

Dagenham and Red line up; Come on.... let's face it, even most Daggers supportes wouldn't know, but their number 8 was very impressive and must have a future in the game.
MOTM - Cass.

A new season, a new dawn?

The 2009-2010 season looms ahead. I choose the word loom, because is suggests something ominous on the horizon. For once, though, for those at the Sports Ground, Maidstone Road, Chatham (or, as its known to some of its regular visitors "the home of football", or "the theatre of slapstick comedy"), there is a buzz of excitment - almost optimism about the next nine months proceedings.

I'll make an assumption that if you're reading this, you are already somewhat versed in the ways of non leage football. That is, where the game is still played, to an extent anyway, out of love for the game, where the clubs do not seek to actively rip off every single paying punter, and where yes, the supporters are still supporters, and not "consumers". Don't get me wrong, the pitfalls of the Premier League are trickling down to the non league game, and threatening its very existance. Clubs with money will always do well - as an example, would the righfully respected AFC Wimbledon have done so well were it not for the enormous (relatively speaking) fan base that has funded their meteoric rise to the Conference national is seven years? They are though, a rarity - they can afford to be. For those who gamble on future success, its a different story. Only this summer we have seen one of the south east's most famius club's go to the wall - Fisher Athletic are no more, although a new club owned and run by the fans, who have been to the AFC Dons school of the method, have been entered into the ailing Kent League.

The money in the proffessional game, and the resultant market forces, are threatening football whole scale; player's wages throughout the game, even at semi pro level are vastly over inflated, and even us non league fans are starting to see the one club stalwart as a thing of the past. But I digress, although I'm sure I'll end up coming back to this through the season...

Chatham Town FC - a little known club, formed in the same year as Tottenham Hotspur, a club who for many seasons in the days of Victoriana, TB, Pea-soupers and the Crimea (well, later than that admittedly), in front of crowds that even the modern day Gillingham FC would be grateful for, are excited about the 2009-2010 season, and it could be argued, with good reason.

The last campaign, was for the most part, dire. In fact, it was mooted by many that a return to the Kent League was a distinct possibility, with relegation from the Ryman League looking increasingly likely each week. Something stirred though in February this year, when the Chats as they are know, went on an unbeaten run that took them to the end of the season, aided in no small part by the unearthed gem of a goal machine, Lee Barnett. Barnett, who at 22 has the look of a man ten years his senior when he is on the ball, in my mind, single handedly acted as the unibond that stuck the team together. He scored his first goal for the club having stepped up from Kent League minnows (and sadly now defunct) Slade Green, against Thamesmead Town in the home fixture on the 27th December. Barnett then went on to score 15 times in his next 19 outings, as Chatham went on to record their best league finish in 23 years.

Somewhat surprisingly, boss and general all round good guy (and Commercial Director!!!) Steve Binks was replaced at the season's end by rookie manager Alex O'Brien. O'Brien, who had been "helping out" for the duration of the unbeaten season finale, was something of a surprise appointment. A proper hard-man midfielder in the truest sense of the word, he had played briefley for the Chats whilst on loan from Dartford earlier in the season. Early suspicions about O'Brien (or AOB as some know him) and his abilities as a boss were calmed when he swiftly announced the retention of several key players on contract for the coming season, including Barnett, and, to my mind, he became a hero when he announced the capture of all round Chats legend, returning prodigal hero, Brendon Cass. Cass, who had infamously left Chatham for Dartford when the Darts were below Chatham in the league in 2006 went on to bag 81 goals in 134 appearances for Dartford, and helped take them back to the sort of position in the non league game that they have historically deserved. The idea of Cass and Barnett together is one that should be terrifying for Ryman 1 South defences this season...