Ground gets ready for upgrade as McMahon ponders promotion prospects

Monday 10 March

By Stephen McCartney - www.kentishfootball.co.uk

THAMESMEAD TOWN have less than a month to bring Bayliss Avenue up to Ryman League standards as the Kent League title race intensifies, writes Stephen McCartney.

With work on the £4m re-development of current ground commencing in September, four of the club’s committee have splashed out a total of £10,000 to ensure that the club doesn’t miss the boat this season.

The club have enclosed the pitch with a new fence; installed outside toilets; two new turnstiles and have built a new covered terrace at the flyover end of the ground, which houses 250 - with 40 bench seats that will take the seating capacity to the required level of over 150.

Knowing that the club will be playing at their “mini-Dartford” in time for the 2009-10 season, first team manager Keith McMahon revealed that the Ryman League haven’t been helpful on the club’s promotion bid into that league if they clinch their first ever Kent League title.

“We did ask the Ryman League if we can have special dispensation on the ground, the new ground starts in September, and the League said “No!”, McMahon said EXCLUSIVELY to www.kentishfootball.co.uk.

“It (ground improvements to meet the standard to win promotion this season) has to be done by the end of March. We’ve enclosed the pitch with a fence, we’ve had outside toilets put in, two turnstiles put in and power to the covered terrace behind the goal.

“We’ll have seats put in during the next couple of days - we’ve had to spend money on the possibility of going up - and rip it down again when we build the new ground.”

Last season Whitstable Town clinched promotion into the Ryman League after winning their first ever Kent League title in their history - and McMahon wants to do the same.

“We didn’t want to be in a situation if we won the league the ground won’t be ready to go up,” he said.

“Whitstable took 100-odd years to win it and went up and we don’t want to be in a situation if we won the league we won’t go up."

But McMahon insists their hard graft will pay off in the end and that the club will go up if his side do the business on the pitch during their last nine Kent League games.

“We’ve got the ground graders coming in on Tuesday to point us in the right direction and have a couple of weeks to be passed,” he said.

But Thamesmead Town will be playing at a venue that will be able to play in the Blue Square Premier once they £4m re-development of Bayliss Avenue is built.

“All the hard work for the last three or four years is to get this new stadium,” said McMahon.“It’s a bright future for the club and the community. It’s got a future but the football club had a bleak future in the past trying to keep alive every week.

“There’s a lot of good people working hard to ensure we have a bright future.”

The new Bayliss Avenue ground will be good enough to stage Blue Square Football and you can visit the club website www.thamesmeadtownfc.co.uk to view the plans.

Promotion prospects

Meeanwhile, McMahon says any one of four clubs can clinch the Kent League title in two months time.

Hythe Town boss Paul Fisk, whose side lost the top-of-the-table clash 2-1 at home to Beckenham Town yesterday, claims the Kent League title will be heading to Bayliss Avenue for the very first time.

The Mead are currently in third place - just three points behind both Hythe and Beckenham - but McMahon has rubbished the favourites’ tag.

“Favourites? No. Not really,” he said, when speaking EXCLUSIVELY to www.kentishfootball.co.uk.

"We’ve got a chance as much as anyone else. There’s a long way to go.But a 6-1 win at Lordswood yesterday has forced Fisk into hyping up his title rivals.

“We’re playing well at the moment,” said McMahon. “We’re on a good streak of form at the right time.”

Local rivals Greenwich Borough are the visitors to Bayliss Avenue on Tuesday night and a win will enable Thamesmead to join Hythe and Beckenham on 54 points.

“It’s going to be a good game, Borough are a really good side, play football like us, end to end, it’s going to be close,” predicted McMahon.His side have tasted defeat on just two occasions in the Kent League this season but experience will be key in this title race.

“It's still a four horse race; us, VCD, Hythe and Beckenham can all still win it,” said McMahon. “I’ve signed Junior Baker a few weeks ago and Dimmo (Richard Dimmock) has shed a bit of weight over the last few weeks. Hopefully they’ll help the youngsters through.

“It’s in our hands, we’re not getting carried away because we’ve had a good weekend. We want to keep focused and try to achieve what we’re looking to do.”