Gracie's blog

This weekend is the start of our Vase campaign, this for all the obvious reasons is something special for us all.
May 4th 2013 was one of the best days of my life and leading my team out at Wembley with my two children was something that worked me up before every game, by achieving that gives us all the knowledge that it is not a fairytale but very much achievable for the hungriest of teams amongst our level of non league football.

We were definitely not the best team out of the 600 + that entered it but by far the best organised and most motivated week after week and that's the mentality required for players and teams to achieve such great things that will define their footballing careers.

Last year I put too much emphasis on the lads about what the vase means to us, and this year we will go game by game and let the momentum take us to wherever we can.

In comparison the start to this season has mirrored that year with a good pre season followed by a stuttering start that slowly built a side going 17 unbeaten taking us to win the Kent Senior trophy the vase final and just falling short in the title race.
I know what this group is capable of and I know good teams are not built over night. Everything I have just spoken about is now in the past and no longer significant in what we want to achieve.

We move forward and create our own history as a group and if you want what you've never had before you have to do what you've never done before, that starts and finishes with hard work.
We'll all enjoy the game and lets see where this vase journey can take us....
We all know what is achievable together.

Firstly I would like to welcome both Connor Pring & Richard Atkins to the club.

On meeting Connor, it was abundantly clear as a local lad, he wanted to play for the club. After being released from Brighton he had spells at Eastbourne Borough & Tonbridge Angels where both managers where very complimentary.
With Connors age and potential, it is exciting to have got him on board and I know the fans will enjoy having him at the Culverden next season.
He can play out wide or through the middle, so will give us options as well as quality.

Richard has made over 100 appearances for Folkestone Invicta and comes to the club at 27 in his prime.
He's a big strong target man that will also help develop the younger members of the squad with his experience. His style will be well suited to the league and now his work brings him locally it's a perfect fit for us both.

There will be another couple of additions in the week ahead that we are now close to completing. We spent the last 6 months building a side, these additions are to enhance what we already have and getting the right characters in along side the quality is the main criteria.

Happy New Year!
Firstly my aims for 2016 are quite simply improvement in every area, but most importantly results and the development of the young players we have on board, as they will ultimately be the future of the club.
We train twice a week and always get full attendance and the place is in great spirit. So I'm confident we will see the fruits of our hard work very soon, Starting this weekend at Canterbury to get us rolling into the new year.
We have also over the last few weeks welcomed some fresh faces that I am excited about, they will give us a bit more mobility in the team that I feel we have lacked probably over the last couple of seasons to be honest.
We now have the second half of the season to build something special and it's something that the players and coaching staff are looking forward to.
The support we receive both home and away from you the fans is brilliant and we look forward to seeing and playing for you in the year ahead.
COYW