“The most important thing is that we are back in the Isthmian League” Faversham Town boss Tommy Warrilow’s message to the Lilywhites fans ahead of their return to Step Four this weekend.
Ironically, Faversham will travel to face the side that pushed them all the way to the SCEFL Premier title last season, VCD Athletic, on the South East Division’s opening day.
“From the time we came into the club we knew that the SCEFL league is just a work ethic and the work rate in the League is something to see. I think this year is going to be different. Our work ethic will still be there, but I just think that we will probably come up against a little bit more organisation that we didn’t last year.
“I am really looking forward to the new year, every season starts with great expectations, and we (Warrilow and his assistant Alex O’Brien) put them on ourselves no matter what club we are at! We know what we’d like to do this year, but so does everyone else, it’s going to be a tough League, but we are looking forward to the challenge. We still have a few bodies to come back in who aren’t quite fit yet, so hopefully after this week we can get a few more back in!”
“We’re happy with the squad; we have played higher opposition to prepare for what’s coming up, but things happen in football as you know, so on Saturday the most important thing is to concentrate in us in what we know will be a tough game at VCD.”
Faversham’s first home game on Tuesday is against Deal Town, the side that beat Warrilow’s side to the SCEFL title two years ago, and the fact that their first two games at the new level are against old rivals is not lost on the Faversham boss.
“Deal did well last season in the Isthmian, and we are looking to push on the way that they did last year this. Every game for us this year is going to be important, but the most important thing I will do is to look around January time as its the time frames and the points, Christmas time going into the New Year, where are we? How far off are we? Are you up there? I said last year, and I’ll say it again, you cannot analyse every single game! We want to win every game, of course we do we know that that won’t happen.”
Warrilow spoke to KSN after his sides progress in the FA Cup (a 5-1 win at the Aquatherm over Balham on Tuesday night). “Really pleased to get through,” he said.
“Saturday was obviously disappointing from our point of view, but Tuesday against a very, very hard-working side who had moments where they could have hurt us, I thought that we deserved the 5-1 overall, I’m more pleased that we needed a good performance going into Saturday.
“That was our first what I call proper game of the season, we know that we still have things to work on, and things can only get better!”
“To be honest after the first game we were a bit fortunate to still be in the FA Cup because we played poorly on Saturday, so I’m pleased for the lads that we got five goals, and we move onto Merstham in the next round!” that tie is scheduled for August 16.