He’s one of the best
Gillingham
the pressures and strains of business and very good with the players. He doesn’t accept second best.
“We are very focussed on the journey and he is very much with me, obviously frustrated like we all are about not playing football, but he has learned to deal with it. We are now planning ahead and he is very much part of that process. “Steve is exactly the right character, for me, for the football club. He has many qualities and many qualities that people don’t really see.
“We work very well together as we should do as manager and chairman.”
The Gills finished 10th in a season that was cut short and Evans felt confident they could have improved on that and made the top six with their remaining fixtures.
It was a campaign that at least didn’t involve any sign of relegation trouble which had dogged the club in recent years. Mr Scally said: “I am pleased for what he has achieved for him, as much as anyone else, for myself of course, but pleased for him and the fans because we have had some lean years and some difficult years and nobody wants to see that year on year. “Steve did it within the appropriate budget for this division and he did it understanding the budget was good and what it should be without any complaints or questions. There are other mangers in this division who have had significant budgets.” The Gills finished above Paul Lambert’s Ipswich Town, one of the top spenders in the division. The Suffolk side signed Gillingham keeper Tomas Holy last summer after offering him a deal far greater than he would have achieved by staying at Priestfield.
Mr Scally’s choice of manager last May – as successor to Steve
Lovell – wasn’t universally popular but the manager has won the support among fans after a promising first campaign in charge.
The Gills chairman said: “Every appointment I have made has been a good one at the time I made it. Whether it works out or not is for history to dictate. I have never purposely made bad appointments. “Football is about characters. Sometimes you don’t know why a particular manager does better at one club than another, good managers have been to clubs and not managed to achieve the same successes.
“I think it is a chemistry between the manager and the chairman and the actual club. If the manager feels comfortable being on that ship and everything works well and there are no frustrations and everything is above board and honest then I think maybe that is a good combination.”
Corinthian’s Wembley dream remains alive.
The Southern Counties East side have been told that their FA Vase semi-final clash could go ahead before the start of the 2020/21 season and that Wembley Stadium is still likely to host the final.
Corinthian were due to face Northern League Hebburn Town over two legs in March for a place in the final before the Covid-19 crisis led to the tie being postponed. Consett were set to face Bitton in the other tie.
The Kent club had also been chasing promotion from the SCEFL Premier Division before the league season was declared null and void.
FA Vase semi-finalists have been contacted and the clubs have released a joint statement.
They said: “Although the leagues at step 5 were declared null and void when the seriousness of the coronavirus outbreak became clear, the game’s governing body is determined to finish the Vase, as well as the FA Trophy and the FA Cup.
“This week the FA has re-iterated its intention to play the final at Wembley and said it is in close touch with the government about when playing games with spectators present might be possible – though this obviously depends on further lifting of restrictions necessary to stem the pandemic.
“It is understood the FA Vase and FA Trophy finals will still be played on the same day and Wembley has been approached about available dates.”
A date had been confirmed for Dartford’s National League South play-off opener.
The Darts will travel to Slough Town on Sunday, July 19 for their elimination round fixture.
Steve King’s Dartford side ended the season strongly and will be confident of making progress in the play-offs, which could mean up to three games for the side.
Dartford returned to training last week and their players have been tested for Covid-19. King has a 21-man squad in place for the campaign.
If they manage to beat Slough then they would travel to Havant in the semi-final on Saturday, July 25 (3pm).
The final will be played between the semi-final winners at the highest ranked team in the National South table on Saturday, August 1. Dartford would only be home if they were to meet Dorking.