Supporters vote with their feet in Checkatrade Trophy

October

Three hundred and eight – not the number of passes completed by Gillingham in their ‘home’ Checkatrade Trophy match at The Valley against Spurs under-21s, but the number of people watching the game.

Gills were beaten 4-0 among the echoes at the 27,000 stadium. They had been forced to move the game after deciding to replace the Priestfield pitch on safety grounds.

Dr Abdulla Al-Humaidi admitted Ebbsfleet United’s big spending since he bought the club had been a mistake.

Fleet’s Kuwaiti owner wanted at least four players off the wage bill after describing manager Daryl McMahon’s playing budget as “excessive”.

McMahon wasn’t to last long as manager, though. The 35-year-old left by mutual consent the following month less than 18 months into the five-year contract. He was replaced in the Stonebridge Road hotseat by Garry Hill.

Fellow National League club Dover also fired and hired. Chris Kinnear was shown the door after his side had achieved just one win in 14 games.

It brought to an end Kinnear’s second spell in charge at Crabble, having taken charge again in January 2013. He was previously manager from 1985 to 1995.

Dover lured Andy Hessenthaler (pictured) back to Crabble from Eastleigh.Hessenthaler had left Dover in May 2010 to take the manager’s job at Gillingham.

Lizzy Yarnold, Great Britain’s most successful Winter Olympian, announced her retirement from competitive sport.

The double Olympic skeleton champion, a former pupil at Maidstone Grammar School for Girls, said she would not attempt to defend her title at Beijing 2022.

Ross Wilson backed up his Commonwealth gold medal success with another gold, this time at the World Table Tennis Championships.

The 23-year-old from Sheppey beat China’s double Paralympic champion Zhao Shuai.

Kent’s Jake Dixon finished runner-up to Leon Haslam in the British Superbike Championship. Fellow Kent rider Brad Ray was sixth.

Four-time Canterbury 10-mile race winner Abel Tsegay proved himself on a bigger stage. He produced a stunning half-marathon debut by storming to victory in Amsterdam.

The 22-year-old Eritrean was making his competitive debut over the distance and led home a 1,200-strong field in a time of 1hr07min50sec.

Picture: Ady Kerry Gillingham’s match against Tottenham under-21s was played in front of just 308 fans