City boss targets title

Football

Ben Smith is targeting winning the Southern Counties East League title next season.

The Canterbury City boss admits it’s a big statement to make three weeks before his new-look squad report back following their summer break but says his ambitions on the playing side must match what’s happening off the field.

The club’s move back near to the city came a step nearer this week, following the announcement of plans to build a new £ 2m stadium at Bridge in partnership with Quinn Estates, who will be the club’s new shirt sponsor in 2017.

Smith said: “The City board are doing the business and there is a lot of buzz and excitement around the club already.

“Getting Mark Quinn involved is a great coup. He is a well known property developer, who will be helping us come home.”

As for the club’s title hopes, he added: ”We are going for it, a big statement I know, even though we are nowhere near the budgets other teams have.”

Smith has continued his squad building with goalkeeper Jack Delo the latest to move from Herne Bay, together with former Winch’s Field team-mate Connor Sanders, who drops two leagues, returning from Isthmian League Premier Division Carshalton Athletic after joining them in April. The pair join Gary Sayer and Joe Nelder who have already committed to City, with the players set to sign officially on July 1, all of them having worked with Smith when he coached at Winch’s Field, before moving to City.

Smith said: “Connor went to Carshalton for good money but didn’t enjoy the travelling. He had interest from Folkestone and Faversham as well but he is a good friend of mine.”

Smith confirmed that skipper Laurence Harvey, Gary Clarke, Gary Mickelborough and Sam Conlon are all staying, with goalkeeper Daren Hawkes, the only player to leave so far, having joined Sittingbourne.

He is also looking at bringing another youngster as cover for Delo.

City are also linking up with Christ Church University with the students set to form the basis of City’s new reserve team to play in the Kent County League, the election set to be confirmed at the annual meeting in Sittingbourne next Wednesday.

will be playing at Deal Town’s Charles Ground next season, after spending the last two groundsharing at Ashford United.

Canterbury Disability B team