Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Feast your festive eyes on part one of the KM Group’s review of the year which includes a change of manager at Gills, New Year’s Honours, broken records, play-off drama and world champions
JANUARY MAY
sacked Justin Edinburgh (pictured) on January 3 following a 1-0 home defeat against Oxford, leaving them 17th in League 1 after picking up just one point from the three festive games. Chairman Paul Scally said: “I have been keen to work with Justin and his coaching staff, I have become close friends with them over the past two years and that is what makes this decision even harder. I have great respect for them and everything they have done for the club.” Former player Ady Pennock was given the job until the end of the season.
Town striker Alfie May earned himself a dream move into the Football League. May had trials at Gillingham and Stevenage but joined Doncaster Rovers on a two-and-a-half-year deal when the transfer window opened. He was prolific during 18 months at Reachfields and went on to play for Doncaster against Arsenal at the Emirates. May said: “I try to get to Hythe a lot and I’ll always support them. They’ll always be in my heart. When Doncaster made a bid, it seemed like it was all going to fall into place because the club and (manager) Clive Cook wanted the best for me.
Walker was unveiled as Kent’s new head coach to succeed Jimmy Adams and said instilling a winning mentality was his most important job. Walker, 43, claimed after his appointment that the news hadn’t quite sunk in, adding: “It seems mad. In 1992, when I started out on this journey, the thought that I might be head coach here all these years later. It’s hard to sink in at the moment. “The challenge is to make the team believe we can win. I don’t know if that’s been in place for a number of years.”
Hockey Club star Susannah Townsend was awarded an MBE in the New Year’s Honours after helping GB women to a historic gold medal in a dramatic Rio final in August. The 27-year-old Canterbury star (pictured) said: “Everyone’s celebrating coming into 2017 but I don’t want to say goodbye to 2016. “It’s pretty amazing for me personally but for everyone involved in hockey, it’s a massive honour.” Canterbury Ladies finished the month by losing in the final of the national indoor championships for the second year running. skiing sensation Millie Knight described claiming Para-alpine World Championship glory in a dramatic week in Italy was beyond her wildest dreams. The visually impaired Canterbury skier and guide Brett Wild stormed to gold in the downhill in Tarvisio and followed it up with silver medals in the super combined, giant slalom and slalom events. The King’s School student battled back to fitness after a mystery illness last autumn and admitted: “World champion, it sounds pretty good. Four months ago I would never have dreamed I would be able to say that.”
won a dramatic play-off final to clinch promotion to the National League after four seasons of trying. They racked up 96 points in the regular season but were pipped to the title by Maidenhead and then had Anthony Cook sent off just before half-time in the final. Daryl Mcmahon’s side were staring down the barrel when Bagasan Graham gave Chelmsford the lead but Fleet refused to accept what would have been their third play-off final defeat in four years. Dave Winfield headed them level before Darren Mcqueen scored the goal which secured a place back in nonleague’s top flight. Manager Daryl Mcmahon said: “Last season ended cruelly (losing to Maidstone on penalties) but everyone involved at the football club has showed great character to come back and go through what we’ve done now. “Getting 96 points, when we’d have probably walked the league in most years, to regroup again and come through and win with 10 men, it’s an incredible story.”
Hill hosted its last FIA World Rallycross Championship round after organisers decided to move the event to Silverstone. A record crowd of 25,000 people watched Norwegian Petter Solberg claim victory in his VW Polo, beating teammate Johan Kristoffersson and Andreas Bakkerud. Circuit owner Pat Doran vowed to fight to get the George Kennedy admitted it was a “bit of an embarrassment” that Allan Donald would not be able to take up his coaching post at Kent due to visa issues. The South Africa pace legend was named as assistant to Matt Walker in January but won’t be granted a visa to coach in England until he meets the ECB criteria of a Level 3 coaching qualification. Mr Kennedy said: “It’s a bit of an embarrassment. He’s certainly not starting from scratch, he’s working towards (the qualification). prestigious event back but said delays in gaining planning permission to develop the circuit had not helped. He said: “I am not going to let the planning situation beat us – there has got to be a happy medium where everyone is happy. “I am a great believer in fate and I think it will turn out best in the end. “We are going to have to fight even harder now to get the world championship back.”
United announced they would be signing Dover’s star striker Ricky Miller when his contract expired in the summer. Miller (pictured) scored 42 goals in 43 games for the Whites as Chris Kinnear’s side just missed out on the play-offs. Days after the National League season finished, it was announced that the striker would be joining the League 1 club. Posh director of football, Barry Fry, told the press that he tried to buy Miller in January but the Dover chairman and manager did not return his calls. He signed a three-year contract with the club but missed the first
” six games of the season after being banned by the FA for biting.
Boyne described Canterbury HC’S 6-1 defeat in the National Cup final against Reading at Lee Valley as ‘an embarrassment.’ Three goals in the final 10 minutes gave the score a lop-sided look but skipper Boyne admitted his side had been second-best. He said: “It was great to have got there. We played our best hockey the week before in the relegation playoffs. There was no pressure on us this weekend but we didn’t do enough – it was disappointing.”
chairman Paul Scally gave Ady Pennock the go-ahead to continue as head coach while bringing in former boss Peter Taylor as director of football. Pennock said: “I am happy to have got the job and I am looking forward to working with Peter. “He was my manager in 2000 when we got promotion and his experience and contacts are invaluable. “I know him, trust him and that is important.”