Cray Wanderers vs Lewes: The pre-game thoughts of Danny Kedwell – Programme notes

Cray Wanderers vs Lewes – The thoughts of Danny Kedwell – Programme notes.

All pics kindly credited: www.hilligerpix.com

After close to ten months without a league game, Cray Wanderers begin the 2021-22 season with a new man, Danny Kedwell at the helm and in a strange twist of fate the season opener is at home to Lewes, a club with some recent ex-Cray Wanderers connections. Here Danny looks back at a busy pre-season, the impact the younger players have made and the exciting if tough August fixtures.

Thank you Danny for your thoughts ahead of the season opening game. Pre-season has now been completed. What are your thoughts on how your first pre-season as manager has gone and have you enjoyed it?

Yes, it has been brilliant and I was really excited at the start but as the weeks have gone on with the injuries and the players I have had to bring in, I’ve had to work around that as well as looking at trialist players.  The players I think have done well and we’ve had a good pre-season, won 4, drawn 4 and only lost one at Hollands & Blair where I had to bring a lot of trialists in because of injuries. So we’ve done well and the players have taken everything on board especially with having a new team aside from Charlie Allen, Lee Lewis and Martin Onoabagbe. So all in all very enjoyable.

It’s been an unusual pre-season in a way as we had three games called off including two at short notice where normally we might get one rearrangement. Did this have any impact on your pre-season planning?

 I think if I look back now the cancellations did us a favour if I’m honest because of the injuries we have been getting especially to the likes of Jack Hanson who picked up a bad injury at Hollands & Blair. It did us a favour and the boys that little bit of extra rest and additional training and go through our pattern of play and the shape for the season. So really it did us good in the end.

With pre-season over are you now chomping at the bit to get going for the start of the season?

I certainly was a couple of weeks ago but this week we have had a few injuries and I really want to go in to the season fully strong but I’m nearly there. So hopefully with no game during the week gives time for them to come back and be fit for the first game of the season.

You alluded to the young players earlier. Many of the players you have brought in are young, hungry players given a chance at an Isthmian Premier club. The likes of Jamie Yila, Anis Nuur and Cameron Brodie are hugely talented and I think Cameron will be a real hit with the fans.

Cameron is a player I am glad we have been able to bring to the club. He is the sort of player I love especially the way he plays and rats around and doesn’t give anyone a breather. He is like a rash and he is going to do well.

As you say we have a lot of young talent out there that want to prove themselves and learn. Some of them really haven’t been coached and you can see are very raw. It is my job to coach them in the right way and the way I want to play and obviously improve their game. The last couple of weeks I have seen this with Anis who is now moving the ball a lot quicker. We’ve got Fjord Rogers up front who is strong but is only 23 so he is still learning. Another one that hasn’t been coached that well in his career, had an injury and last Tuesday against Welling United I saw the calibre of player I remember early in his career. His hold up play was excellent and took his goal well and brought others into play. He won a lot of headers and that is what I brought him into the club for and the sort of player you need and the type of player I was in my career.

We have players like Harvey Brand who is only 21 as is Joey Taylor but we also have a core of experienced players. The likes of Jack Turner in goal, Andy Drury, Anthony Cook, Dean Beckwith, Ejiro Okosieme and Charlie Allen. Cooky has been a bit unlucky with an injury which may be an old one but it looks like hopefully we have it sorted as he has been in to see a specialist. We haven’t seen the best of him yet but I played with him for four years so I know what he’s capable of. Charlie Allen, I played with at Gillingham for a whole season in the Football League and a great player to have in your team. He does things others don’t see and I think at Herne Bay in the friendly game the runs he was doing, dragging players out some people don’t appreciate that but I do and I make sure the other players know about that as well. As we are a brand new team maybe we are not quite there yet so might take time to get going and we have a tough start to the season too. I’m looking forward to seeing where we are. The players are ready and want to get going and I know as a player you look forward to the end of pre-season.

Last time I spoke to you the league fixtures hadn’t come out. You mentioned the tough start to the season and it was probably fated that we would play Lewes with all the past Cray Wanderers connections first game. The fact is we really just need to concentrate on our game don’t we.

Exactly that, I said to the boys when the fixtures come out these first three games including Hornchurch and Worthing we are going to see where we are at early doors instead of waiting 2- 3 months and then playing them. I would see Hornchurch and Worthing as the two favourites to go up especially with Hornchurch winning the FA Trophy and have some very good players. So it will be good to play them early and from these games we will know whereabouts we are as a team and whether any additions or changes need to be made.   

Finally,  on behalf of the club a big thank you for all your hard work and endeavour in such a short space of time. We were in a bit of a pickle at the end of March and you have without fuss and with a quiet focus assembled a team since April that speaks volumes for the respect people have for you in the game and also hasn’t gone unnoticed with the supporters.