Having won both of their opening pre-season games, beating Tooting & Mitcham United 1-0 before bagging a 3-2 victory against Abbey Rangers, the Bay were brought back down to earth by Sheppey United, who secured a deserved 3-1 win at Holm Park.

The hosts took the lead midway through the first half when a dangerous cross into the Bay box was accidentally turned home by Dan Carrington.

Sheppey doubled the advantage just before the break when a loose ball in the box was hammered home by Danny Leonard.

The game was put beyond any doubt early in the second period when a deeply swung corner was forced home by Nickal David Luzolo.

Mike West got a goal back late in the game when his low free-kick beat the ‘keeper, with Zak Ansah maybe getting the last touch, but it was too little too late as the hosts held on to win.

The Opposition

VCD Athletic was formed in 1916 by workers at the Vickers armaments factory at Crayford, originally as Vickers (Erith) FC, and joined the original Kent League upon the resumption of play after World War One.

In the 1996–97 season VCD won the league title by a record 15 points, successfully applied for senior status, and were accepted into the Kent League. They showed improvement over the previous season for their first five seasons at this level, culminating in a second-place finish in 2002–03 when, after leading the table for most of the season, they lost out on the championship on goal difference.

They also appeared in three consecutive League Cup finals, winning the trophy in 1999–2000 with a 4–0 victory over Faversham Town.

In the 2007–08 season team captain Paul Foley became manager and guided the club to second place in the Kent League before going one better in the 2008–09 season securing the league title and Kent Senior Trophy in only his second season in charge.

In the 2009–10 season the club then joined the Isthmian League in Division One North, finishing in 8th place, however the club was demoted at the end of the season back to the Kent league, owing to ground issues.

The club played in the Kent League until 2013 when they were promoted back to the Isthmian League. They won Division One North the following season and were promoted to the Premier Division.

After struggling early on, VCD ended their first season at this level in 18th position, two places above the relegation zone, following a run of six consecutive victories.

Like Sheppey United, our previous opponents, Tuesday evening’s hosts are current members of the Isthmian League South-East division.

Last season, VCD managed to achieve a ninth-placed finish, 12 points adrift of the final play-off place. From the 38 games that they placed, they won 15, drew nine, and lost 14, scoring 66 goals but conceding 54 for a goal difference of +12.

Key Players

Jack Sammoutis (Midfielder) – A Cyprus international at U19 level, Jack is a new addition to the VCD team following three seasons with Cray Valley PM. A former Millwall academy graduate, Sammoutis is an experienced non-League player who counts Metropolitan Police, Margate, Walton Casuals, Greenwich Borough, and Hythe Town among his former clubs. He also has experience playing abroad with Cypriot side AC Omonia.

Still only 28 years of age, Jack has a track record of finding the back of the net, as shown by his record with Walton Casuals, where he scored 17 goals from 64 appearances. Will be key for our hosts this coming season.

Yousseff Bamba (Winger) – Named in the Isthmian League South-East Division Team of the Season, Bamba is a tricky player with a bottomless bag of tricks while also having speed on his side. Yousseff has played for no less than ten different non-League sides, following his departure from parent club AFC Wimbledon.

He was a part of the Kingstonian side in 2019 that beat Macclesfield Town 4-0 in the FA Cup First Round, before losing 2-0 to AFC Fylde in the following round, further proving that he has the ability to play on the big stage. Will be one to watch out for.

Last time we met

The last time we faced VCD Athletic was last season on February 19, 2022. On that occasion, we were held to a 0-0 draw at Old Road. Before that, at the MBS Stadium, a Zak Ansah double, either side of a Daniel Johnson goal, saw us to a 3-0 victory.

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Admission Charges: £6.00