With Holmesdale FC halfway through their first season back in the SCEFL Premier Division KSN caught up with first team manager Lee Roots on how it’s gone so far.  

Hi Lee, thanks for taking the time out to do this. How do you feel the season has gone so far for Holmesdale? 

“As always thank you very much Colin for your time & the interview. I feel the season has gone really well for us so far. As the new boys in a division, moving move up from steps 6 to step 5, & with the club making its return back to the SCEFL Premier for the first time in 5 seasons, we was fully aware that the correct player & staff recruitment would be a absolutely imperative towards us having a successful start & first half of the season. Some of the players are equipping & testing themselves at this level for the very first time & they are certainly delivering the performances and expectancy’s that is placed on them. We have taken stock of all we have learnt & achieved so far this season as a group as we now look to deliver a stronger return in the second half of the season than that first half, which will be an incredibly tough challenge but it is a target that everyone at the club is working towards achieving.”

Dale are currently ninth in the table with 28 points from 19 league matches, well clear of the teams near the bottom and still in the League Cup, that must be very pleasing? 

“Yes exactly right it is a very pleasing return of points to have so far in the season, especially as one of the newly promoted teams. We have occupied the spaces in the higher end of the league for some time which has been pleasing return. We set the squad the target of achieving 30 points before January, which in turn we feel would secure the clubs status within the division for next season , and this is something we are on track to achieve. The next challenge for the players will then be to keep improving the league position, to again achieve our overall targets we have set. We know we are at as a club and are know we operate playing budget wise probably within the lower end bracket of the club competition, but we feel we can realistically compete with many sides on the pitch operating with much higher resources than ourselves. Annoyingly we could have maybe had a even greater return of points at this stage, but we have just fallen short in some narrow losses in games against some of the top 6 teams in the division. The learning curve for players is very real at this level and you certainly get punished for any errors much more consistently the higher the footballing pyramid you compete at.”

Following promotion was there much of an adjustment to life in a higher division?  

“The adjustment that’s needed moving up a division has to come and be imbedded into the group all the way right back to pre season. Learning on the job was not a remit we wanted to take moving into a higher division, my managerial experience allowed us & my staff to approach the promotion approach with methods that have had proven success for us previously. My coaching staff have been absolutely excellent and the fact the players was able to find there feet so early within the division is full credit to them and the players for executing the instructions and ideas that was presented to them.”

I’ve been lucky enough to see a few home games so far this season and the attacking brand of football your team is playing has been great to watch, is it important to you that your sides entertain as well as win? 

“Thank you for your kind words Colin. We really do work so hard on implementing the visions of how I want my team to play and then our model of play into the squad, and yes I do feel that it is extremly important that my teams entertains and plays a brand of football that is clearly distinctive and structured. If it is pleasing on the eye to spectators and neutrals, then I find this is the easiest way to deal with the crowd dynamics that come with away games at this level of football, which can take some teams a long time to get to grips with. 
The most pleasing aspect of our style of play this season has been how well the players have been able to implement it in a higher division in most of our performances, barring just a handful of games.”

The club have announced some new signings today, Kameiko Pope-Campbell, Andy Constable, Chris Hubbard, Dieko Falade and Callum O’Shea have all returned to the club and new arrivals Cian McCarthy, Cameron Gyebour and Ruell Powell-Downey have also joined. So I guess the squad is always a work in progress?    

“I feel we always need to add when you are on the way up and right now is no different. We analyse our games a lot with the software we have and feel we have a good picture of what we want to do going forward & to make the correct adjustments going into the January’s schedule & so on. The squad is a very special group her with the bulk of our playing squad moving into there 4th & 5th seasons together, which can become quite rare at these levels of football.”

What are you targets for the rest of the 2021/22 season? 

“Our targets are to progress as far as we possibly can in our remaining cup competition, the SCEFL Challenge Cup of which we are awaiting the draw for the last 16 off and of course we want to constantly keep improving as a group, we want to finish as high as we possibly can or deserve to be within the league table and very very importantly, too build & prepare for next season and beyond.”

The club seems to be in a really good place right now, what would be the long term goals for Holmesdale? 

“The club is a great place and position currently and has been continuing to build momentum over the least few years. Every single person linked and associated with the club are working tirelessly in sync to keep growing the club on and off the pitch. Our long term goals would eventually be to progress from the step we are in currently up into the Isthmain League, but this would be brand new territory for Holmesdale, and our long term targets will only ever be met through the correct planning, preparation & execution. The club will continue to grow from strength to strength and it fill me with immense joy & pride to see.”

Hopefully I will be able to get back down to Oakley Road again a few times this season. Good luck Lee and thanks again,Col.  

Holmesdale are back in SCEFL action on Wednesday night when they entertain Tunbridge Wells at Oakley Road.