Ahead of the new SCEFL Premier Division season, which begins on Saturday, KSN caught up with Holmesdale FC manager Lee Roots on his thoughts ahead of the big kick off.    

Having gone unbeaten in pre-season you must be very happy with how things have gone in the build up to the start of the new SCEFL Premier Division campaign?

Firstly, thank you Colin as always for you time & support, it is always a pleasure to talk with you. Yes, it has been a really pleasing pre-season campaign that myself & the staff have been happy with, importantly happy with the work that has been produced by the players & the group.

I think results can be deemed unimportant in pre-season, but performance-based results are key & of course game results & being in game situations is without a doubt what is needed during the course of pre-season for the players & squad to learn from, build coping strategies & importantly to grow within certain situations, to show strong characters & of course setting standards in regard to collective winning habits.

This is important. It has been a tough campaign of games & the players have equipped themselves tremendously well throughout & we are certainly fully ready for the start of the season.

You brought in a number of new faces to the squad over the summer, pre-season results & performances would suggest they have settled in well?

Yes, totally correct. Towards the end of last season, we highlighted areas of focus & importantly specific players that I felt would now take us up onto the next level this season, as we look to build on from the foundations that we set last season.

For this to happen there of course has to be change, but it is what we change & where we change it, which was the crucial part in getting right for my long-term plan & targets at the club.

I am delighted that every player we wanted to bring in, that we have been successful in doing so, & the players have settled tremendously well alongside the retained players & the group has been extremely tightly bonded since day 1.

I was at the 5-0 win over Athletic Newham last wee k, the performance was good on a very hot day and there seems to be real strength in depth in the squad. Some difficult decisions to select a starting eleven with those options?

I am pleased you was able to attend the game on what was another scorching day. The players were very impressive on the day in every area of the pitch & was facing an extremely talented & determined opposition in Athletic Newham, who we faced last year in the later stages of the FA Vase competition.

The players equipped themselves within their mindset & performance-based approach with the season fully in mind, which resulted in them equipping the tactical instructions perfectly on the day. This of course gives me great headaches regarding squad selections like you say, as we do have excellent depth & experience within the squad.

With the new rule implemented by the SCEFL league this year allowing teams to make up to 5 subs to be used, this is something we feel will be a strong part in our makeup, especially in the back end of games as the depth of the squad can really play its part.

The season starts with a home game against Hollands & Blair in the league and then the FA Cup Preliminary Round local derby tie away at Glebe the following Saturday, quite some games to start with?

It’s a hell of a start, & we wouldn’t have it any other way! Hollands & Blair are of course previous champions of the SCEFL leagues in years gone & had a very strong end to the season under Scott Porter. We know their ambitions as a club & this will be an extremely tough challenge.

Every game in this league is tough, every team offers quality & every team must be respected & approached in the correct manor, which we have done extremely well with detailed diligence going into Saturday’s game.

The FA cup tie against our local rivals Glebe is of course very exciting, irrelevant if it is now a derby. Glebe have spent big monies every year within this division of recent, concluding with their highest ever finish last season under Harry Hudson. We know they will approach this season with the same energy, & we will prepare ourselves correctly for each tie, taking each game as it comes.

Last season saw Holmesdale consolidate their place back in the SCEFL Premier Division and set a record points tally and finish at that level, is the aim to kick on from there and try to better what was achieved in 2021/22?

Absolutely spot on colin. Last season for us was all about cementing our league status, learning about the division, the clubs & grounds & setting a strong foundation that can be built up upon now this season. Of course, to set all new records for the club at this level of football filled myself, the staff, committee & players with pride & I am certainly not a person who rests on his laurels at all.

The league is impossible to call this year before anyone has kicked off, & this certainly was not the case last season with specific teams leading the charts & favourite races for promotion.

Every team, manager & club will all be saying the same thing at this stage, as this is the exciting period before anyone has played, but for us internally, we know exactly how to improve the group & club, & our targets this season will be to continue to build onwards & upwards in every game & competition we compete in this year.

I always enjoy my visits to Oakley Road, Holmesdale is a great club with a friendly welcome, what would you say to local football fans who are thinking about heading down to Bromley Common for a game?    

I must fully agree with you Colin with the above comments!! Holmesdale is a great club with tremendously good people behind the scenes, who dedicate their lives & their time to the club. The club is extremely welcoming, family friendly, well kept & we play with our style & a brand of football that is clear & evident to see.

The club has been receiving amazing support over the last 18 months regarding new faces coming to watch, & we see fans now returning over & over because they really enjoy their experiences at the club.

I would like to openly say to all local football fans, to invite & greet any existing & all new fans that would like to come to watch some good honest non-league football & support the club & the players, that I hope to see you at Oakley Road this season cheering on the Green & Yellow Army!