The Opposing View - Erith & Belvedere v Canterbury City, SCEFL Premier, Saturday 12 November 2022
with Keith Bird, Canterbury City Manager

In what shape did Canterbury City come into the season?

We have had to rebuild the club on and off the field. We have a completely new Board with the previous Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer all moving on. All of last year’s squad with the exception of a couple of players are no longer with us, so we have had to pretty much rebuild the entire squad. We also have a new ground share at Sittingbourne FC. We are very grateful to Sittingbourne and they have been fantastic, but taking us further away from Canterbury has effected the already small fan base we have. So it has been challenging in all honesty, but at least the club is still here and can hopefully grow from a small, humble base in the years to come.

We started the season with a 3 - 4 – 2 – 1 system, a system I really like as we wanted to play a very positive style of football. However, like all systems, you have to have the right players for that system and as we have been in rebuilding mode this season, we have changed to a more solid formation now, which is better for the squad we have.  

What positives have Canterbury City seen from the season so far?

This is a challenging season for us this year to be candid. We have a smaller budget than managers have had at Canterbury in previous years. We have limited resources and do not have our own ground. We have had to completely rebuild the squad this year and there has been a bit of trial and error with some players. The good news is we now have a solid base of players we are happy with that we can start to build on. The team spirit is also excellent and is now one of the best changing rooms I have been involved in. For the majority of games we have played in we have been very competitive, and we are probably 12 points better than our current league position shows, with some dropped points in games that we should have won or drawn. I’m really proud of how the lads have fought in the majority of games and our performances are improving. We have an honest, hardworking bunch of lads and we can build on that. We have spent a lot of time talking through our shape and getting organised and that can take you a long way, so it’s good to see that starting to come through.

What do you make of Erith & Belvedere's start to the season?

I’m not surprised to see you doing so well. Tony Beckingham is a very experienced manager, Andy Constable knows the league well and Mike Parker is very detailed and hard working. I know all three well and I’m looking forward to seeing them again. I’m really pleased for the three of them personally and for your club to be doing so well and being back at the top where you deserve to be. You have built a quality squad that is the envy of the league and the performances have been consistent, which is the perfect combination.

Thoughts on Erith & Belvedere v Canterbury City next Saturday and do you see the match as an opportunity to pick up an unexpected result and build on your important victory against Fisher?

Obviously, there is a big gulf between the two clubs and we just have to be realistic about that. However, as we have seen from results in this league this season, anything can happen on any given day. I know Tony will have your side very organised and knowing Tony as I do, I can imagine his team talk will be not to take anything for granted and to forget Canterbury’s league position. That means I don’t expect Erith & Belvedere to treat this game any different. So we will need to be disciplined and put in our very best performance to live with them. It will all be about us staying in the game for as long possible, and let’s see what we can come away with. We won’t be coming to make up the numbers and just defend. We will try to play our usual game as much as possible.