This Friday, Bartholomew previews Sheppey United's massive FA Cup match against Walsall, and we speak to Gillingham FC fans on the week that Stephen Clemence was announced as the club's new head coach.
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00:00 Hello and welcome along to Invicta Sport, the only show on your TV dedicated to wrapping
00:16 up all of Kent's sporting news. I'm Bartholomew Hall and here's what to expect on this Friday,
00:21 the 3rd of November.
00:24 The Island, big night. Sheppey faces League 2 giants Walsall in historic FA Cup clash.
00:30 We'll also have the supporters verdict. We'll speak to Gillingham fans on the week Stephen
00:35 Clements takes the reins. And we'll also be looking at action replay. It's time to take
00:41 a look at the clips of you, the KMTV viewers, getting active.
00:46 Obviously we showed you the wrong pictures there. That is of course Gillingham and their
00:50 new head coach. We'll have that in the second half of the programme. But first today, let's
00:53 start with a round up of some of the week's headlines.
00:56 And today Kent cricket has announced that Wes Agar will return to our county squad in
01:00 2024. In a video posted to social media, the Australian fast bowler told fans he is stoked
01:07 to be coming back to Kent again and that he's looking forward to getting back to work with
01:10 the squad in April. The 26 year old fan favourite will rejoin Kent's first 10 county championship
01:16 division one matches and the group stage of the T20 Blast competition, which is subject
01:21 to regulatory approval.
01:23 Next in the Invicta Dynamos will dedicate their Southern Club cash with the Slough Jets
01:29 this Sunday to Adam Johnson, who tragically lost his life while playing in Sheffield last
01:34 weekend.
01:35 It comes as the club has secured mandatory neck guards for all players before league
01:39 policy comes into force in January, which will see all players required to wear one.
01:44 The club says it will be holding a minute's silence before the game and encouraging those
01:48 attending Planet Ice in Gillingham to give a minute's applause in the 47th minute.
01:53 Next, MEPIM volleyball player Maxime Caroline found himself recently in the company of Royals.
02:00 The England Youth International met the Prince and Princess of Wales at a mental health and
02:04 wellbeing workshop hosted by SportsAid. The event was hosted by Adbisham Abbey's National
02:10 Sports Centre, where the 15 year old Gravesend grammar student was able to speak with the
02:14 Royals where he described them as genuinely happy to be there with the young athletes.
02:20 Now in little under two hours, Sheppey United will take on League Two side Walsall in an
02:25 FA Cup clash which is being described as the biggest game the club has ever taken on. Sheppey
02:31 United, which sits on the eighth step of the football pyramid, four whole leagues lower
02:35 than their opponents, have never before made it to the first round of the FA Cup in their
02:39 more than 130 years of history.
02:42 And this evening, the Isle of Sheppey will be rocking as the club's stadium, Holme Park,
02:45 will be sold out and bars across the island will be opening their doors as the game will
02:50 be played on TV.
02:52 The magic of the FA Cup. David versus Goliath. Sheppey United will tonight take on Walsall
02:59 as it goes into its first ever FA Cup first round proper. This is what it means to the
03:05 supporters.
03:06 It still feels unreal, you know. I don't think it will ever really sink in for as long as
03:10 I live really. I know it's only a small thing. People say Walsall at home, what does that
03:14 mean? But to a club like us on the island it means everything, you know. So it's so
03:18 excited, slight disbelief and all those things.
03:22 It means everything. I mean I've been going for years and years, even when they were down
03:27 Botany Road. You know, my father, he was a big Sheppey fan. My uncle was a big Sheppey
03:33 fan.
03:34 It's a dream come true and it's a day we've all been waiting for as a family, as an island
03:40 forever. And it's here now. It's just, you know, we're going to enjoy it.
03:45 If you're thinking of coming along to the fixture to watch the game, well you absolutely
03:49 can't. There are no tickets left. But there are many pubs just like this one where you
03:53 can come along and watch the game on TV.
03:55 Now here at the pub today we've got quite a few fans of Sheppey. How's everybody looking
04:00 forward to the game?
04:02 It's an event full of firsts for the club which has never before made it to this round
04:07 of the competition, nor has it had a fixture shown on live TV. And two days before the
04:12 game had its first ever press conference.
04:16 We spoke about ten, eleven weeks ago up here in the boardroom, just a general chat, take
04:21 over. I thought that'd be nice, a bit of football every Saturday and get to know the first team
04:25 and see where we can take it. The last probably ten days has just been an absolute whirlwind,
04:30 an unbelievable whirlwind. We're going places we've never been before.
04:35 But how did this club get here? The 130 year history of Sheppey United is a mixed bag,
04:43 facing both financial pressures causing multiple rebrands, to substantial investment and regional
04:49 cup success. It currently sits in the Itsmian League South East, which sits eighth on the
04:54 football pyramid. And after beating Welsh side Merthyr Tydfil 4-1 and Essex club Bielerricci
05:00 on replay penalties, both of which are one step above Sheppey on the pyramid, it now
05:05 faces League two side Walsall, which is a whopping four steps above Sheppey in the pyramid.
05:11 They're going to be very top quality opposition for us and it's about playing our game and
05:17 keeping a strong mind and being composed on the ball and not letting the occasion take
05:23 over the performance. And if we can do that, that will give us an opportunity.
05:29 And for its players, most of whom have to juggle playing with a full time job, this
05:33 game means everything.
05:35 The likelihood is we won't play this level of football again and it's the best opportunity
05:39 but we can be given, like considering it's a Friday night, they're coming down here,
05:44 playing on a surface they're not sort of comfortable, possibly not comfortable with, it's a different
05:48 surface. The fans, they won't have a lot of fans. I know our fans will be noisy. Let's
05:54 see how they can react and see what we can do. I mean, there's no pressure on us. It's
05:59 all the pressure's on them. So we're just going to go out, enjoy ourselves and whatever
06:04 happens happens.
06:06 So with the eyes of the nation turning towards the little old Isle of Sheppey, the players,
06:12 supporters and the entire island now holds its breath as the next chapter of the IJTS
06:18 underdog story is written before them. Bartholomew Hall for KMTV on the Isle of Sheppey.
06:25 Now there'll be little over a thousand people at Holm Park this evening, which means bars
06:29 and clubs will be packed across the island. But this morning I spoke to one fan who did
06:34 manage to get a ticket into Holm Park. Mark Suave has been a Sheppey fan for years and
06:39 he says that he hopes a giant killing is on the cards.
06:42 OK, Mark, thank you very much for joining us. It's really good to speak to you before
06:46 you head down to the stadium today. We've been speaking to fans all week. They've been
06:50 kind of describing it as the FA Cup final equivalent for the club, many saying that
06:55 they've already won just by being in the first round. Tell me, what does this game
06:59 mean to you?
07:00 It means so much. I think, as everyone said, you know, the FA Cup is the greatest football
07:05 competition in the world. And you've got that dream. And it's a long road through the preliminary
07:10 rounds to get in the first round. I think, yeah, this is our FA Cup final. You know,
07:15 whatever happens tonight, we're going to enjoy it. And you never know. It's the magic of
07:20 the cup. A giant clean act could be on the cards.
07:23 It absolutely could be. And I can't imagine what the stadium will look like if that does
07:29 happen. I think it will be such an achievement for the club and for the island.
07:33 Now, you've been a fan for quite a few years. Talk to me about the journey that the club
07:38 has been on from your perspective over the years that you've supported.
07:41 You know, the club went out of business in the early 90s or the mid 90s. They used to
07:46 have a stadium in the town. The club management at the time decided to sell that because there
07:52 was a number of debts. And they went on the road with the promise that we'd find a new
07:56 ground back on the Isle of Sheppey and build the ground. And we did come close to it. I
08:01 think it was a row over the utilities and then the money ran out. And then Ernie Batten
08:07 and a local businessman, Matt Smith, who was a driving force behind a lot of where the
08:11 club is now, sort of got the club up and running.
08:14 It came back on the island as Sheppey United, I think, 2014. And Home Park looked a lot
08:21 different. And there was one stand and a T-bar, no floodlights. Games had to kick off at two
08:27 o'clock because there was no floodlights. The pitch was a quad mire and slowly with
08:33 private investment and a lot of dedication by people and grants from the FA, the ground
08:38 slowly built up. And then people started going there and saying, look, we've got this great
08:43 ground on the island. We need to get behind the team.
08:46 And in terms of, I know you're an Islander as well, what does this mean to the island
08:50 as a whole? This whole occasion, I know that eyes from across the nation will be turning
08:54 towards the island this weekend.
08:56 Well, the whole island is just suddenly being gripped by FA Cup fever and all the schools
09:02 now are having a non-uniform day today. And you've got to come in red and white. Now,
09:06 I've just seen my neighbours' kids going off in red and white and they're saying, Sheppey,
09:11 you go to Sheppey, Mark. And I think some of the players are going to visit the schools.
09:17 All the pubs are going to be showing the game tonight and everybody's posting good luck
09:22 messages on social media. And a lot of our friends from clubs like Tunbridge Wells, Rustle,
09:29 Fisher, all these teams that we've met on the way up to this league, and we've made
09:34 some really good friends there, have all been posting good luck messages and say, just do
09:38 us proud and enjoy the day.
09:40 And of course, I mean, we even heard earlier this week that Gillingham were actually giving
09:43 some sort of tips to the team because obviously Gillingham have played Walsall this season
09:48 so far. OK, tell me about your sort of plans this evening. You're going to be there at
09:53 the stadium?
09:54 Yeah, I'm going to go up there and try and get there for about six o'clock. I mean, the
09:58 grounds open at half past four and they are encouraging people to come in it. And it's
10:03 just going to be amazing just walking down the lane to the ground, which, you know, normally
10:06 you don't see many people and there's going to be this mass of people, probably a few
10:12 policemen and media. And it's just so exciting. I've got so many mixed emotions going through
10:18 me. I know a lot of other people, but very, very proud of our club, this little club from
10:25 the Isle of Sheppey, you know, and who knows who knows what could happen. I'm old enough
10:31 to remember Hereford and Ronnie Radford scoring that amazing goal from near on the halfway
10:36 line and just Sunderland pulling off a giant, giant killing act at Wembley. Yeah, it's just
10:44 the FA Cup. It's great. It's magic.
10:46 Magic indeed. Well, Mark, enjoy the evening. You're one of the lucky few that actually
10:50 get to be there in the stadium. So enjoy it and hopefully it's a positive result nonetheless.
10:56 Thank you. And up the heights.
11:00 Now as well as Sheppey, Kent of course has three more clubs taking part in the FA Cup
11:06 first round proper this weekend. Maidstone United will be returning to the first round
11:10 proper after four years of failing to qualify. They'll be travelling to Southern League Premier
11:15 Southside Chesham United. Gillingham will be testing the waters with new head coach
11:20 Stephen Clements as they travel along to non-league Hereford on Saturday. We'll have more after
11:25 the break on that story, as we said earlier. And another Isthmian League South East venture
11:30 from Kent, Ramsgate, will be hosting National League Woking. It's the third time the club
11:35 has reached this stage.
11:39 Well we've reached half time, which means we are coming up for a break now. But after
11:44 the break, it's our very first Fan Zone, where we'll be speaking to Gillingham fans after
11:48 their new manager appointment.
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14:58 Hello and welcome back to Invicta Sport live on KMTV. Now this week we saw the appointment
15:11 of Stephen Clements as Gillingham FC's new manager. And on Thursday, exactly four weeks
15:16 to the day that Neil Harris was sacked as the club's manager, Stephen Clements spoke
15:22 to the press for the first time. Well, if the past four weeks are anything to go by,
15:25 we all know the biggest and best critiques of a club is always those who love the badge
15:30 more than anyone. Yes, of course, I'm talking about the fans. So it's time for a brand
15:34 new Invicta Sport segment we're calling the Fan Zone. And joining us today for the
15:38 very first Fan Zone is David Garth, Derek Gallagher and Joanne Edwards. Thank you all
15:44 very much for joining us today. All three are members of the Gillingham FC Supporters
15:48 Club. Really good to hear from you from you all. Now, before we go to you, we're just
15:53 going to do a quick recap and we're going to hear from the man himself. Of course, Stephen
15:57 Clements, the son of former England goalkeeping legend Ray Clements, has been appointed this
16:03 week. It'll be his managerial debut, but some have questions so far if taking on someone
16:08 in their first top job is somewhat of a risk. Here's what Stephen had to say to that.
16:13 Well, every appointment is a risk. So there could be a very experienced League Two manager
16:18 sitting here right now who's got four promotions to his name and there's no guarantee he's
16:22 going to be successful. So all I can say is I've done my work. I've had a good career.
16:28 I've done over 400 games in the Premier League and Championship as an assistant manager.
16:33 I think I've done it the right way. So I haven't jumped straight into this. I'm ready to go.
16:39 Ready to go. That's the words from the man in the top job in the spot. David, we'll come
16:45 to you first. What do you think? Is there an element of risk here?
16:49 Yeah, I think there is. I mean, he's taken the words almost out of my mouth straight
16:53 away that there is always an element of risk whoever you take on. But obviously the club's
16:59 done its homework and it's checked who is available. There's no doubt that Stephen has
17:05 got a very good grounding all the way through working with Steve Bruce. So that's going
17:09 to help him an awful lot as he gets cracking.
17:12 Absolutely. And Joanne, we'll come to you next. What's your reaction to Stephen Clements
17:16 being put in the role?
17:19 I was pleased. Like David said and Derek, it's a big gamble, of course. But I think
17:28 he's very experienced as a coach and with Robbie as well. Robbie Stockdale. Both of
17:33 their experience together I think will hopefully lead us onwards and upwards.
17:39 And Derek, we'll come to you now. You must have been speaking to quite a few fans. What's
17:44 the sort of feeling that you're getting? Do you think he'll be quickly accepted?
17:49 Yeah, to me at the beginning it wasn't, shall we say, an obvious choice. But then as I read
17:56 into it, I got quite excited about it. And talking to other fans around me, looking at
18:01 social media, there's been nothing but positivity about it. I think, as he said, he's done
18:08 his homework. He's got a lot of experience. He's got the backing of Steve Bruce, who he's
18:15 worked with for a long time. I think there is an element of risk, but I'm ready to go
18:22 with it. I think, you know, Brad Gallison said we're moving in a new direction. And
18:27 I think this is what he's talking about, the new direction here with Steve Clements.
18:33 Absolutely. And it is interesting you mentioned there that new direction because one of the
18:38 other changes is this sort of use of the term head coach rather than manager. It's a nuance
18:42 which we've kind of seen across the football world. It sometimes means different things
18:46 between clubs. So what will it mean for Gillingham? Let's hear from the man himself.
18:51 Well, obviously we have Kenny, who's in charge of the football department here. And he'll
18:57 oversee, obviously, you've got your A-teams and you've got the B-team, etc. And you've
19:03 also got the whole recruitment and what goes on in a football club. Being a head coach
19:08 means I'm in charge of picking the team, it means I'm in charge of training. All stuff
19:13 to do with the first team. But there's a whole footballing body that goes on outside the
19:17 first team, as we know. And Gillingham are trying to do it right. As I say, the B-team
19:22 has come in in the last year or so. So it takes a lot of weight off my shoulders, actually.
19:28 I think Kenny's going to be a great help.
19:31 So less weight on the shoulders and keeping Kenny and Andy in that sort of recruitment,
19:36 B-team responsibility, that kind of allows Stephen to focus on the coaching and actually
19:42 managing of the first team. Is this a welcome shift? We'll come to you first, Eric.
19:48 I think it is. I think my view is this, that he will come with a lot of credibility as
19:56 a coach. And I think it's a question of the team recognising that. I think they will recognise
20:02 they've got someone who knows what he's talking about. He's concentrating on that and nothing
20:07 else. And they'll want to play for him to be in that team list at the end of the week.
20:13 I think he's bringing all of his talent, all of his experience at a time when we need it
20:19 to concentrate on improving our performance on the pitch and not getting sidelined by
20:26 all the other stuff that gets in the way, I think, of managers' daily lives.
20:31 So not getting sidelined. David, do you think that's a problem that has been sort of experienced
20:35 by previous managers?
20:37 Yeah, I think it's absolutely right. Derek's got that spot on to me. Yeah, we do need
20:44 someone that can really concentrate what's going on on the pitch, making the right decisions,
20:49 playing the right tactics for each game. And that's going to vary. It's not going to be
20:53 the same tactics every week. And we need somebody that's got a lot of good new ideas. And I
20:59 think we've all noticed the sad sort of lack in some of the tactics we've had over the
21:04 last few months, really. That's why we've gone into this direction.
21:09 And Joanne, I mean, we've had four weeks now with no manager in place. Now we know it's
21:15 going to be a head coach. I mean, what do you make of that specific change?
21:21 I completely agree with the other two guys. To be able to concentrate on just the one
21:27 team and not have to worry about all the other stuff that's going on around him, you know,
21:33 then hopefully there'll be no excuses. Ultimately, it'll be down to him, to the results and what
21:41 goes on on the pitch will be down to him. So, we'll have to wait and see how it all goes.
21:50 Now let's move on to our final topic on the fan zone today. Hereford away this weekend.
21:54 We've talked a lot about the FA Cup already on today's episode. And of course, it will
21:59 be Steven's first in the top job. I mean, Hereford is not perhaps considered by many
22:03 to be the toughest of available opponents, but of course they will be tough nonetheless.
22:07 It's their first round of the FA Cup, just as much as it is Gillingham's. Let's hear
22:11 from Steven now about how he weighs up his first opponents.
22:15 The FA Cup always excites, especially non-league and lower division teams, and rightly so.
22:21 I think higher up it doesn't get the excitement it probably used to, which is a shame. But
22:26 no, I'm looking forward to it. The players should be looking forward to it. Let's go
22:29 and take them on. We're playing a strong team. Hereford have got very good home form. I've
22:35 managed to see a little bit of them in the last 24 hours. We'll have a game plan and
22:39 we'll go there and try and beat them. But we're not expecting an easy game.
22:42 Best of luck on Saturday.
22:43 Thanks ever so much.
22:44 So, Joanne, we'll come to you first here. The club's best ever FA Cup run was of course
22:49 in the 1999/2000 season, when they got to the quarter-finals and the Jules went to Stamford
22:55 Bridge to face Chelsea. We'll know how that game went. Is it a good, Hereford away, is
23:02 this a good one to get the run off to a good start for this weekend?
23:05 Like Steve said, you never know. I hope so. We play some teams that have been a lot lower
23:14 down than Hereford and have lost. So, hopefully playing a team that's more on the level that
23:19 we're at anyway is a good thing. And then if we can get through that and pick up one
23:25 of the Kent sides in the second round and have a nice local derby, that would be nice.
23:30 And David as well, we're seeing this bit of a league break this weekend and of course
23:35 Tuesday back to the newly named trophy as well. Kind of a good first few games for him
23:41 to start?
23:42 Yeah, I mean, it is good because you're being able to assess the players in a cup atmosphere
23:48 and therefore the third game will be his first league game. But of course, we all know that
23:54 the FA Cup can be a bit of a banana skin for any side. So, we're going to have to be at
23:58 our best tomorrow and I'm sure we will be.
24:00 And Derek, you were telling me you're a big Sheppey fan, obviously a big weekend for them.
24:05 But, you know, come on, what do you make of, you can talk about both of these sides, you
24:10 know, what do you make of the FA Cup weekend ahead?
24:13 Well, I also have to declare I'm a big Newcastle fan since I was a boy. And of course, the
24:20 big banana skin came at Hereford many years ago when they took Newcastle out of the FA
24:26 Cup. I'm hoping that's not going to be the case tomorrow. I think Steve has got a big
24:31 game on his hands tomorrow to start with and then wrecks him in the league in a week's
24:35 time. So, I'm hoping for him that it's going to be a good result all round. But who knows?
24:43 It's a difficult scenario. I expect the Hereford fans are talking as the Sheppey fans are tonight.
24:50 We could make this work our way. But anyway, first and foremost, I'm a Jules fan. So, I'm
24:59 putting this down to a two-nil win tomorrow.
25:03 So, well, if we're hoping for one giant killing this weekend, maybe Sheppey rather than Hereford.
25:09 Thank you all for joining us. We've reached full time on today's episode. But there's
25:13 just a few minutes of extra time to take a look at this week's Action Replay. Let's take
25:16 a look.
25:17 Hello and welcome to this week's Action Replay. For our first clip tonight, we'll be travelling
25:26 to the waterfront in Medway. Here we can see the University of Kent men's volleyball team
25:31 in white in action against the Medway men's team in blue. Included in this is 20-year-old
25:36 setter Stephen Ellis, who sent in this picture playing in his first match of the season.
25:41 They may have lost this match three sets to one, but the team are looking forward to a
25:45 long season ahead. Next, the University of Kent's men's and women's cricket teams have
25:50 all qualified for the Bucks finals in Birmingham, which will take place in January. The men's
25:54 first team will be hoping to replicate their success from last year and go on to win the
25:59 tournament. A huge well done to the club. And finally, this shocking clip shows a man
26:04 surfing during Storm Kieran, which battered Kent this week. This photo sent in by Richard
26:09 Parker captures the moment the man plunged into the sea during 85 mile per hour winds.
26:14 Whilst these pictures may look spectacular, many have deemed it reckless and irresponsible.
26:20 Well that's it for this week's Action Replay. Make sure to send in your clips and photos
26:24 for a chance to feature in next week's episode.
26:27 Don't forget, if you want to appear in next week's Action Replay, just as we mentioned
26:32 then, you can tag us in social media @kmtvkent or send us an email to sport@kmtv.co.uk.
26:38 I'll be back on Monday with another episode of Invicta Sport, but for now, goodbye.
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