Invicta Sport - Monday 9th September 2024
On tonight's show, we take a look back at Kent's Paralympic success stories, plus, Bartholomew is joined by Matt from The View from the Medway podcast.
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00:00Hello and welcome along to Invictus Sport, the only show on your TV dedicated to wrapping
00:20up all of Kent's sporting action. I'm Bartholomew Hall, here is what to expect on this Monday
00:26the 9th of September. Dover on top, Jake Lebel's athletic in Derby Day Delight, Scully's
00:35gone, Gillingham board to decide on the removal of former owner Paul Scully from the board
00:41and inspirational Iona, Kent's amazing 13-year-old Paralympian inspires all back home.
00:49But first a round-up of the headlines, and we start with the breaking news this afternoon,
00:53Ebbs Fleet United has sacked its manager Danny Searle after picking up just one point
00:57in their first seven games of the National League season so far. Searle took over following
01:03the departure of former boss Dennis Kutryb at the end of January, before going on to
01:07help the fleet retain their status in the top step of non-league football with a final
01:11day draw at Boreham Wood. However, it's been a winless start to the season so far for the
01:15North Kent club, leaving the board with no decision but to part ways, they've confirmed
01:20today. Kent head coach Matt Walker is due to step
01:24down from his role after eight years. It follows a disappointing season for Kent, which will
01:29all but certainly end in relegation from the Division One in the county championship. In
01:34a statement, the 50-year-old former bowler for Kent said he's now looking forward to
01:38watching Kent as a fan again and beginning a new challenge, whatever that might be. He
01:43leaves having achieved much success in the role, including a Vitality Blast win in 2021
01:48and helping Kent win promotion to Division One of the county championship back in 2018.
01:55Thousands of pounds have been raised for the funeral of former Sheppey United and Chatham
01:58Town midfielder Dylan Ackew. The 21-year-old's family announced last week Dylan had died
02:04during the night. It's not yet clear what the exact cause was. Sheppey United manager
02:09Ernie Batten spoke on behalf of the club, describing him as a big hit on and off the
02:13pitch before going on to say he just couldn't believe it. Some fans have even gone to describe
02:18Dylan as worth the admission price alone. A GoFundMe page has been set up in his name
02:24and has already doubled its initial £1,000 target.
02:29Maidstone boxer Sam Noakes is said to be eyeing up a world title after defending his European
02:34lightweight belt against Gianluca Saliga. In front of a packed-out York Hall, Noakes
02:39won by TKO after his Italian opponent retired in his stall at the end of the eighth round.
02:44It means the 27-year-old extends his perfect record to 15-0, moving him a step closer to
02:50a world title shot, according to his manager Francis Warren, who says it's a natural route
02:54to take as and when it presents itself. The boxing mogul went on to say, however, that
02:59Noakes is in no rush and is urging people to enjoy the Sam Noakes ride.
03:05Now it's time for us to take a look back at all the weekend's football highlights, where
03:08third-placed Dartford set off along the A2 to find high-flying rivals Dover Athletic
03:13in the Idsmian Premier. The two sides have enjoyed a positive start to their seasons,
03:17hoping to start things off strong as they battle off the back of a relegation last season.
03:22Meanwhile, Gillingham looked to extend their unbeaten streak as they travelled to face
03:25Doncaster Rovers away. Here's Alex with your round-up.
03:29It was a gold bonanza in Kent over the weekend, as Dover Athletic faced off against rivals
03:34Dartford in a match worthy of the highlight reel. Dover got the first goal early on, with
03:39Suarez Jr scoring from close range, and they doubled their lead only two minutes later
03:44as the Whites broke swiftly for George Wilkinson to sweep home.
03:48Things only got worse for Dartford after the break, as a clever free kick forced a mistake
03:53from the Dartford No. 1, the ball falling into the path of Baptiste, who knocked the
03:58ball into an empty net. More question marks fell over the goalkeeper as Dover snatched
04:03a fourth goal from a well-taken free kick, and though Dartford did manage to pin one
04:07back 56 minutes into the game after a powerful shot from outside the box, they still conceded
04:14a fifth. Losing possession cheaply under pressure, and after a cross to Suarez Jr, Dover tucked
04:21away the fifth and final goal of the game, the final result being a 5-1 walloping in
04:27favour of the Whites, who would have been pleased with their performance.
04:31Elsewhere in Kent, Ginningham suffered their first league defeat of the season, losing
04:351-0 to Doncaster Rovers after a scrappy game at the Eco Power Stadium. Ginningham entered
04:41a game low on defensive options, with Max Eamer carrying a suspension from last week's
04:45win over Chesterfield, and a couple of injuries blighting their back line. And it showed on
04:50the pitch, Ginningham conceding after 30 minutes and being second best during the entire first
04:56half. But it wasn't just in defence where they struggled, failing to create any clear
05:00cut chances up front, and though things picked up in the second half for the Duels, a lack
05:05of quality in the final third meant they never produced the piece of magic needed to pin
05:11the Rovers back. After the game, Mark Bonner found little to smile about.
05:15We don't take too many positives today, we will at some point, and we'll be better for
05:19it. Everyone knows where we are with players and team and everything else, so we'll get
05:23there eventually as those players become fitter, available and able to do bits. But you could
05:28just say the level up, even from those boys that do 45 minutes today or 60 minutes today
05:33compared to Tuesday, the opposition are a good side obviously on Tuesday, but the intensity
05:38of the game is very, very different and it's just going to take a bit of time to get to that point.
05:42With their first league defeat of the season, Ginningham dropped from first to fourth in
05:46the league. Things weren't much better elsewhere in Kent, as Ebbs Fleet United got smashed
05:52by four goals to nil at Oldringham, finding themselves wedded to the bottom of the table
05:57after an awful start to the season. In the National League South, Maidstone managed a
06:03dominant display to beat Enfield Town four goals to one, and Tunbridge drew nil-nil against
06:09Chippendam Town. With the win, Maidstone moved up a place to 17th in the league, and after
06:15an unbeaten start to the season, Tunbridge Angels find themselves third.
06:20I'm Alex Skaife, and that was your Football Roundup.
06:25Staying with football, Gillingham owner Brad Gallinson has called a meeting of the club's
06:29shareholders with a view to remove former owner Paul Scalley as club director. A letter
06:34seen by us here at KMTV states that the meeting will take place at Priestfield Stadium on
06:38the 10th of October. Joining me now to discuss this in the fan zone is Matt Olsen from The
06:44View from the Medway podcast. Matt, thank you very much for joining us, good to have
06:47you on the show. Before we get into this letter, I think Paul Scalley's involvement at Gillingham
06:51is a fairly divisive issue between fans, there's no denying that. But there's also
06:55no denying that he gave a lot to the club in his first few years, obviously ending up
06:59in the Championship or Division One at the time. I just wondered, it has been a fractious
07:06relationship hasn't it? Would you agree?
07:10It certainly has, and unfortunately I think for Paul a lot of it has come from his own
07:16doing sometimes. I was there in 1995 when he took over the club for the famous pound
07:24that he paid for us. And look, if you look what he's done to us, he has kept us financially
07:29stable and running. But sometimes, unfortunately, I feel he spoke a little too truthfully to
07:37the media and what have you, and Suffer came out. Obviously, we all know about the famous
07:43comment he said about some of our fans back in the day. But look, I will ever forever
07:48hold him grateful for the fact that he did save my football club and he's kept us running.
07:55And look, greener pastures with Brad and Shannon involved.
07:59And there was some eyebrows raised when Paul Scalley was found out that he would remain
08:03on as an owner when, of course, the Gallinson takeover happened. This feels like a move
08:09that would potentially cut those ties and kind of signify the real proper start of the
08:15Gallinson era, right?
08:17Absolutely. I do feel Gallinson has actually done the correct thing in keeping him on because
08:22look, he's been a football chairman of this club for 27 years. So he knows the club inside
08:27out like the back of his hand. So actually having him around in a non-executive case
08:34would be brilliant because they can learn off of his experience and grow. But look,
08:39it's now time for them as the sole owners of this football club to go on and put their
08:45own stamp on it. I'll say it again, I'll forever be grateful for Paul, but Brad and Shannon,
08:53they're our future now.
08:54Do you think this puts more pressure on Brad and Shannon now? Now that there is no kind
08:59of, well, Paul Scalley was also in the room when this decision was happened or this person
09:03was here at that time. Does it now kind of mean that fans can hold them to account more
09:08easily?
09:09I mean, I think that happened from ultimately day one, as soon as they bought the football
09:14club and then they were the majority shareholders, we were going to hold them to account because
09:18they're running our club. But they've come out, they've said the correct things. They've
09:22said that they are the custodians of this football club and that that's all they will
09:26ever be. Yes, they might only have a majority shareholding, but it is always going to be
09:30for the fans. But they've also got some really good people at the football club. Joe Comper,
09:36he's been obviously moved up to managing director now. Absolutely brilliant opportunity
09:41for him to now go on and put his own stamp on at the football club. But you've also got
09:46to think they've got now got Kenny Jacket as well there. They've got Andy Hess and Tyler.
09:49They have other people that know the club. And look, it is time, I think now for us to
09:56forget about Paul Scalley and now concentrate on Brad and Shannon Gallanton.
10:00Absolutely. And as we've been mentioning, we've mentioned it ever since Brad Gallanton
10:05took over that air of positivity, that optimism. As a fan, do you still have that? Is that
10:10fire still burning for you? Yeah, I mean, I do a podcast about Gillingham every week.
10:17They are my team. I love them, you know, beyond comparing, as you can tell by my wall behind
10:22me. But look, Brad and Shannon, they've come out last year. They called us a sleeping giant.
10:28Maybe the hype was a bit too much last year, but I think they've come out with some realistic
10:33expectations from this year. They haven't pushed it too much. They're not going spending
10:36money on trips away to Como. They're just getting the nitty gritty bits of the stadium
10:41sorted out, which I think is a really good start. Last year was great, but now it's down
10:46to them. And I think they're doing a really good job. And I do feel confident that the
10:51Gallantons can take us back up to the championship. Well, let's talk about some of that football
10:56in progress then. Five games in now, fourth in the table after dominating so far, being
11:01at the top for those first four games. What's your assessment of the progress of Mark Bonner
11:07so far in his first five games? I really like Mark, especially after the defeat on Saturday.
11:15He came out and he said exactly how it was, how all us Duels fans were thinking. He didn't
11:20sugarcoat it. But I think he's built a really strong squad and it is a squad that is capable
11:26of challenging for the playoffs, if not potentially a little bit higher up. And, you know, I'm
11:31starting to see a style of play that is completely different to, you know, to the previous few
11:36managers that we've had at the club. So, yeah, I'm really looking forward to what this future
11:40may bring. We were never going to go through the whole season undefeated. We had to lose
11:44at some point. And I think we lost against a very good Doncaster team that are also going
11:48to be up there come the end of the season. Matt, thank you very much for that. We've
11:51got to go to a break now. Really good to have you on. We'll have plenty more after the break.
11:56No problem. Thank you for having me on. Thank you. Thank you. Bye bye.
12:24Hello and welcome back to Victor Sport Live on KMTV. Now, of course, the record-breaking
12:2913-year-old Iona Winifred from Tunbridge became Paralympic GB's youngest swimming medalist
12:34this century after her silver grab in the woman's 100 metre breaststroke SB7. We were
12:39all cheering her on here, but no one more than the Tunbridge Swimming Club family, where
12:44she trains week in, week out. I caught up with their chairman, Keith Rochier, to look
12:49back over her success.
12:51Tell me your reaction to Iona winning that medal last night.
12:57Absolutely over the moon. She has so deserved it. The lead-up to this has been absolutely
13:05incredible and she's just got better and better and faster and faster from almost nowhere
13:10six months ago.
13:12Absolutely. Absolutely breaking records.
13:16She set her sights on this and she got it. This is absolutely wonderful.
13:20No, it's incredible, isn't it? And we've seen the pictures. The club were back here in Kent
13:24watching her on with that watch party, cheering her. It must have been a party atmosphere
13:28in there by the time it was all over.
13:30Oh, it was. I didn't realise you'd got to see those. No, it was great fun. It's the
13:37Tunbridge Old Fire Station that led us in and we actually filled the place up from,
13:42I don't know who the youngest was, but maybe a six-year-old up to a 67-year-old. We were
13:47all there.
13:48Of course.
13:49Loved it.
13:50Her story is so inspiring, isn't it? I mean, being the youngest medalist this century in
13:56the Paralympics GB, do you think that she's going to now go on to inspire people, not
14:01just at the club and in the area, but beyond?
14:04Well, I certainly hope so. I mean, she's a fabulous story. She's also very level-headed
14:13and I think could be an absolutely smashing ambassador. It's just fabulous the way she
14:20absorbs all these new experiences. And hopefully things will continue and continue. It'll be
14:29brilliant.
14:30Of course. And you mentioned there saying that she's quite level-headed. She goes back
14:33to school next week, just as many youngsters her age have done this week, but of course
14:38she's been a bit busy in Paris. Do you think things will change of her now that she's a
14:42Paralympic medalist?
14:44I think she'll still prefer to be swimming than going to school. I know from what I've
14:51heard, she's had support from her school teachers and she's had an awful lot of time off school
14:58in some respects. Luckily, she's not doing GCSEs or A-levels, isn't it? That's going
15:04to be a new set of challenges in the years coming ahead.
15:07Of course.
15:08It does take a lot of time out of your day.
15:11And of course, Iona wasn't Kent's only successful representative in Paralympics GB. After 124
15:18medals, many of those gold, there's lots to celebrate. Let's take a look at some of those
15:22Kent highlights. Starting with Kent cyclist Matthew Robertson, who took home bronze in
15:27the men's C2 3000 metre individuals. Ashford's Callie-Anne Warrington, here she is, taking
15:32a silver medal after a close battle in the 100 metre butterfly. And former world champion
15:39table tennis star Will Bailey, who took silver in the men's class 7 final.
15:48Moving on, new homes could be built on the site of a failed leisure centre in East Kent.
15:52Folkestone Sports Centre suddenly shut down at the end of July as the charity that run
15:56the facility could no longer afford it. Administrators won't rule out building a development on the
16:01site. Now residents and the local MP are fighting to save the centre. Mahima Abedin has been
16:06taking a closer look.
16:08Folkestone Sports Centre, a leisure space that once offered facilities loved and used
16:13by many of its local residents, could soon be turned into a building site. The centre
16:18suddenly shut its doors in July after the charity which ran it could no longer afford
16:22to operate it, causing 144 people to lose their jobs. Now its administrators say building
16:29homes on the site can't be ruled out.
16:32All our focus is on finding a leisure centre operator to take this site on. As administrators
16:39we have an obligation to take the best offer for the creditors. If we arrive at this point
16:47where the highest offer, the best offer, is from a developer, well then these covenants
16:53and legal opinion will come into play. It plays a huge role in the health and wellbeing
16:59of an awful lot of people in and around Folkestone. Despite no developers coming forward yet,
17:04the possibility of this happening would mean the tennis courts, gym and even space to celebrate
17:09birthdays will never be used again, something residents are not happy about. We've got thousands
17:15of emails, lots of people with some serious, serious concerns. The Folkestone Sports Centre
17:20that closed recently, that's a very, very local issue but an extremely important issue
17:24for people here in Folkestone. We've been able to do a lot of work on that, working
17:29with the administrators. Whether it can be reopened is going to come down to the numbers.
17:33I don't know what levels of debt the trust was under and whoever takes it on is going
17:37to have to deal with whatever debts there were. So look, there's a lot of challenges
17:41there. I'm really hopeful that we can get it open again. While the local MP persists
17:47on getting the site reopened, more than 8,000 people have now signed a petition calling
17:52for Folkestone and Hythe District Council to save the centre. In a statement, a spokesperson
17:57for the council said,
17:58We have not made any decision to bid for or purchase the site and there is no budget or
18:03plans to operate a leisure centre in Folkestone.
18:05And that it hopes a business with experience of running sports and leisure centres will
18:09come forward to take on the site and provide the valued facilities for residents.
18:14But now residents are left wondering what the future of their leisure centre might be.
18:19Mahima Abedin for KMTV in Folkestone.
18:23Now it's time to remind you that you can keep up to date with all the latest sports news,
18:27sorry, interviews and features here on Invicta Sport by heading over to our website.
18:32KMTV.co.uk. When you get there, click on the sports tab. There you'll see videos like this
18:37one from when we sent our reporter off to give out scuba diving a try.
18:43It's after hours at this leisure centre. The swim is long gone, but the water sports are
18:47far from over.
18:50Hello, I'm here at Kings Mead Pool in Canterbury. I'm trying something new today. It's not swimming.
18:55I'm going underneath the water and trying scuba diving. Better get out of the work gear
19:00and get into something more appropriate for the pool.
19:04Tonight you're basically going to be doing your try dive. So you're going to be taking
19:06your first breaths underwater, which is obviously a completely alien feeling. It's a great feeling.
19:13So first of all, you'll be getting into the shallow end and then they'll get the kit onto
19:17you. They'll get you sort of breathing in the water face first, just to start off with,
19:21just to make sure you're getting used to the breathing. And then once you're comfortable
19:26there, you will go off for a swim down the pool, a couple of lengths, just getting used
19:30to the equipment and everything else, getting used to your buoyancy.
19:36After a few practices into the deep, I went. It was a weird feeling at first. And then
19:42comes learning to equalise your ears. It's a little like being on a plane. But after
19:51a while, it's all OK. The pool's only around three metres underwater, but that's perfect
19:58for training. But Kent has many diving hotspots.
20:03The big thing for us is dover, wreck diving, absolutely thousands of shipwrecks out there
20:10from world wars, from the 1700s. Obviously, some are protected, but there are a lot that
20:16we can go diving on. And I mean, that's where I like. I like the history of finding the
20:21wrecks and doing the research to find out what they were, what they were carrying.
20:25My instructor showed me a few tricks. Maybe I need a little more practice, but that's
20:31what the club is here for.
20:33I quite like the club aspect that we've got here. So that's what should make me join.
20:38I came here to do exactly what you're doing tonight, a tri-dive. And then I went on from
20:43there, progressed through all my training levels, and then became an instructor last
20:47year as well. So I started from where you are and worked my way right up to what I do
20:52now for the club.
20:53The time soon came to recess.
20:57Get your balance, get your balance. How was that?
21:00I think it was weird not being out in the water.
21:03I've never quite felt anything like this before, but it's certainly worth a go.
21:09Gabriel Morris for KMTV in Canterbury.
21:14Now, just before we go this evening, there's a few minutes of extra time to take a look
21:18at this week's Action Replay. It is, of course, the segment where we take a look at clips
21:23and pictures that you, the KMTV audience, have sent in of you taking part in sport.
21:27Whatever it is you do, we like to show it here on the show.
21:31Let's see what we've got in store on this week's Action Replay. Here's Abby.
21:35We start this week's Action Replay with a look back at Chatham Town Women's Goal of
21:40the Month, with this stunning header from Amelia Woodgate. The goal came in in the Chats
21:45match up against AFC Sudbury, helping the home side on their way to a dominant 5-1 win.
21:51Not only was it a great goal, but Woodgate's finish marked the opening of her account for
21:57the season too. Next up, let's hear a hip, hip hooray for Volkstaden runner Jodie Jackman,
22:02who completed the North Downs run with plenty of family support. Finishing the 103-mile
22:08epic at the Julie Rose Stadium in Ashford, Jackman was greeted at the finish by her son
22:13Finn, daughter Ruby, as well as her husband Alex and even her grandmother Valerie, who
22:18she held hands as she crossed the line. After running through the night and day, Jodie finished
22:23with a time of 28 hours, 31 minutes and 25 seconds. And despite being very pleased with
22:29herself, she says there's not quite the desire to do it again. Well, we think it deserves
22:34a very big well done. And finally, we finish with a video that's gone viral of Volkstaden
22:40victor frontman Tom Derry being sent off after doing this to one of his Billericay opponents.
22:46That's right, a little game of piggy in the middle whilst the game was stopped in the
22:5175th minute. With the Kent team already down 2-0 and little hope of things turning around,
22:57it seemed as though Derry decided it was better to push his luck with the playground game,
23:02resulting in a red card. But he continued to see the lighter side, taking to his Instagram
23:07story to ask, all press is good press, right?
23:11That's it for this week's Action Replay. Don't forget it could be you in next week's edition.
23:17Just send in your pictures and videos on social media or to sport at kmtv.co.uk
23:22Well, that really is full time on today's episode of Invicta Sport. Don't forget, if you want
23:28to be in next week's edition of Action Replay, you absolutely can. All you need to do is
23:33send in your pictures and clips to that email address, sport at kmtv.co.uk. Just as Abby
23:38said, just make sure to tell us where it is in Kent that you're from and what it is you
23:42do and you'll be featured on the show. In the meantime, you can head over to our website
23:46kmtv.co.uk to watch all of our other special shows, which are all available to watch back
23:52on demand. Don't forget to follow us on social media at kmtvkent or to keep up with all the
23:57latest sport by following kmtvsport. We'll see you next time. Bye bye.