2 weeks Ago By [email protected] (Luke Cawdell)
Chatham Town Women wrap up their league campaign this Sunday and the manager’s praised the support that’s come from above. A trip to Cambridge United is the final match this season for Chatham in the National League Division 1 South East. They can’t get promoted but could finish second with a win.
Missing out on promotion is a big blow for manager Keith Boanas, who was determined to bounce back straight away after last season’s relegation, but they’ve at least won one cup and they could win another. On Wednesday night they booked themselves a place in the Combined Counties Cup final with a 10-0 win over Portsmouth’s development team. Boanas, speaking before the midweek game and reflecting on their league aims, said: “I am majorly disappointed but Kev [Hake] is the owner, the one who pulls the strings behind us at the end of the day, and he’s chuffed that he’s got our name on one trophy, and it could be more.
“He understands my frustrations, but he’s basically not blaming me. “He’s had a tough enough season himself. He knows he’s got players and a team good enough to win things, and then football being football, you don’t always get what you want.
“I’m chuffed with the performances in the last few games. I can’t ask for more. They’re doing what they’ve been asked to do, which is to see the season out at the highest level that they can.
“If they continue to do that, we could get at least one more, if not two trophies in the cabinet to go with what we’ve got. “There’s one more league game to go. We could nick the second spot, but London Bees [in fourth] can’t catch us now.
They were my benchmark because they came down with us last year. “They’re backed by a big club, Norwich are backed by a Football League club. Real Bedford are backed by the Bitcoin millionaire, or whatever he is.
[FT] — WE’RE COMBINED COUNTY CUP FINALISTS!!! 🏆 #CTFC 10-0 #POR ⚽️ A.Woodgate x5 / O.Charles x2 / M.
Rayner / M.Woodgate / P.Dunn 🔴⚪️⚫️ #UpTheChats | #InThisTogether pic.
twitter.com/rYBFcCaSjW “We’ve held our own and it goes back to my time at Charlton when Fulham were pro and Arsenal were all-dominant. It’s something that I’ve managed to do before, that’s pull together a group of players that are prepared to scrap and fight and have grown together and are much, much better and closer as a group obviously than last year.
“We’ve got a good infrastructure and a base to build on for next season and I believe Kev is still strong in wanting to support it. “He was laughing and joking the other Sunday about paying win bonuses and goal bonuses when we were winning 10-0 - but was only joking, I know that, because he’s never once been like some chairmen who threaten to pull plugs and withdraw funding. “He’s backed us to the hilt and that’s why I have that much respect for him.
I’ve been in the game 40-odd years and he’s one of the most forthright and straightest guys I’ve worked with regarding anything, as far as managing the club and supporting the team is concerned, he’s never lied to me. “I trust him implicitly and in this stage of my career that means a lot to me.” Chatham have won their last two games 10-0.
They scored double figures against Chesham United in their final home league match of the season. The followed that up with another big score to beat Portsmouth in the Combined Counties Cup semi-final, with Amelia Woodgate scoring five of the goals. Chatham are already in the final of the Kent Women’s Cup, which takes place at the Gallagher Stadium, Maidstone next Thursday night (May 1) against Dartford.
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