Invicta Sport - Friday 4th August 2023
Joining Bartholomew on the sofa this week is Gillingham FC Supporters' Club's David Garth and Cyclist Danny Brazenell who is gearing up to cycle around all 92 football league stadiums for charity.
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00:00 Hello and welcome to KMTV's brand new show Invicta Sport. I'm your host Bartholomew Hall
00:07 and every Monday and Friday just after Kent Tonight I'll be here for half an hour to dive
00:12 into Kent's sporting landscape with previews, match reviews, interviews and of course some
00:17 fun along the way. For centuries Invicta has been the Kent motto. Translated from Latin
00:22 it means undefeated and it's that unrelenting spirit of our county that echoes through all
00:27 our sporting stars at all levels. From our professional players to our grassroots heroes
00:31 this is your show. So get in touch and you might just be sat here with me in the studio
00:35 in the coming weeks to tell your story. But for now this is Invicta Sport. Are you ready?
00:53 Hello there, we've got a packed out show for you to enjoy this evening. Here is what to
00:57 expect. Ahead of the football season kicking off this weekend I'll be joined by the independent
01:02 Gillingham Supporters Club which is independent no more. And later in the programme I'll be
01:07 joining a man from Sevenoaks in his training as he's preparing to cycle all 92 football
01:12 league stadiums in 23 days. But first with the English Football League edging closer
01:18 to kick off it's time to take a look at just how Kent's highest ranked teams are shaping
01:22 up as we go into the weekend. Here in Kent we might only have one team in the Football
01:27 League but that doesn't mean there isn't a tonne of excitement awaiting us this season.
01:31 From Ebbs Fleet making their first strides in the National League since 2020 all the
01:35 way down to Chatham Town who are looking to go 3 from 3 in their promotions as they make
01:39 their first strides in the Itamian Premier. So here's a reminder at where Kent's teams
01:44 rank on the football pyramid. We start with Gillingham where they'll be looking to improve
01:48 on their 17th place finish last season in League 2. The Gilles have looked impressive
01:53 in their pre-season however winning 4 of their friendlies including a 1-0 win over Championship
01:58 side Millwall. The Gilles have also added some much needed firepower with 6 signings
02:02 this summer including striker Ashley Nadesan from Crawley. However Kent's only league side
02:08 will be going into the season with a depleted squad, 5 players potentially missing on the
02:13 opener against Stockport County. But the Gilles will still be confident about getting the
02:17 win and starting on a positive note. Every game is in isolation and what I do know is
02:22 our preparation has been meticulous for Stockport. Moving on to the National League then and
02:27 newly promoted Ebbs Fleet Town are Kent's only representatives in this division. The
02:31 Fleet have been impressive in the summer break and even pulled off a win against League 1's
02:35 Leyton Orient. They'll be kicking off their season against newly relegated Rochdale on
02:39 Saturday in front of the TV cameras. Fleet have retained the majority of the squad who
02:43 won the National League South and added 6 new faces. They'll be relying on last season's
02:48 top scorer Dominic Poglian to spearhead their campaign. Now focusing on the National League
02:53 South where our county has 4 clubs. Dartford will be gunning for promotion again after
02:57 falling short in the playoffs last season. The Darts have been winless in their pre-season
03:01 but with players like Charlie Sheringham and Alex Roar returning for the opening game,
03:05 manager Alan Dowson has insisted that his side will be ready for the challenge of a
03:09 new season. How about how we finish second top and how about the challenge of losing
03:12 5 of our best players and the challenge of working at the Saturday's game which we're
03:16 in a great frame of mind about inside the camp. So that's where I'm coming from so I'm
03:20 delighted to see how pre-season went players wise. I think we've got everybody minutes
03:23 in the bank to be fit for Saturday. Maidstone United will also be looking to prove a point
03:27 after being relegated from the National League last season. Stones manager George Ilacobi
03:31 has said this season will be the start of a new era for the club as they look to bring
03:35 a winning mentality back. And Dover Athletic will go into the season looking to improve
03:40 on last season's performance in which they finished just above relegation zone. Whilst
03:44 Tombridge Angels who have been transformed under manager Jay Saunders will be looking
03:48 to make a bid for the playoff spot this season after narrowly missing out last time out.
03:53 And down in the Itmium Premier League Kent has three clubs, folks at Invicta, Margate
03:58 and newly promoted Chatham Town who are looking to make it three promotions in a row. So that's
04:03 it with your round up of Kent's highest flying clubs. We'll keep you updated as the season
04:07 goes on right here on Invicta Sport.
04:12 And of course Kent has many more clubs. It's likely that wherever you are in the county
04:16 your town has its own dedicated club. So if you think they deserve some screen time on
04:20 Invicta Sport then do get in touch and tell us why and we might just pop along to one
04:24 of their games. So do get in touch. But for now and with me to talk more about the Gilles
04:28 is David Garth from the Gillingham Supporters Club. David the name's changed. You're no
04:33 longer independent. Have you been bought out?
04:35 No, no. It goes back a long way really. We used to have issues with the previous owner
04:42 that couldn't really be resolved very amicably. All the parties have just gone their own separate
04:50 ways now and we felt that with the new owners coming in it was the right time to talk to
04:56 them, have a good dialogue with them and yeah we are now Gillingham Football Club Supporters
05:02 Club.
05:02 That's fantastic. Just remind us then what is it that the Supporters Club does for your
05:06 members?
05:07 Well we do quite a few things. We liaise firstly with the National Supporters Club to make
05:14 sure that things are running in the right way. We talk to our own football club to make
05:19 sure that there are no safety issues, no hazards etc. And we also can contact other clubs to
05:26 make sure that when our fans go to that ground that they are looked after in the proper way.
05:32 And if there are any issues with stewarding, with smoking, with drinking, all of these
05:37 things which shouldn't happen at grounds then we can obviously get involved and try and
05:41 help out and work with that club or with our own club to make sure that the fans experience
05:47 is better.
05:47 Absolutely. I mean we saw that video that the club uploaded last night to its social
05:52 media. Essentially all of their biggest names in the club urging their fans not to use discriminatory
05:58 language at the grounds. And it is a very small minority of fans ruining it for the
06:03 majority. And you also, the Supporters Club itself, seconded that message.
06:08 Absolutely. It's a very sad state of affairs but as you rightly say it is only a very small
06:13 number of people. Most Gillingham fans are absolutely fantastic as are most fans across
06:19 the country but there's always that small minority and if we can all pull together to
06:23 help stamp that out then we're going to do so.
06:26 Let's get on to the season then. Stockport County, they missed out on promotion very
06:30 narrowly at the end of last season. Starting off with them, is it good in a way to get
06:37 one of the hard ones out earlier on?
06:41 If you had said to me which game would you maybe prefer to avoid at the start of the
06:45 season, probably Stockport away would have been one of them because we do know that they've
06:49 got a really good squad. They've spent some money, they've spent wisely, they've got Nick
06:53 Powell coming into the side. But at the end of the day they're all there to play. We've
06:59 got to play them home, we've got to play them away. 46 games at the end of the day, if you're
07:03 good enough you're going to be there.
07:05 Exactly and they're going to happen when they happen and no matter what. You mentioned spending
07:09 a lot of money there. We've seen lots of signings this season. We heard a minute ago six brand
07:14 new for the first team. A few weeks ago though we were battling with this whole story around
07:21 Alfie May, this Kent-born striker, was at Charlton and now he's gone to Charlton. What
07:28 did you make of that whole drama? Was it just overdone in the press?
07:32 I think it's because he had the link with the local area. He was born in Gravesend and
07:39 it certainly did seem to almost go overboard in the end. There was a lot of speculation.
07:44 I believe Gillingham were targeting him as maybe their main striker. At the end of the
07:51 day Charlton, I think they paid an alleged £450,000. I think that's too much given his
07:59 age and I think really at the end of the day what we do know about Brad and Shannon is
08:05 that they have come in very wisely and are saying 'yes we can help financially but we're
08:10 not just going to throw money at the club and we're going to get the right players for
08:15 hopefully the right money'.
08:17 The rumours have carried on and we saw earlier this week that Macaulay Bond was spotted at
08:22 the Open training session and yesterday in the press conference Neil Harris was asked
08:26 about his appearance and if that's going to amount to anything. We can hear from him now.
08:29 The fans saw Macaulay Bond at the Open training session. Is that a deal that still could be
08:35 done? Is it a live one?
08:37 Yes, quite possibly. Same as Scott Malone really. Macaulay's not been training, he's
08:45 come in with us for a few days just to look at us, for us to look at him. Again, same
08:51 as always, I'm really open minded to things. He's a really good lad, nice lad and he
08:58 wanted to come in and work with me for a bit. We'll just see what progresses in that. We'll
09:04 just have to watch the space.
09:06 Possible additions before the weekend?
09:09 No.
09:10 Nothing announced today and nothing going to be announced before tomorrow. We know that
09:15 Neil has said before that he's maybe looking at two before the end of the window. Do you
09:20 think we need more players?
09:21 Yes, I think there's a simple answer. If you read the forums as well, a lot of fans
09:26 are of the same view that we do need, ideally, a proven goalscorer. Whether or not that is
09:34 absolutely essential because if we've got players like Johnny Williams coming in who
09:38 can get a few goals, we know Nicholls is going to score a few goals, Hawkins etc. But if
09:43 you can get somebody that's going to get you 15 goals a season on top of what we've
09:48 got now, I think it would make all the difference. The manager is the right sort of person to
09:52 identify the right sort of striker. Look at his own record when he was a player and he
09:57 does know how to put the ball in the net. Hopefully that will rub off on the right player.
10:02 Absolutely, and Neil has his links to Millwall as well as you said. Lots of links with that
10:08 club and they played them as well in the pre-season. I want to talk a little bit more, we mentioned
10:12 Brad and Shannon and how they've come in. The whole club has got this completely different
10:16 feel to it from the outside. Trips to Como, these announcement videos are very cinematic.
10:22 As a fan then, what have you thought about the last 12 months?
10:26 It's been fantastic. We've met with them, we are now having regular quarterly meetings
10:32 with Brad and Shannon and they are there, they're not just sending other people along.
10:36 They care about the community. They're nice people. That isn't always something you can
10:42 say about people that are involved in high profile sport. But they are genuinely nice
10:47 people, they care about the community. The whole of the club, there's a buzz about it.
10:53 The LED screens, the walkways behind the Reina men, they're all improved. We're all feeling
11:00 that we've got a football club again.
11:04 It's quite exciting isn't it? We've also got Wrexham joining and lots of people have made
11:08 that distinction with the ownership. Football as a whole then, money put in, is that where
11:15 it is at the moment? If you've got the money you're going to succeed very quickly?
11:19 Very quickly. Division 2 or League 2 is where a lot of the money is now and I think you
11:24 do need a fair degree of that.
11:26 Brilliant. Well David, we're going to make sure we catch up with you as the season progresses
11:29 and thank you very much for joining us.
11:32 You're welcome.
11:33 Coming up after the break, we'll be speaking to the man who is training to cycle around
11:36 every single football league stadium, all 92 of them. We'll see how his training is
11:40 getting on. Plus, in Victor Sports, very first action replay segment where we take a look
11:45 at the pictures and videos sent in by you, the KMTV audience. We'll be right back after
11:50 this.
11:50 Thanks.
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15:09 Welcome back to Invictus Sport Live on KMTV. Now, for a quick look at the sport from earlier
15:14 this week. Centuries from Joey Everson and Ben Compton saw Kent get their defence of
15:19 the one-day cup title off to a winning start at Scarborough against Yorkshire on Tuesday.
15:24 After a slow start to the day, the Spitfires posted 282 for nine. However, with a slew
15:29 of sloggy intermissions in the second innings, the Vikings saw their target reduced to 181
15:34 in 24 overs. Kent won by just two runs on the Duckworth-Lewis method after some late
15:40 drama including this, an incredible catch by Spitfire wicketkeeper Harry Finch. You
15:45 can see it just now. Oh, incredible stuff. They'll next play Leicestershire in their
15:49 first home game of the series this Sunday at Beckenham.
15:53 Now Kent Gymnastics Club, the DC Diamonds, have been representing Britain on the world
15:57 stage this week as they form part of the largest ever team at the sport's biggest celebration.
16:03 The Diamonds have sent a team of 12 gymnasts aged between 11 to 17 to the World Gymnaestradia
16:08 in Amsterdam. You can see them on the screen now. They'll be joined by 20,000 participants
16:13 from more than 50 countries. The festival of gymnastics began on Sunday and runs until
16:18 tomorrow. The DC Diamonds will be performing five times throughout the week.
16:24 Now moving back to football, well, sort of, what does an away day mean for our footy fans
16:28 in Kent? Hopping on the train or taking a road trip up to the likes of Newcastle or
16:32 Manchester? Maybe you make a weekend out of it. But have you ever considered cycling?
16:38 It might sound crazy, but one man from Sevenoaks is going far beyond that and is making the
16:42 2,500 mile route around all 92 football league stadiums on his bike. Danny Brazenhall is
16:48 doing it all to raise money for Great Ormond Street Hospital and I went along to meet him
16:52 at Kent's only league stadium.
16:54 I'm here right outside Priestfield Stadium, home of the Gilles. Now the season hasn't
16:58 quite started yet so I'm not here to catch a match. Instead I'm meeting the man who in
17:02 a few weeks time is going to get quite used to the sight of these. Danny Brazenhall is
17:06 getting ready to cycle around all 92 football league stadiums and I'm meeting him today
17:11 for a bit of training.
17:14 An avid Manchester United fan and a player in Sevenoaks Town's veterans squad, Danny
17:19 loves his football, but until a few years ago hadn't really much experience on a bike.
17:24 So preparing for a cycle around all 92 EFL club homes, especially for a complete novice,
17:30 is surely going to be a whole different ball game.
17:33 But Danny is not just dribbling around. He says his mind and body are ready after undergoing
17:38 a tonne of training. He even cycled from Sevenoaks to meet me outside of Gillingham FC, a measly
17:44 two hour cycle which he says is becoming the norm.
17:48 Training is just like another day job. So just put in what you can put in really and
17:52 just go for it.
17:53 One of my friends, he said to me, because I was going to run London clubs but I had
17:57 a knee injury so I couldn't really run and I've decided, he said to me, you want to go
18:02 and do all 92. So I decided, well, 92 football clubs, I can't run it so I thought I'd cycle
18:08 it.
18:09 I would never have said that I could do anything like this before and obviously the people
18:13 that supported me is just amazing. So, yeah, let's give it back to them and go out there
18:18 and raise as much money as we can really.
18:21 The family man is taking on the mammoth feat to raise money for Great Ormond Street Hospital
18:25 after it cared for his niece who suffered from cancer. Already, thanks to the help of
18:30 his friends, family and sponsors, Danny has raised almost £5,000 and aims to raise £10,000.
18:37 One of the many supporters who have been plastered over the bike he's going to actually use is
18:41 the bike warehouse in Sevenoaks. They supplied him with a discount towards the bike.
18:46 He's obviously trying to raise a lot of money for good cause. He's got a lot of support
18:49 behind him. He's been promoting it well. He's obviously very determined and so we wanted
18:53 to help him along the way so I've supported him with doing the bike at a really decent
18:57 discount. But lots of other bits as well. I'm helping him with his routing and mapping.
19:00 I'm seeing him on Tuesday evening as we go through the final bits of that.
19:03 He's looking at regular days of over 100 miles and so having done a lot of cycling I know
19:08 what that entails. It's not just that distance, it's the repetition of that distance that
19:12 makes it really quite a challenge. He's got to be fit, he's got to be prepared, he's got
19:16 to look after himself during the challenge in order to get through it. He's admirable
19:20 and I'm sure he's up to the task.
19:22 Danny will be starting his ride on Monday 14th August. A 2,500 mile route which he says
19:28 will take 23 days. And whilst I didn't have a bike of my own, Danny made sure to include
19:33 me in his training nonetheless. Bartholomew Hall for KMTV at Priestfield Stadium.
19:40 Well I'm joined by Danny in the studio now. Danny thank you for welcoming me along to
19:44 your training the other day. It was brilliant to meet you and have a chat about it. How
19:47 are you feeling ahead of the big cycle?
19:49 Very excited but a bit nervous as well but I think it comes with whatever it is I'm doing
19:54 really.
19:55 You brought your bike along today, lots of names on it, lots of your family as well.
20:01 What was your family's reaction when you first told them you were going to do this big cycle?
20:04 A bit crazy really but other than that they're really proud of me, what I'm doing. They're
20:10 supportive, can't wait for it to happen really.
20:13 It's brilliant. You're so determined as well. You play for Seven Oaks Town FC, their veteran
20:19 squad as well. What was the squad like when you told them?
20:22 That was crazy as well. They were like really, how many miles is that? But at the time we
20:26 didn't know so we were like yeah wow, okay fair enough. But they're supportive again,
20:31 they've donated money as well so it's really good backing from them.
20:36 And you're doing all of this for Great Ormond Street Hospital as well and you've got quite
20:39 a personal connection to that. Are you able to tell us as much as detail you want to?
20:42 Well it's mainly friends and family. It's the main friends really. They've had children
20:47 in Great Ormond Street, had a lot of work done with their children. It's touching when
20:54 you hear the stories that some people have been through. It's quite hard really. That's
21:00 the main reason I've chosen Great Ormond Street really.
21:03 It's a fantastic cause. You told me as well that you used to be a cabbie as well and they
21:08 always have that sort of connection.
21:09 Yeah exactly. The black cab's up in London, they don't charge the customers if they're
21:14 going to Great Ormond Street so it's really nice.
21:18 Let's talk preparations then. What's your daily routine like at the moment getting on
21:22 the bike?
21:23 Well at the minute, obviously Julian was the last one on Sunday, but at the minute it's
21:28 quite hard for me at the minute because I'm working and doing everything else, getting
21:32 everything ready for next Sunday so it's quite hard really. But I'm trying to get out there
21:37 as much as I can so we just take it as it comes really.
21:40 What's the longest you've done so far?
21:41 100 miles.
21:42 100 miles and you've got more than 10 times that. Is that right?
21:46 23 times.
21:47 Yeah 23 times that. Wow. And that's kind of what you're going to do every day then isn't
21:52 it because it's a 23 day route. You're starting all the way up at Carlisle making your way
21:57 down to Plymouth.
21:58 Plymouth, yes. I can remember now. So you will make your way past Gillingham again.
22:02 That's not ticked off now?
22:03 No. That's 2nd September, hopefully around 11 o'clock in the morning everything goes
22:08 well.
22:09 Yeah and we'll make sure we come down and meet you as well. Now you've got a bit of
22:12 a plea to some of the clubs along the way. You've been reaching out to them. Tell me
22:14 what that's about.
22:15 Yeah it's really Kelly Butler, one of my mates, he's emailed all the clubs asking for a photo
22:22 outside the ground just to prove that we've actually been to the ground. So yeah it's
22:27 looking good. Some clubs are better than the others. They're saying 'oh yes, come round,
22:32 it's quite good really'.
22:33 And you're a big Footy fan as well. I mean Manchester United, correct?
22:36 Yeah.
22:37 Yeah, okay good.
22:38 From Kent, everyone would say.
22:39 That's fine. How often do you make the trek up?
22:42 About 6 to 10 times, hopefully, depending on the day really.
22:46 Fair enough. Not long left before the start of the season. Are you excited for that? I
22:50 mean it's kind of bad timing.
22:52 Yeah, this is more important than anything really. So let's get this out the way and
22:56 then concentrate on the football after.
22:57 No, no, that's absolutely right. 23 days then, what is the actual practical plan on
23:03 the day? I mean you're going to have someone following you, looking after you in the car?
23:07 Yeah, my oldest daughter is going to do all my social media stuff for me, Lauren. So that's
23:11 really good. Yeah, we've got a driver who's going to be driving, Sean.
23:17 We can see the route now. I mean this is just 10 of the clubs on here. It's going to be
23:20 nine times this plus two more. It's quite incredible looking at it. I mean looking at
23:26 this map now, does that overwhelm you or mentally, how are you feeling about this?
23:31 Yeah, obviously it's a big challenge, I know that. But yeah, we'll get there and it's
23:36 going to be for a great cause. So yeah, we're definitely 100% ready.
23:39 I know we said Manchester United fan, but is there any other stadiums, maybe you haven't
23:44 been there before, that you're looking for?
23:45 I haven't been to quite a few actually, to be fair. But the main one is Plymouth. That's
23:51 the main one, exactly.
23:53 Fantastic. And I mean you're raising this money at the moment, how can people support
23:57 you if they want to come along?
23:59 Obviously look on the website, there's a website. Facebook, Instagram, just follow me on there
24:04 and then just follow the route. And if they want to join on the actual cycle route, then
24:09 please follow.
24:10 Absolutely. And have you got any more crazy plans like this afterwards? What will you
24:14 do once you've got to Plymouth and the whole thing's finished and you send off that brilliant
24:18 money to the charity?
24:19 I might probably go up to Great Ormond Street as well, just to visit them and then we decide
24:24 what we do after.
24:25 That's fantastic. I mean I think the most important thing, and we'll wrap up here,
24:30 but you weren't much of a cyclist before, so do you think you'll carry it on afterwards?
24:36 Most probably. It depends how I am after really, but we'll see.
24:43 Well hopefully it's given you newfound confidence.
24:46 Oh yeah, definitely. It's what it is, it's going to be what it is.
24:49 That's great. Well Danny, thank you very much. We're going to make sure we come along when
24:52 you visit Gillingham later on this year.
24:54 No problem.
24:55 Thank you very much.
24:56 No worries.
24:57 Well, just before we go, we have enough time to take a look at this week's Action Replay.
25:01 It's the segment where we take a look at all the videos and pictures sent in by you, the
25:05 viewers, of you taking part in sport. And if you want to take part, all you have to
25:08 do is tag us on social media, KMTV Kent, or email in at sport@kmtv.co.uk.
25:15 Well here's Abbey with Action Replay.
25:17 For this week's Action Replay, we're looking back at this year's Medway Mile. Thousands
25:23 of runners have taken to the streets and tracks of Medway over the years, kicking off the
25:27 summer break entertainment, activities and lots of fun. Here's some of the pictures sent
25:32 in from you who took part this year at Medway Park. The Medway Maidstone Athletic Club took
25:38 members from all their family to the track, including their elite racers, volunteers and
25:43 even their club mascot, Max.
25:47 Next up is the Barwick family sent in by Amy on the left there. She was joined by Louise
25:52 on the right and Sean in the middle, who ran the elite race in 4 minutes and 39 seconds,
25:57 a new personal best for him. Here's David Anstis with his crew, sporting the green Medway
26:03 Mile tops. His time was a brilliant effort of 9 minutes 31 seconds.
26:08 But just beating him by a few seconds in the orange was James Griffiths, who took home
26:13 his best time in 10 years of doing the event, with a 9.25. Over the next few years, the
26:20 Mile is said to move to a new hotspot in the Medway towns. Let us know where you'd like
26:25 to see it be run next.
26:26 Well that's it for this week's Action Replay.
26:31 And that's full time on today's episode of Invicta Sport. Don't forget, if you play sport
26:34 in Kent or you're part of one of the county's long list of sport clubs, then you want to
26:38 join me here on the sofa next time. All you have to do is get in touch. But for me, for
26:42 now, see you next time.
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