Fleet’s player sponsors, guests and supporters gathered last night to celebrate the club’s title-winning season with their squad and management staff as the historic campaign draws (almost, but not quite yet) to a close.
CEO Damian Irvine and manager Dennis Kutrieb addressed the assembled throng in the Main Stand bar, as did Ebbsfleet Women’s manager Sam MacNeil as he also handed out awards to his players.
Damian Irvine said on the night, “It was really important we all got together as a whole club to celebrate the achievements of this year because we see what goes on on the pitch, we see all the rewards, but the club’s much bigger than that as well. The players and coaching staff have been very aware all season that championships don’t just happen and it’s been building for three years. It’s been building because we needed to get back to being a club and what that means. You don’t win things unless you’re a real club and you’ve all done that, so credit to you.”
The main Supporters Player of the Year and Golden Boot awards will be presented on the pitch before Saturday’s Hungerford Town game but in the meantime, there were a number of other awards handed out on the evening.
Dominic Poleon picked up two gongs as he won the vote for Players’ Player of the Year from among his teammates as well as the Goal of the Season for this strike into the top corner against Slough Town, live on BT Sport.
Dennis Kutrieb handed ‘top trainer’ awards to four of his squad after breaking down the many season-long stats and once the numbers were crunched, those prizes went to third-placed Greg Cundle, second-placed Franklin Domi and top dog on the training pitch, Shaq Coulthirst. Goalkeeper Harrison Firth was also presented for putting in the hard graft with the most training sessions, Domi coming in second in that one.
Jack Paxman also received his Vanarama championship medal having missed out on the day against Oxford City, while other medals went to Jeff Richardson (GK coach), Sean Byrne (strength and conditioning), Katie Knowles and Joshaan Gowrea (Sports therapy and rehabilitation) and Damian Irvine. Our club staff also received medals earlier in the evening in recognition of all their work behind-the-scenes throughout the year.
The Fleet boss also presented some photographic mementoes of the season to each of his squad plus first-team coach Chris Franks and CEO Damian Irvine.
In the Women’s section, Dan Carlton was named players’ player of the year and Amy Russ took home the supporters’ player of the year. Sixteen-year-old Amelia Woodgate landed the young player of the year award and goalkeeper Courtney Roberts, fresh from completing the London Marathon, added another prize as manager’s player of the year.
And there was even time for the Arsenal supporters amongst the Fleet number to drown their sorrows as they (unfortunately for them) caught most of the action from the Premier League clash at the Etihad later on in the bar.
We play our final game of the season at home against Hungerford Town this Saturday and then on Sunday, please lend your presence and your voices to the Fleet’s open-top bus parade and arrival at the Kuflink Stadium from 10.45am–11.20am.
