Horley Town has sights on Ryman League

Apr 5 2007

By David Groves-Surrey Mirror

AMBITIOUS chairman Mario Renou has set his sights on achieving promotion to the Ryman League after Horley Town were given the green light to return to their former status.

Horley were demoted from the Combined Counties League premier division last season after their New Defence base failed to meet ground grading requirements.

But an inspection by the CCL ground inspection sub-committee last Thursday, and subsequent approval by the league's management committee to be granted the required ground grading, means leaders Horley should bounce back at the first attempt.

This follows an investment of around £10,000 during the past year to improve the club's facilities.

All that is necessary now is for Lawrence Geary's title favourites to be promoted as champions and hold off determined challengers Farnham Town, Worcester Park and Staines Lammas.

And Renou is so confident of the team achieving this aim that he is already talking about planning to join the likes of Chipstead and Whyteleafe in Ryman League division one south in the future.

Renou said: "We feel that maybe next year might not be the right one for us to be in a position to be promoted again but we will certainly have a go at achieving it the following season.

"Anyway, another promotion should easily be a possibility for us within five years and joining the Ryman League is our long term plan while we have got the play-ers who are capable of doing it.

"If we felt that the right measures were in place with the correct structure of the club then we would go for it.

"But there are always extra costs associated with playing Ryman League football and we must ensure that we could sustain it financially.

"We would only want to go up again if we felt that we could stay at that higher level."

Horley now have a new covered terrace holding more than 100 people behind one goal, as well as their recently installed stand which can accommodate 101 people under cover.

This was the main task the club had to achieve and this, along with other more minor requirements which have all been completed, meant that inspectors recommended to the management committee that the club be awarded Grade F status.

As part of the on-going ground improvement scheme, at least 70 tons of sand has been injected into the pitch using a state of the art machine.

This summer The New Defence pitch will be top dressed and seeded in time for the start of the new campaign.

So it is now all systems go for promotion providing that Horley can build on last Saturday's 6-1 win at CB Hounslow United which put them two points clear of Farnham Town in the table.

Renou said: "Lol Geary has done what we have asked to get us back to the premier division.

"He has achieved where we want to be and, under the circumstances, this is a hard league to win."