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Dan Scorer takes charge of Kennington for the 200th time when they visit Glebe in the FA Vase second round.
He had a car-crash start to management - quite literally - but there’s been plenty to celebrate since with Ton fighting for promotion and looking to make history in the Vase this Saturday.
“I was involved in a car accident with one of my players, Adam Mercer, on the morning of my first game in charge,” recalled Scorer, who was just 23 when he took the reins.
“I could barely walk after and Adam was unable to play but thankfully we were both OK.
“We travelled to Deal Sports in the Kent County League with no fit forwards and two full-backs leading our attack.
“I knew then that management was going to be one hell of a rollercoaster. As it turned out, we ended up playing exceptionally well and won the game 3-0.”
Asked if he ever envisaged reaching 200 games, Scorer said: “I always knew what I wanted to achieve when I joined the club, so I never really put a timescale on that.
“My focus has always been on reaching those targets and giving back to the club where I enjoyed many years as a youth team player.”
The Glebe tie is a fitting game for Scorer’s milestone as he bids to lead Ton into the third round for the first time.
Victory for his SCEFL Division 1 side over Premier Division opponents would be the perfect way to mark his double century.
Scorer, 29, said: “It’s an extremely tough tie for us but one as a club we relish and look forward to.
“Glebe are a very strong side that will no doubt be extremely fit and well-organised.
“They have some ridiculous firepower in their attack, so we’ll be looking to carry our strong defensive unit into the game.
“Preparations have been difficult but the players have put a lot of hard work in over the past four weeks to keep themselves conditioned to a reasonable level.”
Calvin Sedenu is set to captain the side after recovering from injury but Gary Clarke, who tore his hamstring in the first-round win over Fisher - Ton’s last game before lockdown - is still two weeks away.
Scorer would dearly love to create history on Kennington’s return to action.
It’s just a shame their fans won’t be able to travel to Glebe, given Kent’s Tier 3 status under new Covid-19 restrictions.
Scorer said: “Every season we seem to be breaking new territory and so every opportunity we get to make more history for the club, we look to try and grab with both hands.
“We have a great support, and it’s unfortunate they can’t be with us on the day, but we’ll be doing everything we can to try and get through, and hopefully it won’t be too long before they return.”