Two years after travelling to south-east London with St Peter FC in the semi-finals of the Kent FA Senior Trophy, Freeman will take his Bulls squad to Beckenham on 31 July for the club’s first game in Combined Counties League Premier South.
The Saints were beaten 3-2 in February 2019, having gone 17 months without defeat at county level.
This month, Freeman will be protecting a similar record, having not experienced a competitive defeat since taking charge of the Bulls in August 2019.
‘I expect Beckenham to be fighting for promotion this season,’ he explained.
‘Looking at the games they’ve had this year in pre-season and the number of signings they’ve made, I’ve no doubt that their aim is to get out of this league.’
Bulls – without a single pre-season fixture because of cancellations by visiting squads – will play all three of their opening league fixtures away from home, including trips to Cobham on 14 August and Redhill on 28 August. Fixtures for September and beyond have yet to be confirmed.
‘Hopefully by September we can get some home games going,’ Freeman added.
There is currently one game pencilled in at Springfield for August – against Horsham YMCA in the extra preliminary round of the FA Cup. The winner of that tie will play away at Newhaven or Camberley Town on 21 August.
More in Wednesday’s JEP.
