The Canterbury United Gazette
Market19 Oct 2026
Alex Cacace is on his way
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Canterbury United is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad19 Oct 2026
The step up is real for Alex Smith
At 19 he is doing things this season that he could not do last season, and doing them every week. Form comes and goes; this has stayed long enough to be called something else.
Squad19 Oct 2026
Tempers go at Canterbury United
Jordan Vale was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Boardroom19 Oct 2026
5 academy graduates step up at Canterbury United
Senior shirt numbers handed to boys the coaches have known since they were twelve. Most will not make it and all of them have already done the hard part.
Market19 Oct 2026
Michael Bell steps up from the Canterbury United academy
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Michael Bell has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
Market19 Oct 2026
Joe Van Hattum steps up from the Canterbury United academy
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Joe Van Hattum has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
Market19 Oct 2026
Francis Van Hattum steps up from the Canterbury United academy
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Francis Van Hattum has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
Squad19 Oct 2026
Monty Smith pulls a muscle — 14 days out
The injury that keeps coming back, keeps being rushed back from, and quietly costs more careers than the dramatic ones. 14 days is the estimate; the honest figure depends on whether anybody is patient.
Boardroom19 Oct 2026
No investment in the facilities at Canterbury United
Nothing about this will be in a press release. A plan went upstairs, came back rejected, and the version of the club that would have existed in three years' time just quietly stopped being possible.
In brief
- The dugout Francis Van Hattum asks for a word with the manager
- Squad The penny has dropped for Jordan Vale
- Looking ahead Looking ahead: the trip to WaiBOP United