TOMMY SAMPSON is bidding to be back working in football by mid-April.

The 53-year-old Redhill manager suffered a mild stroke at his Maidstone home on December 5 but is working hard to regain fitness.

The stroke left Sampson with limited mobility down his left side, but his speech has already improved significantly and he is attending four sessions of physiotheraphy daily at a London hospital.

Speaking from his room at the hospital, Sampson says he has been angered by rumours suggesting he could be out for as long as two years.

The former Deal, Herne Bay and Dartford boss, who spent seven weeks in Maidstone Hospital before being transferred to a London hospital, explained: "One of the Sussex papers has apparently reported that I'm going to be out for a year. Another has said two, which simply isn't the case.

"My first target is to attend Redhill's Surrey Senior Cup quarter-final tie at Kingstonian in mid-March, and after that I want to be back working in football by mid-April.

"It will mean a lot of hard work on my part but I've never been afraid of hard work and the people up here are experts.

"They've got me doing sit-ups and push-ups and I'm having to learn how to speak properly but the prognosis is good.

"I hope to resume my football career and I take Alan Walker as my inspiration.

"He was in a terrible state last year but has made tremendous progress."

Maidstone joint-manager Walker is among the many people who have visited Sampson who said he has been overwhelmed with the support he had received from the world of football.

"I've had some fantastic cards from people, people who I haven't seen for 10 or 15 years and others like Marc Seager and Jimmy Ward have been brilliant, ringing me regularly.

"Even Tommy Saunders, the former Chippenham manager, drive up from Bristol one Sunday. He wanted petrol money but I told him to get lost!"