The ambition of the club is to bounce straight back, says Whitstable Town boss Scott Porter

WHITSTABLE TOWN boss Scott Porter says he wants to win the Southern Counties East Football League title at the first attempt next season.

The Oystermen’s nine-season stay in the Ryman League Division One South came to an end after finishing second-from-bottom last season.

The club went through Will Graham, Simon Halsey, Richard Langley, Wayne Wilson and Ian Cox, Colin Patching and Bob Reardon during the season before Porter came in for their last nine games but he couldn’t save the club from suffering an inevitable relegation.

Whitstable Town completed their campaign with only eight wins and two draws from their 46 league games and suffered relegation along with Walton & Hersham and Peacehaven & Telscombe.

There were also boardroom issues during the club’s traumatic campaign with chairman Gary Johnson quitting the club and even the club’s programme editor Andy Short quit and joined their league rivals Hythe Town to do the same role.

The last time the club were playing Kent League football was when Tony Rouse was chairman and Marc Seager led them to the league title back in 2007 and Porter is aiming to bring the good times back to Belmont Road after only one top-half finish in the Ryman League of eighth in Jim and Danny Ward’s only season in charge of the club in season 2014-15.

“We’ve been working hard since the season’s finished and preparing for life in the Kent League,” said Porter, who guided Hythe Town to the Kent League title in 2011.

“I’ve just spent a few weeks getting my backroom staff sorted. My Assistant, Bob Reardon, who was with me last year.  I worked with Bob for the last nine games and we had a good relationship. He’s a bit of an older head than me, which I do need around me.

“My first team coach is Brendon Cass and goalkeeper coach Dean Ruddy are in place now and we’re just getting people’s signatures ready for next year.

“Brendon Cass has won the Kent League. I brought him to Hythe, he won the golden boot and we had a lot of success together.  He brings a lot of experience and quality and he’s a person I can trust because I’ve worked with him before.  He will participate, he’ll come on for 10-15 minutes so he’ll get you a goal, that’s what he’s good at so yes he’s down as a player as well.

“Dean Ruddy, he’s worked with Dan Eason before, which is always good. When I had a goalkeeper coach in Mark Lane when we were at Hythe, he brought the best out of Dan and they’ve got a lot of experience and buying into what I want to do there.”

Porter admitted last season was “an absolute shambles” at Belmont Road last season.

“I was up against it, which I knew,” added Porter.

“The bigger picture is to be there for a longer time. I enjoyed my time there last year considering the circumstances.

“Everyone, especially (chairman) Joe Brownett is working immensely hard to getting the club back where it should be financially to get things sorted.

“It’s looking really good there. I’m just trying to pencil people’s names down and really looking forward to it.”

Porter will not stand any of the dire performances that Whitstable Town put in during their ill-fated Ryman League campaign last season – as he aims to win promotion at the first attempt.

“Yes, definitely, that’s the plan to be honest with you!

“Whitstable are a big club and we’ve kept the services of everyone, which is good and I’m trying to add two or three, which I’m looking to do, to add a bit of experience to bounce straight back up and that’s the ambition of the club.

“That’s why the players’ have stayed loyal to me and I’ve stayed loyal to them, the likes of Dan Eason, Joe Kennett, Michael Yianni, Craig Thompson, Stuart King, Lee Winfield etc.

“It’s going to be done properly – that’s how I do things and I’m doing it from start to finish, starting now, with a fresh summer, getting my players in and my way of doing things and it’s only going to be a good sign for the football club.

“I’m working very closely with Joe Brownett. He’s got a lot of passion and he’s got a lot of desire for the football club and we rub off together. 

“I’m looking forward to it but we’ve got a lot of hard work to do in the summer to get these players’ in and hit the ground running.

“It was an absolute shambles last year and it’s a fresh start.”