Herne Bay don't want to live in Whitstable's shadows, says Simon Halsey

But all attention turns to the visit of Combined Counties League side Camberley Town in the Second Round of the FA Carlsberg Vase – and progressing into the last 64 of the national competition.

“Judging on their results they quite look like an in-form side at the moment, sort of floating in between second and fourth in their league so they’re forms good, our forms good, so hopefully it will be an entertaining game,” Halsey told www.kentishfootball.co.uk.

“Obviously a little bit of home advantage will help, not having the travelling and the early start. I’m sure they won’t let the journey trouble them.  I’m sure they’ll get here and give us a good game.

“We’ve got to make sure, myself as the manager, the players and the club, have to make sure we travel as far as we can in the FA Vase.

“I’ve got 24 players at my disposal in the squad and I feel it’s the strongest squad that I will ever have at Herne Bay and Herne Bay will have for a few years, so I believe we’ve got the players to progress in it without a doubt.”

Halsey added: “There all big games at the moment.  When you’re at the top of the division everyone wants to come and beat you.  Being a one-off Cup competition they want to progress in the next round.  I believe they got in the last sixteen three or four years ago so we’ve got to make sure we’re on song on Saturday, which I’m sure we will be and the boys will be ready for it.

“We’ve trained hard this week to make sure we prepare well for it.“

But clinching the Kent League title is what Halsey has set out to do – the club were runners up to Faversham Town last term – but Halsey knows it’s going to be challenging.

Eight clubs (half the Kent League) are within only nine points behind Ricky Bennett’s league leaders – and Halsey predicted that at the start of the season.

He said: “Herne Bay is a sleeping giant, you know that.  Whitstable were in Herne Bay shadow’s for years but over the last four years since me and Seags (Marc Seager) had the success at Whitstable and it’s gone the other way and Whitstable are the big fish now and we’re in the shadow of them.

“I’ve been given the job to make sure we get out of this Kent League and into the Ryman and become on a level par of Whitstable and Faversham again and once we do that the gates will go up and the club will push on. 

“We must try to achieve it this season.”

Reflecting on the Kent League title race, Halsey added: “If you go back or you re-visit the archives of interviews you’ve done with me at pre-season, you’ll see by my remarks I made then I said there will be four or five teams going for it this year and I’m not far wrong at the moment.

“Whether a couple dwindle out due to the weather, us being one of them could be it, but I did say there will be four or five up and running this year – at this moment in time I’m about right.

“I had no illusions we were going to walk it by finishing runners up.  We’ve had to put the hard work in – if not more.”

With such a big squad, there will be some disappointed footballers by the time Halsey names his squad, but Herne Bay are still also involved in the Kent League Cup and Kent Senior Trophy as well as the FA Vase and the title race.

Halsey said: “I’m an honest person and they’re reasonable guys. It’s nothing personal.  I just have to pick a squad that will win the game for Herne Bay.  Saturday will be no different, there will be a couple of disappointed ones there but that’s football.

“As I’ve always said, I won’t win the Kent League with a 12-14 man squad.  It’s got to be a big squad and not just a squad of 12-14 with good players and average ones making it up.

“I actually have a strong squad right the way through the 24 and it’s important the players do their jobs well to keep their shirt.”

Visit Herne Bay’s website: www.hernebayfc.net

Herne Bay  v  Camberley Town
FA Carlsberg Vase Second Round
Saturday 13^th November 2010
Kick Off 3:00pm
At Winch’s Field, Stanley Gardens, Herne Bay, Kent CT6 5SG