Hopefully in the future we'll be in the right league, says Chatham Town boss Kevin Watson

CHATHAM TOWN player-manager Kevin Watson says the club will struggle to get bodies through the turnstiles because they have been placed in the wrong division.



The Medway outfit finished inside the Ryman League Division One South relegation zone at the end of the 2010-11 campaign and their punishment was not to be relegated back into the Kent League, but to be placed in the graveyard that is the Ryman League Division One North, where they finished in fifteenth-place last season.

By remaining in that division, Chatham will miss out on lucrative Kent derbies against Faversham Town, Folkestone Invicta, Herne Bay, Hythe Town, Maidstone United, Ramsgate, Sittingbourne and Whitstable Town.

Instead they will re-join Thamesmead Town in Ryman League Division One North this season and face the likes of Ilford and Tilbury – hardly inspiring for Chatham’s loyal band of supporters.

Chatham Town, who won the 130^th Anniversary Trophy on goal difference yesterday, following their 5-1 win over the Royal Engineers, before losing 2-1 to Gillingham’s youth development squad, face a busy week this week as they continue their pre-season preparations.

They travel to Kent League side Sevenoaks Town tonight and VCD Athletic on Thursday, before welcoming Maidstone United to Maidstone Road on Saturday.

Watson said: “We’ve got a game on Saturday, so if we we’re to play Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, certainly we won’t be able to put one squad out for all three games so we’ll mix things up a little bit.

“But by next Saturday I’ll be looking to narrow things down because there’s two games on Saturday, a reserve team game and first team game.

The visit of the Stones will be a welcomed fixture for the cash-strapped Chats and Watson is looking forward to playing in front of a big crowd.

He said: “It’s a big game. I’m friends with Jay Saunders (Maidstone United’s player-manager) and I speak to him a lot, so it’s a good game to play.

“Hopefully there will be a bit of a crowd there. It’s a good test for both teams because obviously we won’t meet eachother in the league this season so it’s good to assess yourself against relative similar opposition.

“Having said that, they’ve probably got aspirations to certainly do well.  He’s publically said that they’re aiming for promotion. There’s certainly less emphasis on us to do that, less pressure, but it doesn’t mean we’re equally as ambitious.”

With a local rival coming to town on Saturday, Watson hopes the game has a competitive edge.

He said: “Players are gaining their fitness and don’t want to get injured etc. Pre-season friendlies do have a little less bite.  The Maidstone game will probably have a bit more because people will want to prove a point.

“The results don’t matter in pre-season but it is a cliché in terms you need to get a winning habit certainly so the more results you can pick up is always a bonus.

“Hopefully it will be a nice crowd because being in the North we do suffer from those local derbies to bring the crowd in so it’s nice to get on in pre-season.”

When asked how many players he will run with when their Ryman League Division One North campaign kicks off with a home game against Waltham Abbey on 18 August, Watson said: “I’ve made it clear to the players regardless to what they done last season or elsewhere at other clubs, it’s a clean slate and people have to prove they have to earn their shirts and that needs to be case.

“It’s not going to be too big to be honest. We’re working closely with the reserves so there’s going to be some players on the periphery and can come in if required so it’s not set in stone.”

When asked what his aspirations are for the season ahead, Watson said: “We need to improve certainly on where we was last season. I think that’s realistic and anything above that is a bonus really.  It would be nice to finish in the top half.  I always have certain goals and I keep them close to my chest. I’ve said it before we have short-term goals and long term goals.

“Teams will know us a little bit better.  We came into the unknown a little bit last year but I think teams will know us and we will know them slightly better.  We just need to kick on.  It’s a tough league – as is the South. People said it before openly and publically. People talk about which is the harder league. I don’t believe one is particularly hard than the other league so it’s just about focusing on us and not worrying about the other teams really.”

Watson added: “It is difficult for us but the club is developing.  We have the new (bar) extension and the club’s moving in the right direction and hopefully the future, regards of what league we’ll be in, we’ll be in the right league, which we’re probably not at the moment.”

Visit Chatham Town’s website: www.chathamtownfc.net  

Sevenoaks Town  v  Chatham Town
Pre-Season Friendly
Tuesday 24^th July 2012
Kick Off 7:45pm
at Greatness Park, Mill Lane, Seal Road, Sevenoaks, Kent TN14 5BX