I want to be the man that brings glory to Herne Bay, says Simon Halsey

HERNE BAY boss Simon Halsey says he wants to add some major honours to his CV and get rid of the nearly-man tag at the Winch’s Field club, writes Stephen McCartney.


Herne Bay supporters’ have agonisingly seen their side twice finish as runners-up in the Kent League to both Faversham Town and Hythe Town during the past two seasons but two Kent League Cup successes have been a consolation for all as their rivals’ have secured promotion into the Ryman League in their place.

Unbeaten Herne Bay are the current Kent Hurlimann Football League pacesetters with ten wins and two draws from their twelve league games and are four points clear of tenants Canterbury City with two games in hand.

Herne Bay welcome Winchester City to Winch’s Field in the Second Round of The FA Carlsberg Vase – a tasty game against the 2004 winners awaits.

“They’re all big games when you’re doing as well as we are,” said Halsey, who guided the club to the Fourth Round last year when they lost to eventual winners Whitley Bay.

“Without putting any pressure on anyone, it’s just another game so we’ll be preparing ourselves right for Saturday as we do every week to be honest so nothing will change because it’s the Vase.”

Halsey added: “We’re unbeaten (in the league) since January 29^th so we’re doing alright.  We just have to keep going now that we’ve got our noses in front.”

Halsey has done his homework on Winchester, who arrive in Kent sitting in second place in the Wessex League.

He said:  “They’re big and strong, pretty much direct, pretty much what we’re used to sometimes in the Kent League.

“They’ve got a good striker whose scored a lot of goals for them.  If we contain him and play football around them then hopefully we’ll be ok.

“We like to get the ball forward but we do it a different way.  They get it forward very quickly, they’ve got a fella who’s scored a lot of goals and they defend well because it looked like in their league they get balls launched at them all the time so hopefully with a footballing side trying to play football around their centre halves and full-backs it might be a different story for us.

Halsey added: “It’s whoever prepares themselves right on the day will come out eventual winners.  It doesn’t matter if it’s the Vase, Kent Senior Trophy, Cup or league games, I want to win every game.

With his side topping the table, Halsey wants to guide the sleeping giants into the Ryman League.

“My CV’s alright but me being me I don’t want my CV to finish my managerial career as runner-up and nearly done it!  I want to be Simon Halsey, a good football manager and a good coach and won things.

“I don’t want to have it on my CV he nearly got there in years’ to come in Herne Bay’s history.  I don’t want to be Simon Halsey nearly got us there, who played good football.  I want to be the one that gets them there, so that’s my aim.

“How?  Keeping our noses out in front, hopefully.  In the last two years’ we’ve been in the chasing pack.  Hopefully now we’ve got our noses in front the teams are feeling the pressure we felt in the last two years’, when someone’s there in front of you and you can’t afford to slip up and it puts a lot of pressure on sides in the chasing pack.  

“We’ve got a different pressure, there’s a better feeling around the club.  There wasn’t a bad feeling around the club, but we’ve been chasing for the last two years’ and it’s pressure every game knowing if you slip up and the team in front of you wins.

Midfielder James Corbett remains Halsey’s only injured player for Saturday’s game and Halsey added: “We’re up to full strength so I have to make a decision tomorrow night to what my sixteen is so I’ll be dealing with that tomorrow night.”

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

Herne Bay  v  Winchester City
The FA Carlsberg Vase Second Round
Saturday 19^th November 2011
Kick Off 3:00pm
At Winch’s Field, Stanley Gardens, Herne Bay, Kent CT6 5SG