I want to fight for honours, says Whitstable Town boss Nicky Southall

WHITSTABLE TOWN player-manager Nicky Southall says he wants to guide the club towards their highest ever position in the Ryman League come the end of the season.


Central midfielder Southall, 40, was enticed to the club by former manager Justin Luchford as the club’s new player coach and took charge of team affairs alongside Richard Langley when Luchford parted company with the club on 13 November followoing the team’s 3-2 defeat at Three Bridges.

Middlesbrough born Southall started his career in the youth ranks at Darlington and played for Hartlepool United, Grimsby Town, Gillingham (four spells), Bolton Wanderers, Norwich City, Nottingham Forest and Dover Athletic.

Langley and Southall oversaw four games in their interim capacities; a 1-0 win over Chipstead, a 2-0 home defeat to leaders Maidstone United in the League Cup; a 3-2 defeat at Tooting & Mitcham United and a 2-0 home defeat to Corinthian-Casuals.

But chairman Gary Johnson appointed Southall as the club’s manager on 2 December and the Oystermen have drawn (1-1) Crawley Down Gatwick away from home and defeated Walton & Hersham 3-0 at home in their last game.

Whitstable Town presently lie in eighteenth-place in the Ryman League Division One South table, with six wins and two draws from nineteen league games and they welcome bitter rivals Herne Bay to The Belmont for the first fixture at this level between the two clubs.

Herne Bay have gone seven games without any win and have slipped down to fifteenth-place with 23 points from 19 games.  Simon Halsey led his club to the Kent League title and to FA Carlsberg Vase Semi-Finals last season, but after a promising start the Winch’s Field outfit are presently suffering with a blip.

Southall is looking forward to the big game.

He said: “A lot of people have been talking about this game and how important it is for the area and the town itself and for both clubs.

“I’ve been involved in a lot of derbies, different games over the years’.

“It’s going to be competitive. I don’t think this fixture has been around for six or seven years’ so it’s a long time coming and we’re looking forward to it, especially on the back of a great win at home last week.

“The challenge we know what the rewards are at the end of it.  It’s three points but it’s a chance to start climbing the league and getting to where we want to be.”

Whitstable Town then welcome fourteenth-placed Merstham to The Belmont on Saturday, before travelling to Cheriton Road to play Neil Cugley’s Folkestone Invicta on New Years’ Day.

Three games in only six days can test non-league footballers to the limit, especially when they also have to fit in family time and work commitments over the festive period.

“The squad will be getting tested to the limit,” said Southall.

“I’ve been fortunate to bring in Tom Brunt, who is on loan from Gillingham, on Friday. I’m very happy about that. He’s a great player, he can play in a number of positions and is very comfortable on the ball.

“We finally got the international clearance for James Brown, a left-back who was at Gillingham a couple of years’ ago. He was a first and second year scholar but he just didn’t make the grade there. 

“He’s been playing out in the Spanish League so he’s come back and I’m looking forward to working with these guys.

“We are going to be tested but every club at every level is.  We’ve got some good fixtures to look forward to over the Christmas period, for the fans as well.”

Meanwhile, target man Damian Abel, who has scored three goals for the club this season has left.

With 23 league games remaining, Southall was asked what his targets are at the club.

“When I agreed to take over as the manager I spoke to the board and the chairman and I was quite surprised that the club has never finished above fourteenth at this level, that’s the highest they’ve ever been,” he said.

“I believe in my ability and my players’ to get us above fourteenth this season.  I don’t want to settle for fourteenth or where we are now. I want to fight for honours. There’s always a team that has a late charge, whether it’s us or whoever.

“If we keep that momentum and snowball affect we can start climbing that table and hang on the coattails of some of the teams in the play-offs.

“It’s funny. Everyone beats everyone at this level.  If you put a consistent run together you can start making huge strides up this league and that’s what we’re trying to do.

“I’ve said to my players’ it’s about work ethic and the harder you work the more rewards you get 99 times out of 100 the work-rate will be talent more often than not.

“If you’ve got the talent, with the work rate, you’ll be a potent force and that’s what we’re trying to do and achive the get the boys’ to buy into.”

Visit Whitstable Town’s website: www.whitstabletownfc.co.uk

Whitstable Town  v  Herne Bay
Ryman League Division One South
Boxing Day, Wednesday 26^th December 2012
Kick Off 3:00pm
at The Belmont, Belmont Road, Whitstable, Kent CT5 1QP