The players need to embrace the day but not let the occasion get the better of them, says Sam Denly

Wednesday 24th December 2014

HERNE BAY manager Sam Denly says he’s relishing two Christmas Crackers against two local rivals.

Denly takes his side to bitter-rivals Whitstable Town on Boxing Day, before welcoming the league leaders Faversham Town to Winch’s Field on the first day of 2015.

Herne Bay sit in the top eight in the Ryman League Division One South table with 37 points from 27 games. They are four points adrift of the play-offs.

Whitstable Town are fourteenth with 32 points from 26 games, while Faversham Town returned to the top of the Christmas tree last night following last night’s 2-1 win at Horsham.

The Lilywhites have claimed 56 points from 26 games and are in a three way battle for the title alongside Merstham and Burgess Hill Town.

“Really looking forward to our fixtures over the Christmas period,” said Denly.

“We have some local derbies to look forward to and they are games we all enjoy being involved in.

“The last few games have been disappointing but the season as a whole so far has been good and we are looking to finish 2014 on a high.

“We have Whitstable Town away on Boxing Day and it’s a game everyone connected to the club is looking forward to.

“We know Whitstable are a decent side and are only a few places below us so we need to be at our best to get a result on the day.

“The players need to embrace the day and enjoy it but not let the occasion get the better of them.

“Local derbies are always hard fought battles and can often come down to who wants it the most on the day but within that it’s also important to show your quality on the day and that’s something we will be setting out to do.”

Herne Bay would like to attract a large crowd for the visit of Ray Turner’s title chasers.

“Faversham are going really well and currently sit top of the league so we know what qualities they have but before we worry about Faversham all our focus is on Boxing Day and getting a result against Whitstable.”

Visit Herne Bay’s website: www.pitchero.com/clubs/hernebay

Whitstable Town v Herne Bay
Ryman League Division One South
Boxing Day, Friday 26^th December 2014
Kick Off 3:00pm
at The Belmont, Belmont Road, Whitstable, Kent CT5 1QP