We have to cut our cloth accordingly, says new Whitstable Town chairman Gary Johnson

WHITSTABLE TOWN chairman Gary Johnson says the club will not bust the bank next season.



The 48-year-old was appointed as the club’s new chairman after Joe Brownett stepped down at the club’s annual general meeting.

Mr Johnson, who was vice-chairman and club secretary last season, will keep his secretarial role at The Belmont.

And plans are in place to ensure that the club finish much higher than eighteenth-place (fourth-from-bottom) in the Ryman League Division One South next season.

It has been a remarkable journey for Kettering born Johnson, who started refereeing in 1979.

“I’m very proud,” he said.  “I think it’s exciting times down at the Belmont. I love my football and I’ve been fortunate – as I’ve said to you many times before – to meet a lot of people.  I have met some colourful characters and Whitstable Town is a great football club and I’ve enjoyed my association thus far with them.”

He added:  “I never envisaged I’d get involved in a club.  All the years’ I refereed, for me, I achieved so much, but I’d never dreamt I’d get involved with a football club or do or be where I am today.

“I feel really honoured and very passionate really. I thought my eye sight was good as a referee and it got better when I was an assessor.  Now with my rose coloured glasses I’ve got perfect vision at last!

“I’d never thought I’d be so involved with a club like I am today and the last two and a bit years has been fantastic times.  Whitstable have got some good people and some great characters.  People like Bruce (Smith), who has been involved with the club now for almost 50 years. He’s 84 next week and 50 years’ involved in the football club in all capacities is absolutely, well, you don’t get many people like that really who has done so much.

“Joe (Brownett) has done so much for the football club and I guess like any person in authority, be it, a referee or chairman or whatever position you have to make decisions you’re not liked by everyone, which is a shame.  He is Whitstable Town through and through and he is Mr Whitstable.

“It’s a massive change for the club, a massive time of change. 

“Justin (Luchford) is putting a real structure in place.  I’m really excited.  Everybody in the club is excited by that and we’re trying to build on what has been achieved thus far.

“In doing that we will need to take a few things in a new direction, but it’s really exciting.”

Manager Justin Luchford has been busy during the close season to get his management team (at all levels) in place ahead of the new season.

Mr Johnson said: “Justin is using all of his contracts and we’re getting more of a football structure in place from first team, reserves, down to the under 18s and the 15s that we’re running next year.

“I think off the field we’ve got some good people that Justin’s brought into the club and people who were in the club and Justin has moved around.  A good example is reserve team manager Dave Fairclough who has stepped up to become technical director, where he will be coaching and spotting players and spending a lot of time in support of Justin.”

Since winning their first Kent League title back in 2007, Whitstable Town have struggled in the Ryman League and tend to save their better performances after Christmas when they have to pick up points to stave of relegation.

But Mr Johnson says Luchford will work wonders in his first full season in charge of the club.

He said: “I’d like to think that Justin put together a team at the end of last season that started to make a big difference and I believe with the players Justin had at the end of last season and the one or two new faces he’s bringing in and yet to bring in, I think we could be some dark horses.

“But the season’s over 40 weeks. It’s a long season.  There’s lots to do and there’s a preverbal banana skin as well, so we don’t want to be that team that goes down next season.  In the Ryman League there will be one team that gets relegated at the end of the season and after that it becomes three down with the changes coming in at this step of football.

“Justin had a turbulent time when he came to us.  But he’s settled in and making some great plans.

“The whole club now needs to come together and move forward and I believe Whitstable can do it!

“There is a buzz around the place from all the people involved and it is really, really exciting as we’ve said so many times.

Mr Johnson has proved what you can achieve if you are willing to graft.

“I haven’t been a groundsman yet – but I have cut the grass down the ground recently.  I just love football. There’s so many people around, like you, there is lots of us really. When you really get involved you take on different roles at a club and opportunities open up as it has this year.

“It’s such a privilege and an honour and taking the reins that Joe felt he could hand over the reins over to me comfortably.  I think he’s gone on record in saying that.

“I’ve done lots of roles in football.  I’ve refereed for a long, long time. I started refereeing in 1979.   I moved around the UK with my job two or three times and that hasn’t helped my football refereeing all the whole and of course you know as I do my style of refereeing and the things I adopted you wasn’t going to be everybody’s favourite.

“I’d thought I’d still be involved with refereeing. I thought I’d be involved with coaching, assessing and mentoring and helping push on. Life takes some funny turns.  I’m really pleased with the way it’s gone.”

Putting his football chairman hat back on, Mr Johnson insists he will not put the club at risk and will cut his cloth accordingly.

He said:  “We haven’t got a big budget.  Let me tell everybody we have to be sensible and we have to cut our cloth accordingly.

“This is where some club’s go wrong. Some club’s just try and go bust the bank.  That won’t be Whitstable.  We can’t do that. I don’t have big pockets.  I believe I bring to the table a bit of organisational skills and a few contacts.

“We have to see how that develops in terms of the budget.

“We’ve been really lucky as a club. We’re the fifth best supported team in the Ryman South in a time where we’ve struggled. We’ve struggled for the past two or three seasons, yet our gates have gone up by four percent this year.

“Our average gate according to the Ryman League statistics is 191.  Clubs at this level would give their right arm for that.

“The people of Whitstable have shown how loyal they are and how thought off the club is.

“Let’s just hope when we are successful and I really believe we will become successful in the next season or so with that success on the pitch let’s hope people continue to come through the gates and bring a friend.

“That’s where we need to make a difference and that will enable the club kick on.

“A few things I’d like to develop are more people through the gate; more development with the community; the business community.  We’re establishing a development plan at the moment, which is being led with Ian Grieves and Dave Fairclough in association with myself and Justin.

“The plans are going well, so we’re delighted with the way things are going.”

The Whitstable chairman is delighted to renew their rivalry with Herne Bay, who clinched the Kent League title and reached the FA Vase Semi-Finals last season.

The two clubs will contest the Bruce Smith Shield on Tuesday 17 July at Belmont Road and all three fixtures are expected to bring much needed revenue to the two local rivals.

Mr Johnson said: “It’s fantastic we’ve got the Bruce Smith Shield going ahead when we play at home to Herne Bay.  That fixture was really in doubt after Herne Bay’s deserved success so we’re pleased to get that fixture on.

“For both clubs home and away I’d like to think that will make a fantastic Christmas and make it a fantastic Easter and who knows that might have a bearing on something more special in the league as well.”

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