We've got everything to lose at Chessington & Hook, warns Hythe Town boss Scott Porter

HYTHE TOWN boss Scott Porter says last season’s heroic FA Cup run will stick in the back of his mind for the rest of his life, writes Stephen McCartney.


Hythe became the first Kent League club to reach the First Round Proper for 53 years when they went down to a spirited 5-1 defeat at League Two side Hereford United last November.

Porter’s side began their epic run with a 4-0 home victory over Bookham in the Extra Preliminary Round on 14 August 2010, before they knocked out Deal Town (4-2), Epsom & Ewell (2-0) and Erith & Belvedere (4-1).

But people started taking notice when they produced shocks to beat Ryman Premier League side Concord Rangers on their own turf, courtesy of Dave Cook’s solitary goal, and then stunned Conference South side Staines Town at Reachfields Stadium in the fourth and final qualifying round, 2-0, thanks to Gary Mickelborough, who scored their only goal at Hereford, and Cook, their influential captain.

Hythe went on to clinch promotion into the Ryman League and their reward is to start this season’s FA Cup campaign in the Preliminary Round, with a trip to Combined Counties League side Chessington & Hook United on Saturday.

Spurs’ fan Porter, who received a telephone call from hero Harry Redknapp prior to their game at Edgar Street, reflected on his best year in football.

“Last year was a memorable feeling for everyone involved in the football club.  It’s one thing myself, the players or the club will never forget,” reflected Porter.

“It was fantastic!  It was unbelievable in some stages, the attention we were getting from all over the nation really, but we’ve moved up the ladder now, we’ve achieved what we wanted to achieve, with promotion.”

The boot is on the other foot, however, as Hythe travel to Chessington for another FA Cup adventure.

“We’re at it again and it will be tough on Saturday because we were the underdogs last season all the time and now we’re the favourites to win against Chessington & Hook so it’s a different scenario but obviously we’re looking to win the game and get our season back on track basically.”

After last season’s exploits, Porter doesn’t want his side to slip up on this potential banana skin.

He said: “We have to prepare for the game the right way, like we prepare for every game.  They’re the underdogs and they’ve got nothing to lose and we’ve got everything to lose so we’re preparing the right way.  We’ll get the boys’ in the right frame of mind and hopefully we can get our season back on track.”

Porter added: “I wouldn’t say (there’s) pressure (on us).   It’s nice to get a FA Cup run going because it generates finances for the club and we can all see what the money has generated last year, the facilities, the pitch and upstairs (in the bar) and money for this season as well.

“Hopefully we can go and do the business on Saturday.”

Hythe banked at least £40,000 from their exploits last season, but Porter relished the national media attention that he and everybody at the club were receiving.

To see Hythe Town in the FA Cup First Round draw with household names was something special.

When asked what he enjoyed the most, Porter replied, “Just the attention basically and putting the club on the map really and all the attention we got from Sky Sports, The Sun bringing the Cup down, the newspapers and the interviews on the TV and everything like that.  It was fantastic!

“It was like a dream come true and you watch it on TV and you want to be a part of it and we was actually a part of the First Round of the FA Cup and those memories will stick in the back of your mind for the rest of your life.”

Hythe Town are now adapting to life in Ryman League Division One South and after four games the team have picked up three points and lie in the bottom five.

Porter admitted the start has been “up and down.”

He said: “We’ve had some good performances but the results haven’t gone our way.  The first game against Godalming, the things we worked on to get where we are over the last two years, we didn’t do none of that on that day, which was frustrating but we’ve picked ourselves up against Faversham and played the way we can play and got a great result against them and our first points in the Ryman.

“Bognor was always going to be tough, their one of the favourites and they’re a great footballing side but to get back into the game and dominate the second half and to lose to an own goal in the end was disheartening.

“Ramsgate, as well, we dominated parts of the game. 

“We keep making individual mistakes, which are costing us.  Last year, you could possibly get away with it in the Kent League but you can’t get away with it when you step up into the Ryman League.  What we’ve been punished for are your own mistakes.”

Porter added: “You want a little bit of luck along the way, we haven’t had that.  We hit the bar twice on Monday and scored an own goal on Saturday, so we’re not getting the luck but it will turn.  There’s a long way to go, we’re still working on things, we’re trying a few things out with players in certain areas.

“We’re a good bunch of lads’. We all want to do well.  We’ve all got the right motivation and I’m sure we will turn the corner.”

Porter added more firepower to his squad in the form of James Dryden, 31, who scored a record 138 goals for Folkestone Invicta.

“Jimmy is a friend of mine and Martin Chandler, the coach, and he knows quite a lot of the lads anyway and when he became available he asked to come down to train and we had a chat and he’s a member of my squad now and he’s a Hythe Town player,” said a delighted Porter.

“I’m sure we can get him back to his best.  He’s produced a game and a half and he played ok.  He needs a little bit of work on his fitness but I’m sure a new challenge is good for him at this time of his career.”

With Brendon Cass, Craig Thompson, Lloyd Blackman and Simon Austin also on the books, Porter has quality up front.

He said: “We’ve got that depth and you’ll need it, it’s as simple as that.  We’re still trying a few things out, but we just need to stop the mistakes really as we’ve got a lot going forward.  We just need to be a bit more clinical in front of goal and the lads’ know that.  We do work with a lot of things in training and we’ll continue to work harder and harder each week until we get it right.

“That’s the way forward with us and I’m sure it will turn.  Hopefully it will turn this week.”

Visit Hythe Town’s website: www.hythetownfc.co.uk

Chessington & Hook United  v  Hythe Town
FA Cup with Budweiser Preliminary Round
Saturday 3^rd September 2011
Kick Off 3:00pm
at Chalky Lane, Chessington, Surrey KT9 2NF