We want to better ourselves, says Hythe Town boss Scott Porter

The Reachfields Stadium outfit finished in their best-ever position of fourth-place in the Ryman League Division One South, but their promotion hopes were dashed when they crashed to a 3-0 defeat at Faversham Town in the play-off semi-final at the end of the season.

Faversham Town went on to lose 3-0 away to Maidstone United in the final. The Stones clinched promotion back to the Ryman Premier League along with champions Dulwich Hamlet.

Hythe Town kick-off their new campaign with a home game against Tooting & Mitcham United on 10 August, before returning to Faversham Town three days later.

When asked what his targets are for the season ahead, Porter said: “Well you want to better yourself – it’s as simple as that!

“I’m not going to say we’re going to win the league or do this and do that. We want to better ourselves so that will speak for itself what we want to do.

“The likes of Faversham, us, Folkestone, we were all in the play-offs, so if you’re in the play-off’s this year you want to win the league – or the play-offs, it’s as simple as that.”

Reflecting on last season, Porter says he wants to get off to a better start this time around.

“We had a stop-start,” Porter admitted. “We were bottom of the league at one stage and then we went on an amazing run, sixteen games unbeaten and we fell against Faversham.

“The Faversham game knocked the stuffing out of us at the end of the season, but good job it was at the end of the season so we can start to sit down and rebuild.

“If you can help it you don’t want to go through the play-offs. It’s a cruel thing. The main thing is to get up there and stay up there. We worked hard from being up there after having a poor start.

Porter, meanwhile, is looking forward to working under a new chairman after Paul Markland stepped down after 12 years at the helm.

“You don’t have a break,” he said. “The minute the season finished the phone didn’t stop ringing.  It’s good to get the football side going. 

“It’s a new chapter for Hythe, there’s a lot of things going on. We’ve got a new main sponsor, a new commercial manager and a new chairman.

“The club’s set in the right way, the pitch is looking good. The club’s looking good.

“It’s exciting times for Hythe and it’s going for strength-to-strength each year with new things happening.”

Porter has been a revelation since he took charge of the club and he has turned the club from Kent League also-rans into Ryman League Division One South promotion chasers.

He said: “It’s been an upward thing every year and hopefully we can continue our progress this year

“I think there’s pressure on any manager. I set my own standards every year and I fulfil them every year and I set my own standards this year, hopefully we can do that.

“You don’t go out every season to make the numbers up. You progress, the side progresses, the football club progresses and you progress your managerial status.

“We’re looking to do that. It adds to the pressure but that’s football.  Football comes with pressure but that’s part and parcel of the game.”

Hythe Town, who thrashed Southern Counties East Football League side Ashford United 4-0 yesterday, continue their pre-season campaign when they travel to Kent Invicta League champions Phoenix Sports on Tuesday evening, before welcoming Kent Invicta League side Sutton Athletic to Reachfields Stadium on Saturday.

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