We will not spend money we haven't got, says Whitstable chairman - EXCLUSIVE

Just fourteen days before Whitstable Town’s eagerly awaited Ryman League debut, chairman Mr Tony Rouse has vowed not to put the club’s future in jeopardy by over spending their budget, writes Stephen McCartney.

Marc Seager, in his first full season as a manager, led the club towards the Kent League title, Kent Senior Trophy and were runners-up to Thamesmead Town in the Kent League Cup last season.

And everyone at the club are looking forward to their first ever Ryman League game, when Eastbourne Town, a side that clinched promotion from the Sussex County League, visit The Belmont on Saturday, 18^th August.

Mr Rouse, 60, believes the club can attract crowds of over 250 to their ground in Belmont Road to watch their new adventure.

But he insisted that the club will not overspend, but on their chances, Mr Rouse will assess them after their opening four games.

Following their clash with Eastbourne Town, Whitstable Town travel to Metropolitan Police (Tuesday, 21^st August), and relegated side, Walton & Hersham (Saturday, 26^th August), before the club aim to break their record attendance against the division’s giants.

Andy Hessenthaler’s Dover Athletic, tipped to secure the championship this season, visit on Bank Holiday Monday, 28^th August, and Mr Rouse is expecting a crowd of over 2,000 to flock through the turnstiles at The Belmont.

A crowd of 1,114 watched Margate win a FA Cup second qualifying round tie at the ground last September, but Mr Rouse isn’t looking any further than that.

“I think it’s going to be a measure of how our season’s going to go after we’ve had four games,” he said EXCLUSIVELY to www.kentishfootball.co.uk.

“And if you speak to me after we’ve had four games, and were sitting there with nine points or more, I would be absolutely cock-a-hoop.”

He added: “We’ve got a couple of tough games, a couple that, yes, we might fancy, but I think we’ve got a side that can equip themselves within the league.”

When asked what the club’s aspirations are, Mr Rouse, replied: “To still be a Ryman League side this time next season.

“Speak to my manager, Marc Seager, and Marc will tell you that he wants to win the league.

“I think we’ve got the ability within the club to do so, but to be absolutely realistic, and this is with my sensible hat on, if we were to finish where Horsham YMCA finished last year, which I think was about ninth, I would be absolutely delighted, thrilled to bits.”

Mr Rouse cannot wait to welcome Hessenthaler’s stars to The Belmont on August Bank Holiday - and their passionate followers.

He said: “We’re anticipating somewhere around two thousand (fans). We got 1,114 against Margate in the FA Cup (last season) and we think that sort of following that Dover have got coming to Whitstable, it’s going to be a big crowd, and we’re really looking forward to it.”

Firstly, the Oysterboys have to kick-off their Ryman debut with, hopefully, a win over Eastbourne Town.

“It’s going to be a big game for both clubs,” admitted the chairman. “I mean, like us, they’ve been promoted, and it’s ironic that all of a sudden these fixtures throw up these real little quirks, the two new boys meet each other.

“Nice for us that it’s on home turf, we’re so delighted about that.

“We’re very, very excited to be part of the Ryman League. There’s so many good things that are happening about it, Ryman TV, the higher profile that it’s going to give everybody and not least of which the quality of football that we know we’re going to face, so we’re really looking forward to it.”

Mr Rouse has issued a rallying cry to the people of the town to flock through the turnstiles to support the club.

“I sat down with my treasurer, Joe Brownett, whose also vice-chairman, and we looked at the fixtures and we looked at the attendance figures in Ryman South and we thought, right, we’ve done our budget and we worked things out.

“If we can average 250 throughout the league season, we’ll be absolutely thrilled to bits.

“We’re not a club that likes to break our bank for players. We pay expenses, we don’t pay wages, and that’s the way that we intend to go forward.

“It’s a learning curve, that’s all I’ve got to say. It’s going to be a tough learning curve, but it’s going to be fun.”

So can Whitstable Town follow in the foot-steps of both Ramsgate and Maidstone United, who have clinched back-to-back championships and have jumped from the Kent League into the Ryman Premier League at a rate of knots.

“Stephen, I do wish you hadn’t asked me that question,” replied Mr Rouse. “I would just say that was the topic of conversation at the AGM, the Ryman League AGM.

“Quite a few chairmen came up to us and congratulated us, which was lovely and saying “I don’t suppose you will be here for long, if you do a Ramsgate or a Maidstone?!”

But with a very good young manager at the helm in 35-year-old Marc Seager, maybe Kent can celebrate a unique back-to-back treble.

“It’s been well documented it’s the first time that the club’s won promotion in 121-years and that doesn’t sound right,” admitted Mr Rouse.

“I mean, the club’s been going since 1886, and never, never won promotion, and here we are, we’ve got our first step.

“Marc is absolutely committed to the club, as are all the people behind the scenes and his determined to move forward in management with the club.

“I think he’s an exciting manager, I think he’s a honest manager, he’s got a football brain and he’s got respect from his team.

“He knows the Kent League and knows Kent players and beyond, which is great, a great asset, it really is - because he’s played with them.

“He also has the contacts. I know he speaks to (Redhill manager) Tommy Sampson two or three times a week.

“He speaks to other managers as well, other chairmen throughout the leagues, and last season our association with Gravesend & Northfleet, now Ebbsfleet United, bore fruit.

“We had John Akinde with us and Jackson Ohakam with us and they came at a crucial time.

“We needed cover but it’s those sort of contacts that a quality manager needs to have, and that’s the sort of manager Marc is.”

Marc Seager, meanwhile, admitted that he’s gearing up for the big clash against Eastbourne.

“The 18^th is big for myself, big for the players, big for the club,” he said EXCLUSIVELY to www.kentishfootball.co.uk.

"The first ever game in the Ryman League. It took 122 years to get there, and to be at home is going to be a special day.

“But you don’t get nothing for a special day, you’ve got to get out there and work hard and do the right things, and hopefully we can start with three points.”

Seager, who has a very professional attitude, kept a level head during the club’s 23 league match unbeaten run last season, that helped towards clinching Whitstable Town’s first ever Kent League title.

And speaking about his aspirations this season, Seager said: “I don’t know, ask me that after about 38 games and I’ll tell you.”

He added: “I’ve got belief in my players, I think we’ve got a good side, but it’s new ground for all of us.

“We’ll just go and enjoy it and see where it takes us. We didn’t set ourselves any goals last year, and look what happened.

“I’m not going to start saying “I think we’ve got a good chance of winning (the league, but) there’s a bit of pressure on us after what Ramsgate and Maidstone United have done in the past, but they’ve had budgets.

“I haven’t got a very big budget at all and it’s great that the players have stayed because these players could go and earn more money elsewhere.

“But they’ve stayed because they want to play Ryman football.”

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

Whitstable Town v Thamesmead Town
Kent League Challenge Shield
Saturday 4^th August 2007
Kick Off 3:00pm
At The Belmont, Belmont Road, Whitstable