GO AD-FREE. Get 2 Months Digital Subscription for ONLY £1! Use code 2FOR1
GET STARTEDMore on KentOnline
GO AD-FREE. Get 2 Months Digital Subscription for ONLY £1! Use code 2FOR1
GET STARTEDMore on KentOnline
The Isthmian League season gets under way on Saturday with plenty of Kent teams hoping to enjoy a successful season.
Many will have promotion or play-offs in their sights as they return to competitive football after six months away due to Covid-19.
For an expert’s viewpoint, former VCD and Thamesmead manager Keith McMahon delivers his verdict – and he’s got high hopes for many of our sides in both the Isthmian Premier and Isthmian South East.
Plus, we've spoken to every manager so either click on your team's name or see the links at the end of this story to read the views of each individual boss.
They had a great season last year under Neil Cugley and they’ve added a couple of decent players, including Adem Ramadan, so they’ve recruited well. I’m expecting them to be in the top two or three. Neil has a settled side, they are a big club and will be really strong. Cugs has been there for what seems forever but it shows what a good manager he is and how much the club relies on him.
Tony Russell has done a great job at Cray and, probably a bit like Folkestone, they were gutted that the season ended when it did. In Joe Taylor they’ve got a centre-forward who scores goals for fun, and they play the game the right way. It’s such a difficult league but I’m expecting them to make the play-offs at least – they will be the team to beat along with Folkestone and Worthing. They’ve got the new ground to look forward to and the club has a real buzz about it.
I feel for Jay Saunders a bit, they struggled a touch last year but they’ve added Jamie Coyle to the staff. I don’t know if they’ve got the budget post-Covid as they’ve lost a few players unfortunately. They are a good club with a lovely 3G pitch. I don’t think they will be down the bottom but the play-offs might be too far away for them.
It’s been a difficult time for Tommy Warrilow as they’ve lost a few players from last year, the likes of Mo Kamara, Jay May, Lee Prescott and Jake McIntyre but he has recruited well. Bradley Sims is a good full-back and in Sam Mott they’ve still got the best keeper in the league for me. Jack Steventon is another good addition along with Johan ter Horst from Folkestone. They were gutted when the season ended last year but they’ll certainly be in the play-offs for me this time around.
Cray were second on points per game last season and I think they will win it this time – he won’t thank me for saying that. Kevin Watson has recruited really well with the likes of Connor Dymond and Ade Yusuff. They’ve got a lot of pace and strength, they’re a really well-drilled side. Ade will give them what they need up front, when he is on fire then he’s really impressive – that’s what they needed.
It’s the first time that James Collins can really call this his own team. He has got a few new faces in but I think he might be a little bit short. I’m sure their FA Cup win will give them plenty of confidence. They are a big club with a great committee and supporters so hopefully they give him time but if I’m being honest then I think the play-offs might be out of their grasp this year.
They are a really good side – they’ve got so much power and pace. They lost at Hastings in the FA Cup and had their keeper sent-off so hopefully that doesn’t impact them too much. They’ve got the top striker at this level in Zak Ansah as well, he wins games on his own. I’m also a big fan of Tom Carlton in midfield. They will be pushing for the play-offs for sure and teams might struggle to cope with their pace.
They are a very experienced side with the work Steve Watt has done there. They are a big club and their front three are well proven performers. It will be interesting to see how covid has affected them as a club. I expect, with Steve in charge, that they will challenge for the play-offs this year.
It’s no secret that I’ve helped Paul Bryon in the summer and I think they will surprise people this year. They’re a good well-run club and they’ve added Joe Ford to their management team. They’ve lost a few with three players going to VCD but they’ve recruited even better for me. They’ve looked good in pre-season and if they can get their target man back from injury then I think they’ll be the dark horses and will do well on limited resources.
Matt Longhurst has recruited a lot in the summer but Roman Campbell is out for a few months which is a big blow. They are a big club with good support and I hope they can do well. Like Faversham, he has the chance to mould the team his way. I didn’t see their FA Cup result coming so hopefully they can bounce back from that nice and quickly.
Sevenoaks are a really well-run club with a nice chairman in Paul. They’ve done everything right off the field to get back up and running and while they’ve lost a few, they’ve recruited well. I expect them to be top 10 and pushing for the play-offs. They had a good performance in the FA Cup and they also starting to get a good following down there now.
It will be interesting to see how Darren gets on. He has recruited quite a few players, including the likes of Kane Rowland and Andy Drury, and I didn’t expect them to get thumped at Deal in the FA Cup. Darren is a good lad and hopefully he can build a good side. Covid has affected some clubs and hopefully they don’t fall foul of that, I think they will finish mid-table.
Obviously, my old club. Nick Davis has gone there and built a new side. They’ve got three lads in from Phoenix, Lea Dawson is an excellent player – one of the best midfielders in the league - and Paul Vines will score goals wherever he goes. They’ve got lots of experience which is probably the opposite of what happened when I was there. I don’t know what to expect but they will want a positive start to bounce back from their FA Cup defeat at Cray Valley.
I like Lloyd Blackman as a manager and Whitstable Town is a club very close to my heart – going back to when Marc Seager was there and we had battles together at the top of the Kent League. It’s a lovely club with good supporters and Lloyd is a good manager. It’s hard for Whitstable to compete financially but they will look to surprise a few clubs. Hopefully, they will do well and if they can get off to a decent start then it will be interesting to see how they get on.
Click on the links below to hear from each manager:
Keith McMahon co-presents the The Straight Talking Reposs Non League Show every Monday from 7-9pm.
