Dreams turned to reality for title-winning Faversham Strike Force boss Stuart Benfield and club founder Gary Axford on Saturday.

The Force held their nerve after going behind and again as they faced a barrage from SC Thamesmead in the final minutes to see out a nerve-wracking 2-1 victory in front of a club-record crowd of 330 that sealed top spot and promotion to the Southern Counties East League Premier Division.

Benfield revealed he and Axford, who he replaced as manager in 2023, with Axford now Strike Force’s club manager, had first spoken about Strike Force playing at Step 5 in their Kent County League days, with their men’s team only having been established 13 years ago.

Now, those dreams have become a reality.

“Gary started the club in 1999 and he has been a big part of the side since,” said Benfield, who himself has had almost two decades with the club. “Our dream when we were in the Kent County League was to get into the SCEFL Premier Division.

“To be together on Saturday, looking back at what we have achieved, that was just unbelievable.”

It’s a remarkable achievement for a club with no player budget or ground - and marked their last league game at Faversham Town’s Salters Lane for the foreseeable future, ahead of their ground-share with Whitstable Town from next season.

Benfield said: “It’s a phenomenal achievement.

“From where we have been to where we are now, it’s incredible. We have kind of gone under the radar all season, which suited us.

“It was a bit of a roller-coaster on Saturday.

“Thamesmead, with nothing really to play for, didn’t read the script! We had to dig deep.

"In the first half, we looked nervous but, in the second half, we just kept fighting.

“To do that in front of a crowd of 330 people was just incredible.”

Title glory marked the perfect way for Strike Force to end their ground-share at Faversham after three seasons at Salters Lane.

“It’s been great at Faversham,” noted Benfield. “It’s been fantastic, playing in our town.

“But an opportunity to move that we couldn’t turn down came up. We’re looking forward to playing at Whitstable.

“It’s great to work with a club that has the same drive and passion to develop young players within our football clubs.”

On a historic day against Thamesmead, Benfield’s men had put in a nervy performance, allowing the visitors to control the first half and open the scoring after 20 minutes.

But the hosts found a second-half equaliser via an own goal.

Then, a shot was parried by the Thamesmead keeper and Alex Willis - a striker back at the club where he came through the youth system - slotted in to give them the lead.

Benfield said: “We have got five or six that have come through our youth section and another four or five that have come through at Faversham Town. It shows what we have got in the town.

“For Alex to score the winner, it was like the script was written.”

A gutsy if agonising rearguard action followed but the Strike Force defence held firm - and the full-time whistle was met with ecstatic scenes.

“The referee added on six minutes,” recalled Benfield, who has ex-Whitstable No.2 Craig Coles among his management team. “I’m not quite sure where he got six minutes from, but the boys were brilliant. They dug deep.

“It’s a fantastic achievement for them, for myself and my management team, and for the club as a whole.

“We targeted the play-offs this year, which we felt was achievable. To go one step further, that’s just phenomenal.”

Showing that level of resilience wasn’t exactly a new feature of Faversham Strike Force’s game.

“We have done that all season,” Benfield confirmed. “We have managed to keep 16 clean sheets which, at this level, it’s probably unheard of.

“We have only lost four league games, as well. What we have done is we have worked our way into a lot of games.

“If you can’t win the game, make sure you don’t lose it, and that’s what has made the difference.

“Harry Earls has pulled off some great saves.

"Even on Saturday, he made two crucial saves and, if we had gone 3-0 down before half-time, that’s a completely different story.”