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New signing Frannie Collin believes Hythe Town can win the title next season

The chance to fight for another promotion was all the persuasion Frannie Collin needed to sign for Hythe Town.

Collin went up through the play-offs with Tonbridge Angels in 2011 and won the Ryman League Premier Division at Maidstone four years later.

He left Margate last week and is now hoping to help the Cannons reach Step 3 for the first time in their history.

Frannie Collin won the Ryman League Premier Division title with Maidstone Picture: Martin Apps
Frannie Collin won the Ryman League Premier Division title with Maidstone Picture: Martin Apps

Collin said: "The aim is simple - to get out of that league. The title is the main aim and play-offs if need be but they’ve been trying to get out of the league for a long time.

"Sam Denly said to me he wants to go with players who have got promotions under their belt and experienced it before. Maybe that’s something he felt they were lacking in the last year or two.

"I could have gone to a club in the league above or I could have gone for a little bit more money elsewhere but I’m 32 now and I wanted to go somewhere I’m definitely going to be challenging for promotion, not teetering around mid-table and not really doing anything.

"I haven’t had a promotion for a few years now and I want to be going into the last month of the season with something to play for."

Collin has scored goals everywhere he's gone in his career - well, almost everywhere.

He said: "To be fair, I’ve got a horrendous record against Hythe. I think I’ve scored once in about eight games!

"But I’ve known quite a few of the boys that have played there down the years and whenever I’ve played against them, they always seem to have three or four players I’ve played with previously and they’ve always said good things about the club.

"Lee Browning, one of my best mates, is going in as assistant coach so everything seemed to fit in perfectly."

Collin can't wait to begin a new chapter after a stop-start season at Margate.

"It was frustrating," he said. "I thought I had a hernia, then I was diagnosed with a groin problem so I had three or four different diagnoses for the injury and I couldn’t get it right.

"Fortunately I managed to get myself fit last few months of the season.

"It’s not really going to be a summer of rest for me because I’ve had three months of rest already!

"I’m trying to get myself as fit as possible and hopefully get Sam the promotion he needs."

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