Not many players spend 10 years at one club so Luke Wheatley deserves his moment in the spotlight this weekend.

The 28-year-old is preparing to walk out for his Ramsgate testimonial on Saturday afternoon having banked a decade of memories and made a host of great friends.

Wheatley made almost 300 appearances at centre-half for the Rams and now he's set to bid them farewell in style.

Plenty has changed since he first pulled on the red shirt in 2009 but can Wheatley believe it's really been that long?

"Yes I can," he said. "It feels like 10 years!

"We’ve had some ups and downs as a club and I’ve had some ups and downs with my injuries but don’t get me wrong, I’ve enjoyed it.

"I haven’t won trophies as much as I would like to have done playing for Ramsgate but we always had a really good dressing-room there. The lads have been great.

"I’ve had a lot of time for every manager that’s come in and I’ve worked really well under them, especially in the latter years where I was deemed a senior player. They’re the best points I take away.

"It definitely felt different as the years went on. You take a lot more responsibility and not just on the pitch because I always took a lot of responsibility from a young age playing in my position.

"As I got older, my responsibilities off the pitch included making sure the camaraderie between the team-mates was still happening, organising team nights out and things like that. You do take a lot on but I really enjoyed that part of it."

Wheatley saw plenty of managers come and go at Southwood.

"Jim Ward was one of the biggest characters in Kent football," he said. "He was certainly a character in the changing-room and every time you had an interaction with him as a player, it was quite a memorable one.

"You got a roasting at half-time, which was to be expected from Jim, but he gave them in the right way.

"You just had to adapt your game to make sure you weren't on the end of the hairdryer at half-time. But he was always within the mark, never went over the line. He was just firm but fair.

"Towards the end, Lloyd Blackman put a lot of time and effort into his structure and strategies.

"He was one of the better coaches I worked under and I really appreciated how much effort and time went into his preparation for games.

"I had some very close friends. I used to play with Curtis Robinson, Nick Treadwell and Joe Taylor - I was very close to those guys.

"I really enjoyed playing with Warren Schulz, who had a lot of quality in his game. He was a clever player as well.

"The whole changing-room, throughout my time at Ramsgate, there was a really good atmosphere in there."

Injuries were cruel to Wheatley, who suffered two broken legs during his decade at Ramsgate.

He said: "I was unfortunate with both of them but they’re part of the game. Everyone gets them and a lot of people get quite bad injuries but I’m happy with where I got back to both times.

"It’s part and parcel of the game unfortunately and my team-mates helped me along the way.

"Everyone who I was involved with at the club kept me involved and my family and friends were always very mindful of how I felt about coming back playing after each time. The support and infrastructure around me definitely helped me cope with that.

"I also have a lot of self-pride so I wouldn’t let myself be rolled over by an injury. I would always make a real good effort to try to come back to a certain level I was happy with and fortunately I was lucky enough to do so twice.

"As a player, I’m a lot wiser than I was when I first walked into the club.

"I was a very aggressive player when I first started out at Ramsgate. I didn’t lose that aggression but I used it in different ways.

"It was a very honest aggression when I was younger, faster and more agile but as I grew older, I learnt the game more and channelled that aggression into clever defending as opposed to making rash decisions.

"I’m happy with my progression. I had some decent players to play with who I learnt from and hopefully I’ve passed that down as well."

So were there chances to Wheatley to move on, and perhaps play higher?

He said: "I had half-conversations with management teams throughout my time at Ramsgate but I was quite a loyal player.

"I was happy at Ramsgate. It suited me and I’m sure it suited the club as well so there’s nowhere I would have forced a conversation with a manager."

Tickets for the testimonial, which kicks off at 3pm, are priced £5 adults, £3 concessions and £1 unemployed while under-15s get in free.

Wheatley said: "My team’s going to be full of ex-players, friends and some family who have all messaged me separately voicing their concerns about how fit or unfit they’re going to be, which is quite funny!

"I’m happy with the side I’ve got together. There’s no pressure on us to play well – I’ve reassured everyone it’s just a bit of fun which I’m really looking forward to."

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