Herne Bay go into the final ten games of the season on the verge of securing an unlikely Play Off spot in Bet Victor South East following last weekend’s 2-1 derby win with ten men against Sittingbourne.

“Certainly, wasn’t a game for the purist!” admitted Bay boss Ben Smith when he spoke to KSN this week.

“It was tough to stand up on the pitch and the club deserves credit that we got the game on at all. It was a scrappy game but very eventful which made it hard to get any rhythm going.”

“Pleased to get the result as I’ve always said that it’s difficult for clubs here in Kent in this League as there’s so many derbies.”

“It was like a Cup Final for them at the end as they were throwing bodies forward – it was a big test of character and we came through it and I’m obviously delighted!”

“I thought we looked really dangerous going forward, especially when you’re playing nearly half a game with ten men that was some going – the energy levels required to do that were high…”

Brown moved to Herne Bay after guiding Canterbury City to last season’s Vase Semi Final and told KSN, “I’m as hungry as ever – the thing here is that it’s a foundation and this club can grow.”

“This isn’t a small club in this League – you just have to look around – the facilities stand up to anything in this League. We’re getting good crowds – it was 400 last week – and our gates are up by over one hundred.”

“We’ve got some great supporters – there’s an awful lot going for the football club; we’ve got an ambitious Chairman – everyone wants the Club to push forward now.”

“Who knows how long we’ll be at this Football Club for and we want to leave a mark – I say that to the players!”

“Players move a lot these days but when you’re at a Football Club, leave your mark! And these players slowly are at this Club! The fans loved the last set of players who were here for a couple of seasons, but these boys are bringing that feeling back to the Club, and long may that continue!”

“I’ve played for the Club; Ben Brown (my assistant) did as well – a lot more than me – we’re local boys and it’s a club that we can push forward!”

“Our ambition is to get out of this League – that comes across as “arrogant”; I know that! But if you’re happy with finishing mid-table, what’s the point? We’re enjoying the ride and we’ll just keep pushing and pushing and pushing and if it doesn’t happen, it won’t happen. But we’re certainly pushing in the right direction!”

“We’ve gone behind a lot this year – we were three nil down in a game and then scored four in seven or eight minutes – we’ve got that ability when we’re “at it” that we’re strong and if we can get that more often we’ll be there or thereabouts.”

“Saturday’s points took us over the fifty points mark and it’s looking good for the club!”

Indeed, going into Saturday’s trip to Homelands to face Tommy Warrilow’s Ashford United – who currently sit second in the table – Brown’s side currently occupy the final Play Off place as the Bay’s unlikely post season push continues. “The thing for us is that it’s not difficult or easy for us – no-one put us in the market for a Play Off spot,” Brown admitted, “we’re not really talking about it in the dressing room.”

“I don’t mind talking about the Play Offs but we’re just taking it game by game – I said all along when I first came to the Club that it will take us a few months to get a squad gelled and it took longer than that – it’s still a work in progress; we’ve got the core of the players we want in there now.”

“Teams just don’t happen overnight – just look at Ashford last year; it took them a while and suddenly they burst through at the end to get into the Play Offs and look at what they’re doing this year.”

“And so, for us it’s steady growth – we want to keep improving and if we can sneak into the Play Offs this year then we’ll have a good push next year!”

“We’ve got players who can hurt teams – we’re lively going forward so we should have a chance in most of the games that we play…”