Following his departure from Hollands & Blair earlier in the week, Scott Porter has been named the new boss at Play Off chasing Lydd Town.
In his first interview with KSN since returning to manage a Club he happily played for, Porter told us, “Because I have been successful at Blair and been there a couple of years, nearly going to two Cup finals, I just felt the time was right to move on.”
“We went out of the Senior Trophy to Croydon which was massively disappointing and hurt me a lot if I am honest as I thrived on the Cup competitions there because of the big margins between the top sides and Play Offs and the rest. The Cup game was massively important and once that was ended it proper dented me!”
Making the trip from Medway to the edge of Romney Marsh with Porter will be his backroom team of Mark Lane and Shaun Welford. Porter who lives in Folkestone said, “I was in talks with Lydd in the summer but did not feel it was the right time to do it, especially as we had just won the League Cup against Fisher. But now is definitely the right time!”
“I have got a lot of respect for Ryan (Smith, the Lydd Chairman), and Ronnie Dolan and Pat Lyndsey at the football club and have a lot of history. I want to be up there challenging and didn’t feel that was going to happen with Blair.”
“I think I’ve taken them as far as I can and I need a new challenge and to be only twenty minutes from home and the history that I’ve got with the Football Club, it was a perfect fit and with the quality of players that they’ve got, along with the resources, it’s right up my street and I’m buzzing to be involved.”
“To be fair to Blair, it was tough as your hands were tied and the margin was getting bigger and bigger! I am buzzing as I say to be back at Lydd and looking forward to the new challenge. We are in a great position to push on and the main aim without a doubt is to get into the Play Offs.”
Porter played for Lydd after he left Hythe Town and told us, “I went to the club when Andy King was the manager and then Dave Smith took over after that, who is Ryan’s Dad!”
“I have a lot of time and history with Dave. We won a Cup when I was captain when they moved to Lyndsey Field, and the Club has gone from strength to strength, and I am really privileged to be manager of the Football Club.”
Porter then spoke highly of previous manager James Rogers who also has played a significant part on the pitch for Lydd, and it is a role that Porter hopes he will continue to have.
He explained, “He is a massive part of the playing side most definitely! He’s a quality player and a good lad off the park, he has done a great job to do both jobs to step up to the SCEFL and I think has taken a lot of people by surprise. He is a massive part of our playing side, I have spoken to him, and it is all good.”
“I could never have done both jobs, I wasn’t that good to do both!” Porter laughed, “It’s got to be tough to be a player-manager; I’d never like to do it and will never, but it’s a full-time job alongside your normal job so it’s a role that I wouldn’t wish on anyone.”
The Porter era at Lydd starts with a home game against VCD Athletic at the weekend. “We beat them twice this season with Blair, but they have not lost in five and have signed some new players and are getting their rhythm together.”
“But in this League, anyone can beat anyone which makes it the toughest of the Leagues to get out of, it’s a really, really tough League which is why I never look at the table when I play teams as it’s irreverent, as you’ve “just” got to be the better team on the day to go and win the game! Simple as that, but we are looking forward to it as we take charge for the first time!”