This one’s for you, Gee’er...
Chichester City boss Miles Rutherford has promised they will battle every week to make a success of promotion to their highest ever level of football – even if they can’t raise the money to boost their budget.
City will be in the Isthmian premier division – or possibly the Southern League premier – next season after beating Three Bridges 5-0 to win the Isthmian south east play-offs – something few, even among those at Oaklands Park, could have predicted at the start of the campaign.
Rutherford said City had probably one of lowest budgets in the league they’d just finished the season in – let alone in the next division up. But they’d give it a go whatever their finances.
He showered praise on his ‘unreal’ players for the late-season run that carried City to the play-offs. And said the declining health of assistant manager Graeme Gee, who died just three weeks before promotion had been sealed, had spurred them on.
Asked quite how they’d clinched promotion Rutherford admitted: “I haven’t got a clue! But there’s a lot of hard work now and the players know it.
"I’ve said to the players ‘We’re Chichester City and we’ve most probably got one of the lowest budgets in this league let alone the one above. But if we don’t find the money we’ll just go into it and we’ll battle every week.”
Rutherford said he thought any hope of a play-off place was over three months ago – before an ‘incredible’ run.
He added: “Twelve or 13 weeks ago Graeme Gee said to me he was nearly dying and was ready to go. And that spurred us on. But it shows the great character of the players – they’ve been unbelievable.
"Some have come from step five and Graeme Gee was the biggest influence in them coming. They love playing for the club. We’ll see if we keep them all – which I hope we will – and see where we go.
"We’re probably going to be in the same league as Havant and Waterlooville – the biggest team around the area – and Bognor.
"In the final, everything we hit went in. I’m so proud of them, and of Danny (Potter), Dabba (Killpartrick). We’ve so many who all do it for nothing. We’ll just see where we end up.”
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