SOUTHERN COUNTIES EAST: NEW HOME GIVES CANTERBURY GROUNDS FOR OPTIMISM

Chairman Tim Clark is hoping Canterbury City can put a tough season behind them after the club found a new home.

City announced last Thursday they have agreed to play at Sittingbourne’s Woodstock ground next season, with their current agreement at Faversham ending this month. Canterbury have had it tough recently and, in September, feared they would not be able to complete their Southern Counties East Premier Division campaign.

But the club have now secured their future for the next three years while, under manager Keith Bird, they have steered clear of relegation from the Premier Division.

Clark said: “Keith Bird came in and made some changes, and we have got some better results as a consequence. He is on board to help develop the squad.

“It’s been a really tough season and, at one point, we were not sure we could get to the end of it. No one wants to be looking at the prospect of relegation. “I think we can go into next season knowing there will be better performances on and off the pitch.

“It’s not a massive budget (the club will have), so we will not be competing for promotion, but it should be enough to be reasonably competitive and that’s the main thing.” With City facing the prospect of being unable to complete the season, a mystery donor stepped forward before another backer helped secure the club’s future for the next three years.

“We have got a couple of backers. If we had our own ground, I think there would probably be a higher level of investment,” explained Clark, who also thanked Mark Quinn of Quinn Estates for his support to the club. “There’s a reasonable level of investment but it’s nothing silly. Hopefully, it’s enough to keep us reasonably competitive.

“All credit to the people stepping in to help. It’s a medium to long-term commitment.

“We have got the mediumterm over the next three years and, if we can get planning (approval for a new ground in Canterbury), that will be the long-term. The move to Sittingbourne is the start of the medium-term plan.” Clark revealed City had been approached by Isthmian South East Sittingbourne, who offered to become their new landlords.

He enthused: “It’s good news. It’s a bit further away than we hoped but, obviously, we don’t have a lot of choice in terms of clubs that can host us, and Sittingbourne wanted to help. “They approached us to help, which was nice of them. It took a bit longer than we would have liked but we got it done in time in the end. “We had a couple of tentative discussions with other clubs but they didn’t go anywhere. “The Sittingbourne one got a bit of momentum behind it so we just focused on that one.” City have not played in Canterbury since 1999 and had shared at Faversham’s Salters Lane since 2018. The club hope to submit a fresh planning application for a new ground in the city within the next year.

On the field, City drew 2-2 with Crowborough last Saturday at Salters Lane, with Harry O’donnell and Rob Lawrence scoring as they came from two goals down. They visit Tunbridge Wells this Saturday while Faversham Strike Force are at Forest Hill Park.