Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
‘My biggest achievement’
Skipper Laurence Harvey collected a long overdue winners’ medal of his senior football career as he led Herne Bay to an historic and memorable promotion. Centre-half Harvey says lifting the Isthmian South East playoff trophy after their 2-0 final victory at Ashford rates as the greatest moment of his playing career.
He revealed: “This is the biggest achievement to date for me.
“I know there’s players in our team who have won lots of things - won play-offs and cups - but for me, this is up there at the top.
“I was saying to my brother the last time I won a club trophy I think that was at under-9 level or something! “It’s been a while but it’s been worth it.”
A crowd of 1,865 watched the play-off final between the Kent teams at Homelands, with Herne Bay supporters flooding onto the pitch at the full-time whistle to join in the celebrations. “The fans, honestly, they are the best in the league for me,” Harvey said.
“Even when you say they’ve gone up a gear [recently], they have, but they’ve been superb throughout the season. “They make loads of noise and it gives you that extra push, doesn’t it? They turned up in their numbers on Saturday. “It looked like there was more behind the goal we were attacking than the Ashford end. Some of those fans, and all the fans in non-league, you have just got to admire them with all the travelling.
“To win the play-offs for them was special because they are great fans.”
Harvey admits the prospect of pitting his wits against other clubs at Step 3 during their 2022/23 campaign is an exciting one - but he hasn’t thought that far ahead just yet.
“It’s exciting, isn’t it? We will have to see,” he added. “I haven’t thought that far ahead, to be honest! “Once it sinks in, I’m sure I will do.”