‘Graeme said he was ready to go … that spurred us on to win promotion’
Chichester City boss Miles Rutherford has promised they will “battle every week” to make a success of promotion to their highest 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 even the Southern League Premier South – next season after beating Three Bridges 5-0 to win the Isthmian Division 1 SE play-offs last Friday.
That’s something few, even among those at Oaklands Park, could have predicted at the start of the campaign.
Riutherford 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 high praise on his ‘unreal’ players for the late-season run, including a run of 11 wins and two draws in 13 games, that carried City to the play-offs.
And he said the declining health of assistant manager Graeme Gee, who died just three weeks before promotion had been sealed, had spuured them on.
Asked how they’d clinched promotion, Rutherford confessed: “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, who briefly returned from a family holiday in Alicante for the final, 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 a little bit. But it shows thegreat character of the players – they’ve been unbelievable.
"Some have come 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 we’ll 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. It’s unbelievable.”
Rutherford, who left his role as Moneyfields manager in 2015 to take over at Chi, had seen his side stun runners-up Ramsgate (who finished 20 points ahead of Chi) 1-0 away in the play-off semi-final four days earlier.
"Ramsgate deserved to go up – they were if not the best team, the second best team in the league,” he declared. “I feel sorry for them because they battered us two weeks before we played them in the play-offs.
"In the final at Three Bridges everything we hit went in and I’m so proud of all of them, and of Danny (Potter), Dabba (Killpartrick). We’ve got so many who all do it for nothing. Dabba has brought belief to all the players. We’ll just see where we end up.”
Rutherford said Jimmy Wild – whose goals inspired the late run of wins to the play-offs – had been ‘exceptional’ and was unlucky to get injured in setting up the opening goal in the play-off final.
The manager added that his back four – Ryan Davidson, Rob Hutchings, Connor Cody and former Portsmouth defender Curtis Da Costa – had been ‘unreal’. *
Chi City coach Danny Potter relished their playoff final triumph – and said the hard work lying ahead of management and staff would now begin in earnest.
We’re probably going to be in the same league as Havant and Waterlooville – the biggest team around the area – and Bognor. It’s unbelievable
Potter, who joined Chi’s staff when Miles Rutherford and Graeme Gee were appointed as manager and assistant almost nine years ago, described an evening when City beat Three Bridges 5-0 to clinch a shock promotion as ‘overwhelming’.
He said the management had told the players some years ago they wanted to get them to step three of nonleague – whether as players moving up with other clubs or as a unit with Chi.
Potter said belief had grown as the season had gone on and Tuesday’s semifinal win at Ramsgate was probably the biggest step towards achieving the prize.
He spoke about Graeme Gee, who died just 22 days before promotion was clinched, and said his influence was still very much being felt in the dressing room.
And his message to the chairman Andy Bell? ‘I think he’s going to have a bit of a headache.’
*
City coach Darin Kilpatrick dedicated the promotion to Graeme Gee and others connected to the club who’d passed away during the season.
He added: “In all the years I’ve been involved in non-league football, I’ve never met a bunch of lads like this in my life – ever, ever.
"If my son turns out to be like these players, I’ll be a happy faither.”