A new season, a new dawn?

The 2009-2010 season looms ahead. I choose the word loom, because is suggests something ominous on the horizon. For once, though, for those at the Sports Ground, Maidstone Road, Chatham (or, as its known to some of its regular visitors "the home of football", or "the theatre of slapstick comedy"), there is a buzz of excitment - almost optimism about the next nine months proceedings.

I'll make an assumption that if you're reading this, you are already somewhat versed in the ways of non leage football. That is, where the game is still played, to an extent anyway, out of love for the game, where the clubs do not seek to actively rip off every single paying punter, and where yes, the supporters are still supporters, and not "consumers". Don't get me wrong, the pitfalls of the Premier League are trickling down to the non league game, and threatening its very existance. Clubs with money will always do well - as an example, would the righfully respected AFC Wimbledon have done so well were it not for the enormous (relatively speaking) fan base that has funded their meteoric rise to the Conference national is seven years? They are though, a rarity - they can afford to be. For those who gamble on future success, its a different story. Only this summer we have seen one of the south east's most famius club's go to the wall - Fisher Athletic are no more, although a new club owned and run by the fans, who have been to the AFC Dons school of the method, have been entered into the ailing Kent League.

The money in the proffessional game, and the resultant market forces, are threatening football whole scale; player's wages throughout the game, even at semi pro level are vastly over inflated, and even us non league fans are starting to see the one club stalwart as a thing of the past. But I digress, although I'm sure I'll end up coming back to this through the season...

Chatham Town FC - a little known club, formed in the same year as Tottenham Hotspur, a club who for many seasons in the days of Victoriana, TB, Pea-soupers and the Crimea (well, later than that admittedly), in front of crowds that even the modern day Gillingham FC would be grateful for, are excited about the 2009-2010 season, and it could be argued, with good reason.

The last campaign, was for the most part, dire. In fact, it was mooted by many that a return to the Kent League was a distinct possibility, with relegation from the Ryman League looking increasingly likely each week. Something stirred though in February this year, when the Chats as they are know, went on an unbeaten run that took them to the end of the season, aided in no small part by the unearthed gem of a goal machine, Lee Barnett. Barnett, who at 22 has the look of a man ten years his senior when he is on the ball, in my mind, single handedly acted as the unibond that stuck the team together. He scored his first goal for the club having stepped up from Kent League minnows (and sadly now defunct) Slade Green, against Thamesmead Town in the home fixture on the 27th December. Barnett then went on to score 15 times in his next 19 outings, as Chatham went on to record their best league finish in 23 years.

Somewhat surprisingly, boss and general all round good guy (and Commercial Director!!!) Steve Binks was replaced at the season's end by rookie manager Alex O'Brien. O'Brien, who had been "helping out" for the duration of the unbeaten season finale, was something of a surprise appointment. A proper hard-man midfielder in the truest sense of the word, he had played briefley for the Chats whilst on loan from Dartford earlier in the season. Early suspicions about O'Brien (or AOB as some know him) and his abilities as a boss were calmed when he swiftly announced the retention of several key players on contract for the coming season, including Barnett, and, to my mind, he became a hero when he announced the capture of all round Chats legend, returning prodigal hero, Brendon Cass. Cass, who had infamously left Chatham for Dartford when the Darts were below Chatham in the league in 2006 went on to bag 81 goals in 134 appearances for Dartford, and helped take them back to the sort of position in the non league game that they have historically deserved. The idea of Cass and Barnett together is one that should be terrifying for Ryman 1 South defences this season...