What price now, mid table mediocrity?

I'd give anything for the usual humdrum midtable mediocrity I've come to know and love over the last six years. On a personal note, its sadly true that my sixth Chatham birthday is coming up - that was a 2-0 win over Barton Rovers in the Southern League back on 16th April 2005. Time goes quickly.



Since then, we've generally diced with the drop at some point during the course of the season. I remember in 2006 coming back from the last game of the season, at Wingate and Finchley, ringing round the clubs to get some idea of whether we were safe. We were. And in 2007, it went to the final home game of the season. We always pull it together at the right time and pull away from the drop. Its a bit like we've got that BA pilot who bounced his jumbo into the grass at Heathrow at the wheels - it looks like we're heading for the not so bouncy tarmac of the A30, but then we just get over the fence and bobble about a bit. Hopefully, that's what going to happen this season too.



Mike Green has interviewed Paul Foley on Kentishfootball. You can read the interview if you go to the site.



Foley has been hinting about bad luck for a while now. I was getting a bit tired of it until I realised, on reading this, that its probably true. Losing Danny Penny before the season started was a big blow. We've since lost plenty of players. And the harsh winter, and the lack of Saturday home matches thanks to Maidstone's inability to own a ground nearly did for us. (If you're wondering what I mean, rewind to July when we discovered we would be playing in the R1S rather than the R1N. We were parachuted back into our "home" following Ashford's untimely exit, and given Ashford's fixtures. As they'd been sharing their Homelands ground with Ryman Premier Maidstone, Maidstone as the senior ranked team had the right to play home games on Saturday's. So we ended up with Tuesday night games so not clash with matches being played by a team playing at a dead team's ground. Good old non-league).



In short, the budget has taken a hiding. Its a shame that the club has had to do this, but we've never overstretched, and we've never paid wages we can't afford. Most Chats fans would rather see us financially prudent and in the Kent League than risk 117 years of Chatham Town FC.


Yesterday saw Chatham go down 3-1 at Fleet Town. The result leaves Chatham five points but just one place clear of the drop zone, having played four games more than 21st placed Corinthian Casuals. Every game for the rest of the season has to be that cliche of a cup final. The most frightening part is that our destiny is, to some extent, out of our hands. Even a win a game might not be enough depending on the Co-Cas. Its got to be a cup final grandstand finish - every game, get over the line, miss the A30, get the points. Do it for Paul Foley. Do it for the club. Every single person who considers themselves to be the red and black of Chatham needs now more than ever to show that we are Loyal and True. No division. We are all in this together, at the risk of sounding like a poor man's David Cameron (one particular MP in the town's springs to mind...) Lets start it with getting behind the lads on Saturday, very, very, vocally, and terrify Worthing out of getting anything. They were beaten 6-1 at home yesterday, so will be full of fire to put that one behind them. We need to put our own 1 and 6 statistic behind us (we've got one point from the last six games) and start the fightback now.

Come on Chatham - most players dream of playing in a cup final in their career. You've got nine in a row. Get out and win them.