Canterbury City chairman Tim Clark says the club are happy to have been accepted back into the Mitre Prostar East Kent Youth Football League after a year in the wilderness.

The club were blocked from entering teams into the EKYL in 2012 amid accusations of poaching players and managers from rival clubs but, after a year-long charm offensive, they were voted in by clubs at the league’s annula meeting last week.

Mr Clark said: “We would like to publicly thank the league. As far as the club is concerned, the events of last year are well and truly behind us.

“We have spent the year working closely with clubs in the other leagues and hopefully the misunderstandings of the past have been ironed out – it would appear so as we have been voted into the league by clubs.

“We are happy to be accepted into our local league and look forward to increasing our participation in community football – we’re advertising some open trials for youngsters who want to play for Canterbury City.

“We will stay loyal to the Ashford & District Youth Football League and the Kent Youth League, as well as the East Kent Youth League and we hope to develop teams of varying abilities in the different leagues.”