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Faversham boss Ray Turner says the most eagerly anticipated derby with Whitstable in years will be ‘the one to watch’ in Kent this Saturday.
The Oystermen head into the game led by player/joint-manager Wayne Wilson with Dean Grant and Stuart King upfront – the trio having played at Salters Lane as recently as November and remain Town’s top three scorers this season.
Town go into the match outside the Ryman League Division 1 South play-offs on goal difference while Whitstable are 15 points from safety at the foot of the table.
Turner said: “I can’t wait. It’s the only Kent derby of the day and it’s a massive game – both clubs need wins for our own reasons.
“It is the biggest game of their season and hopefully will be the biggest gate of our season. It’s the one to watch. Both teams will be going for it and it should be a great game.”
Turner says he has no special plans for Wilson, Grant and King – who has vowed not to celebrate if he scores – adding: “I’m sure they will want to do well, but we’re not bothered. It would be disrespectful to their other players to focus on the ones who have been with us.
“I don’t hold grudges – I just want to deal with the players I have got. They are really up for it, and that’s good to see. Kieron Campbell has done well for us, he gave us a spark, but he’s our only player who has played for them.”
He added: “There should be no surprises, we don’t know as much about them, having not played them in our 30 games, but they should know everything about us and set up perfectly against us, there are no excuses for them.
“We have done really well the past few years but Whitstable are still arguably a bigger club. When I took over (in April 2011) our crowd was pretty much half of theirs. Sometimes I think people forget how far we’ve come in such a short time.”
Turner admitted Corinthian Casuals “seem to have one over us” after a third straight loss on the road, 3-1 on Saturday, and added: “Nothing we do seems to work there.
“If we had managed to score the first goal then I think it would have been a different story.
“We have 16 games to go and we need to get in the top five as soon as possible. I think we can afford to lose two more, maximum.”
The Salters Lane bar will hold a happy hour from 1-2pm.