After reflecting on their third play-off heartbreak in four years, Ray Turner says the best is yet to come from his young Faversham Town team.

Philosophical Turner took a break from football this week but has already started plotting another assault on promotion to Ryman League Premier Division next season.

He vowed to learn from the controversial 3-0 Division 1 South play-off final defeat to Worthing, which saw two questionable goals and a dubious early red-card against the Lilywhites.

Turner said: “When you have bad experiences like this you can only try to come back stronger. You can’t let it beat you.

“It won’t get any easier next year, of that I’m certain, but I believe the best of this team is yet to come.”

Turner admitted it had been ‘tough to say goodbye’ to Charley Robertson who is relocating with his family but hopes to keep the remainder of his youthful squad together next term.

He said: “You can never be sure you can keep your squad together through silly season, but hopefully the players are happy where they are.

“We will have some time off and come back on June 28 and with maybe a couple of additions maximum, we’ll be ready to go again.”

Turner admitted the disappointment of another play-off defeat still stung, but claimed he had not considered stepping away.

He said: “It’s a great project. The past 10 or 11 years of my life have been invested in Faversham Town. I don’t know how long I’ll be here, it depends whether they get fed up of me, of course.

“I’d like to test myself as high as possible but it would have to be with a club that felt right. There is a lot of work to do here, but I’d like to do it with Faversham.”

He added: “(Red card victim) Luke Harvey was inconsolable after what happened and it’s for people like him and Ray Leader that have shown great loyalty to the club that I want to carry on.

“I’ve had loads of messages of support and Folkestone manager Neil Cugley said he had four years in the play-offs before they went up.

“The toughest thing is that we didn’t get beaten fair and square. Hopefully next year we can come back stronger and who knows, maybe we won’t even need the play-offs.”