Manager-chairman Kevin Hake is another step closer to his ultimate goal with Chatham - and hopes others will laugh a little less when he mentions it this time!

Chats will play in Isthmian Premier next season after they secured back-to-back promotions, winning the Isthmian South East title in their first campaign back at the level.

Hake has always insisted he wants to get Chatham into the Football League one day.

They’re nearly halfway there now, with successive crowds of more than 2,000 watching them do what they needed to against Ramsgate and Cray Valley to be crowned champions at the Bauvill Stadium.

“That was with Gillingham at home on Saturday as well,” Hake said of the attendance of 2,329 which watched them beat the Millers.

“We try to interact with them as much as we can.

“I said I wanted to get to the Football League - I’m now two promotions down and have another three to go. People will, hopefully, laugh a little bit less!

“We’re just pleased to play in the Isthmian Premier next year. It’ll be fantastic.”

Hake hopes the team’s recent success shows they are eager to match the passion of their growing fanbase, as he already has one eye on the 2023/24 campaign.

“They’re passionate,” he said.

“Medway people are passionate, we’re passionate, and hopefully we have matched it.

“I’m just pleased we are where we are and, now, we can start planning for next season already which is great.”

Hake conceded he had to make some tough calls this season despite sticking with some of last season’s promotion squad. They included striker Dan Bradshaw, defenders Dean Beckwith, Reece Butler and Ike Orji - who has signed for Gillingham - and Jordan Robins alongside captain Jack Evans, a fellow midfielder, as well as evergreen Matt Bodkin and player-assistant Danny Kedwell.

But they were the right ones, an impressive six-match winning run guiding them to glory.

“We’ve had to make some difficult decisions throughout the season,” Hake said.

“It’s not been easy.

“But if we wanted to succeed and not have a consolidation season, these are the tough decisions we have to make.

“We had to make a decision five or six weeks ago and we brought [back] in Danny Kedwell, Ashley Nzala, Che Krabbendam and Nathan Harvey, who we had to bring in as back-up because Ben [Bridle-Card, the regular keeper] was injured, as well as Paris Lock.

“They’ve all just performed brilliantly.”

There’s plenty for Chats to look forward to in Isthmian Premier, including hotly-anticipated Kent derbies against Folkestone and Margate, after they round off their league term at Littlehampton this Saturday.

Hake said: “There’s some massive teams in there and there will be teams coming down from National League South as well.

“We are just looking forward to testing ourselves against these guys.”