After a professional career spanning more than 500 games over 15 years, it’s easy to assume that Kevin Horlock and Chatham seem a far from ideal match.

But delve a little deeper into Horlock’s background and it appears that Chatham might just have found their dream ticket.

The 42-year-old spent six seasons at Manchester City after leaving Swindon for £1.25million. It’s a background that seems a million miles away from Maidstone Road.

However, having finished his career in non-league circles, Horlock has remained in touch with the game at semi-professional level, working at Ryman League Needham Market while also taking on a coaching job with Northern Ireland under-21s.

“When I packed it in, I had a couple of injuries so retired from the professional game a year earlier than I planned,” reflected Horlock.

“I still had that urge to play and enjoyed the last two years when I played at Needham Market more than my final few seasons as a professional.

“I loved the fact that people got stuck in, there was no special treatment. I wore my heart on my sleeve and was suited to the non-league scene.”

But Horlock’s time in the non-league circuit was more than just winding down the clock on his career – he was instrumental in developing Needham Market’s academy system.

It was a measure of the man that he made sure that set-up was ready to cope with his exit.

“I was at Needham Market for seven or eight years, travelling up from Kent for the last two years as well,” explained Horlock.

“I stuck with it and have only left now the right people are in place to carry it forward. It all depends on results, of course I appreciate that, but I’d like to be sticking around here for a while, too.

“I think Needham were always aware that the day was going to come. I was travelling an hour and a half just to get there each day.

“I told them several weeks ago that I was thinking about stopping it. I said I wasn’t going to just walk out and they acted on it and got people in quickly.”

Ironically, it was the final game of Chatham’s soul destroying time in Ryman League, Division 1 North that struck a chord with Horlock.

He was at Maidstone Road on the last day of the season to see Needham Market’s 5-0 win clinch the league title for the visitors.

“I didn’t know a lot about them before that,” said Horlock, who moved to Gravesend two years ago.

“I went to the last game of the season because three of my academy lads were playing for Needham Market’s first team. I went to watch them and was massively impressed by Chatham as a club.

“I took my boy with me and the club had a really good feel about it. They were friendly on the turnstiles, the whole feel of the club was good and that was the impression it made on me.

“Chatham is a great job for anybody to have.

“It’s a good venue at this level. We’ve got a good playing surface now and a talented young squad. I know results weren’t good at the end for the previous manager but the defeats were only by the odd goal mostly.”

Horlock has played under some fine managers in his time but he singled out his upbringing at West Ham and former England manager Glenn Hoddle as key influences in his personal philosophy.

He said: “I was brought up at West Ham and they only know one way to play which is to keep the ball on the floor.

“I played my first senior football under Glenn Hoddle who is another football-man so that’s my background.

“I know that it’s OK playing attractive football but you have to win games.

“I’ll be looking to have discipline in the lads and to make sure they know their responsibilities and play attacking football.”