Kevin Watson has agreed to carry on as Chatham Town manager for a fifth season.

Chats, who appointed Watson as Paul Foley’s successor almost exactly four years ago, narrowly avoided relegation from the Ryman League last season.

Watson expects the club to be moved from into Ryman League, Division 1 South – from the North division – this summer, which would mean less travelling and more Kent derbies in 2015-16.

He met with Chatham chairman Jeff Talbot last week and confirmed he would lead the team for that campaign.

Watson said: “We had a discussion about my vision and the club’s vision, to make sure they’re parallel and that appears to be the case.

“It’s something I feel is necessary in any walk of life, if you’re continuing something, that everybody’s pulling in the right direction.

“I’m a realist and if I didn’t think I was in a position to take the club to the next stage, I wouldn’t have agreed to do it.

“Any manager will tell you it’s a thankless task. We all do it for different reasons and I do it for the good of the club and the players.”

Chats survived by just two points last season in their worst campaign since Watson took charge in 2011.

He said: “It’s difficult to judge in terms of the timescale because every season feels like a fresh start with different challenges but I do think we’ve made progress.

“In terms of results, possibly not so much last season, which everybody is aware of. I’ve heard certain excuses about the playing personnel but I’m not one to make excuses.”

Read the full story in the Medway Messenger