Lydd Town manager Scott Porter on his side’s Southern Counties East play-off bid after picking up first win
Published: 05:00, 23 February 2024
Scott Porter says Lydd need to go on a “massive run” as he searches for another promotion.
Porter picked up his first win as Lydders boss on Saturday with a 2-1 home victory over former club Hollands & Blair.
Harvey Welford and Jack Nelson struck as the hosts bossed the first half, with Devonte West replying after the break.
Porter won Southern Counties East with Hythe in its Kent League guise and achieved a second promotion with Whitstable.
He wants to make it a hat-trick but with Lydd 12 points off the play-offs after the weekend, there’s work to do.
“We need to go on a massive run now because a lot of the teams in and around us are playing each other and we need to capitalise on that,” said Porter, whose side are 11th.
“It’s pleasing to get my first win and now we have to kick on.
“It hangs over your head, the longer it takes, so it’s important to get that win. We should have got a couple of wins in the previous four games but no game is easy.
“We’re trying to put a structure in place to be good in both boxes but we need a bit more from everyone to do that.
“We’ve just got to try and win as many games as possible.
“Our aim is to get in the play-offs - it’s simple as that - but a lot of teams want to get in the play-offs.
“Until you’ve been in this league for a long time, as a player or manager, you don’t realise how hard it is to get out of.
“I keep telling people who’ve played in the league above you don’t don’t get any time on the ball in this league.
“There’s a lot of young athletes and they make it hard for you.
“It’s definitely my aim, to get another promotion.
“That was the intention and the excitement of coming to Lydd, to be able to compete with the top boys.”
Lydd welcomed back Johan ter Horst from injury but were still short on numbers against Blair, naming only three fit substitutes on their five-man bench.
They got through the game but Porter knows reinforcements are needed.
“It was a game of two halves,” he said.
“We were good in the first half and then we ran out of legs again, as I knew we would.
“We’re light on numbers, with a few injuries and a lot of suspensions, so we’re trying to get one or two in.
“We haven’t got the strength-in-depth that we need but we’ve recognised that.
“If we can get one or two in and get players back from injury and suspension, we’ll be strong in every area.”
Lydd are at Fisher on Saturday (3pm) and visit Rusthall on Tuesday (7.45pm).
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Craig Tucker