Long-serving Sittingbourne secretary John Pitts has stepped down after 20 years.

Pitts and wife Sandra are going to Australia to visit their son Chris and his family early next year.

Leaving in January, they plan to spend more than two months Down Under.

Pitts, who will remain a director, was going to stay on as secretary until Christmas but decided to hand over the reins early.

He’s succeeded by Edward Lucas, the experienced former secretary of Whyteleafe and Ramsgate.

Pitts said: “I’m not giving the football club up - I want to make that clear.

“It’s purely I have a lot on and the secretarial side is just one aspect of what I do as a director of Sittingbourne.

“Secretaries at this level do the same job as someone in the Premier League - it’s really a full-time job for volunteers, which is what we are.

“There are a couple of reasons for standing down.

“My wife had a health scare after breaking her hip in August last year and it made us think there’s more to life than football.

“But the main reason is so we can go and see Chris and the two grandchildren.

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“We’re there until well into March - 63 days - but we also expect to go out there again while Chris and his family are living out there, which could be three years with his work.

“It made sense to bring in someone with experience and Edward Lucas is that man.

“I was going to continue until Christmas but I no longer think that’s necessary.

“He’s willing to take it on now but I’m there for a couple of months to help out before I won’t be able to.”

Pitts is best-known for his work as secretary but he’s also played an important role as treasurer. He'll be stepping away from that, too.

He added: “Twenty years is a long time but I love the club and feel we are going places.

“Winning the Kent Senior Cup in 2010 is a highlight. We were big underdogs going to Folkestone and we won 3-1.

“The fact we’ve stayed at step four, despite not having a benefactor, is another highlight although it would have been nice to have a promotion.

“Also, since I’ve taken over as treasurer, we’ve broken even every year, which is an achievement.

“We’re lucky the overheads are so much lower at Woodstock than they were at Bourne Park.”

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