Whitstable manager Richard Styles says he won’t be taking any extra emotions into his return to Tunbridge Wells.

Styles left the Wells for the Oystermen this summer and took several players with him.

He will make a quick return to the Culverden Stadium this Saturday but plans to treat the Southern Counties East Premier Division clash like any other game.

“I’ll be honest, I was expecting it to be the first game [of the season],” he said.

“It always seems that way.

“I’m not taking emotions into it, it’s another game. There’s some good people there at Tunbridge Wells who we are not working with any more.

“But it’s all about Whitstable Town for us now and what Whitstable are doing.”

Strikers Matt Gething and Fjord Rogers, alongside winger Kyron Lightfoot and new Whitstable captain Freeman Rogers, are some of the players to follow Styles to The Belmont.

But Styles, who may be without frontman Harry Stannard after his red card at Three Bridges, trusts his troops to not let the occasion get the better of them.

He said: “I trust them to do that. I know their mindsets and their mentalities.

“We have bigger things to think about than just playing Tunbridge Wells.

“We have made a decision to represent Whitstable so that’s what we’ll be focusing on.”

Luke Carpenter is now in charge at Tunbridge Wells having worked with Styles as a coach - both at the west Kent club and Lordswood.

“I wish him all the best, I thought he would get the job anyway,” the Oystermen boss said.

“It is what it is.

"He will want to beat me on Saturday but I will want to beat them, too.”

Whitstable were knocked out of the FA Cup in the Extra Preliminary Round last weekend, losing 3-0 to Isthmian South East Three Bridges.

Both sides were reduced to 10 men as Stannard and Callum Donaghey were dismissed after a challenge on Whitstable defender Tom Mills by the home player resulted in a scuffle.

Styles reflected: “The result looks a lot worse than it was.

“First half, we played really well, they scored a goal that was a bit of a freak.

“The sending-offs really changed our game-plan.

"In the second half, had we scored, we felt we would win the game. We made decisions we had not planned to make but it is what it is.

“It’s all learning experiences.

"But at the same time, I’m happy to have a day like that in the FA Cup rather than in the league.”

Styles also confirmed the club have appealed against Stannard’s suspension, saying: “We are waiting on Harry. There’s going to be a decision on Friday, I believe.

“But other than that, it’s a full bill of health and everyone is ready to go.

“We have the footage and everything [of the incident which led to Stannard being sent off] so fingers crossed.”

Styles’ side played a friendly against a National League South side on Tuesday.

“That allowed us to work on a few things, that was really invaluable for us,” he added.

“We probably got more out of that than we would have from training.

“Players prefer games to training, so they are not going to be upset about playing games.

"It sets us up really well.”