Scott Porter claims there is a good vibe at Whitstable in pre-season as he plots an immediate return to the Ryman League.

The Oystermen’s late revival under Porter last season came too late to avoid relegation to Southern Counties East League, Premier Division, although Porter is bullish about their chances of mounting a title challenge.

He said: “It’s good to be back, we’ve had good numbers and there is a good vibe about the place. Everything is settled.

“I didn’t need to change too much. We went down but we went out on a high at the end.

“Everyone has stayed except Sam Bewick. We have a lot of quality and hopefully I can add to it – I’m talking to a couple more.”

Whitstable host Faversham on Saturday (3pm) before Tuesday night’s trip to Phoenix Sports (7.45pm) as they prepare for their first competitive game – the FA Cup visit of Oakwood on August 6.

Despite the positivity, Porter was less than impressed with Town’s 2-1 defeat to Herne Bay on Tuesday night. Bay's winner arrived 14 minutes from time when Joe Nelder finished a neat move.

Porter said: “I was a bit disappointed with our energy levels. We gave away two soft goals but it was a decent test. We have got to get our mistakes out of our system before the start of the season.”

Town began their pre-season with a 1-0 win over Canterbury City on the artificial turf at Ashford on Saturday. The only goal came through a Craig Thompson header from a Stuart King cross on 18 minutes following a short corner.