Match Preview

Hythe Town was formed in August 1910 and started playing in the local junior leagues. Hythe were granted senior status and elected to the Kent League in 1977 winning the League title in 1988/89 by 14 points and setting a league record of 133 goals. Over the 12 seasons Herne Bay managed just five wins and seven draws against Hythe, the 12 defeats included 0-7 and 0-5 under Fred Saker. There was also a negative goal difference of 33. Town gained promotion to the Southern League but only lasted three seasons.

By 1991/92 money was beginning to run out and the club was put into liquidation soon after. A scratch side, as Hythe United, went into the following season’s Kent County League and negotiated continued use of Reachfields Stadium. After three seasons the club regained senior status and in 1995 were elected back into the Kent League. Herne Bay had the best of the 12 encounters with ‘United’, winning eight and drawing one.

In 2001 Hythe dropped the “United” suffix, reverting to “Town”. The 2010/11 season was possibly the most successful in the history of the club, when they won the Kent League Championship for the first time in over twenty years (on goal difference ahead of Herne Bay), and with it promotion to the Isthmian League Division One South. There had been 20 clashes with ‘Town’ who won half of them with Bay winning five and drawing five. In 2012/13 Hythe reached the Isthmian League Division One South play-offs but were defeated 3-0 by Faversham Town in the semis and three seasons later there was a similar fate by the larger margin of 7-0 at Worthing.

The ten previous Isthmian League meetings between the two sides have seen 4 wins apiece, with two draws. Three of those wins and a draw have been away. The five games, so far, at Reachfields have seen a total of 1132 attend, an average of 226 (high 278, low 184). Hythe are in 7th place in the Isthmian League attendance table (two below Herne Bay) with an average of 195 (high 351, low 116).

This match was originally scheduled for New Year’s Day but was called off due to a waterlogged pitch. On Monday 22nd January it was announced that manager Clive Cook was to be moved upstairs with former Bay boss Sam Denly replacing him. Denly had managed Herne Bay for 220 league and cup games in the Isthmian League between 2013/14 and 2016/17. He would be assisted by Gavin Theze with Steve Nolan as coach. At the time Hythe were 8th on 47 points, 10 off a play-off place. In his two game tenure Denly has overseen a 3-2 home win over South Park and a 2-1 defeat at Carshalton Athletic.

Hythe are now in 9th place, eight points and six position above Herne Bay, who have played two games less. The Cannons have had nine players sent off this season and were 9th in the latest Isthmian League South Respect table on 16/01/2018.

Results in the corresponding mid-week fixtures in Bay’s Isthmian League history have not been kind, a 2-2 draw at Sittingbourne in 2012/13 with goals from Jordan Agbajae and a Sam Bewick penalty and three defeats without scoring a goal. 0-1 away at Faversham Town in 2013/14, a 0-3 home Kent Senior Cup loss to Dartford in 2015/16 and a 0-1 defeat to Cray Wanderers at Winch’s Field in 2016/17. There was no game in 2014/15.

The return fixture at Winch’s Field is scheduled for Easter Monday 02/04/2018.