After the 6-1 thumping of Phoenix Sports in the Kent Senior Cup First Round we now entertain Hythe Town in the Second Round. Meanwhile Hythe Town were defeating a makeshift Margate side 3-1 to set up this encounter.

Hythe Town was formed in August 1910 and started playing in the local junior leagues. They 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 the 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 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. In 2017/18 Hythe were heading for the play-offs until the 90th minute of their last game, when Corinthian-Casuals equalised to take the Cannons place in the knock-outs.

In the league, this campaign, Hythe have won two, drawn one and lost one leaving them in seventh place with seven points. Manager Sam Denly told Kent Online: “It should be nine points as Ashford were the only team who outplayed us.” It is unclear what this comment means and surely cannot refer to the August Bank Holiday 2-2 draw with Herne Bay when an 81st minute leveller from Zac Ansah salvaged a draw for Hythe, suggesting that, at best, the two sides were evenly matched, and neither side outplayed the other.

Ansah has so far this season scored nine league and cup goals, and they recently announced the signing of 18-year-old former Folkestone Invicta striker Euan Sahadow. He made 18 appearances for Invicta during his two seasons scoring two goals and has also turned out for Chatham Town and Deal Town. With an abundance of attacking options could this mean the departure of one of their summer signings?

Prior to Saturday’s FA Cup Preliminary Round tie at home to Tonbridge Angels Denly told Kent Online: “On our day we can be right up there with any team in the Bostik South East or Premier. There’s no pressure on us and that can only help us. I expect us to be competing in games like this. They are in the league above, but we are a good side ourselves.” Tonbridge won 2-0 whilst Bay were losing by the same score at Bostik Premier Leatherhead.

We will meet again next Tuesday (18/09/2018) at Winch’s Field in the Isthmian League Cup (aka The Velocity Trophy) First Round and the home league fixture is scheduled for Saturday 22/12/2018.