Grier's Guide to Herne Bay (and Ramsgate)
The match: Herne Bay v Kingstonian, Isthmian Premier. Saturday 27 August, 15:00. The game has now been switched to Ramsgate, due to delays in Herne Bay installing a new artificial pitch.
The club (Herne Bay): Founded in 1886 they spent most of their history in the Kent League, winning it five times. Having won promotion last year by beating Ashford in the playoff final, it's their first ever season at step 3.
The town (Ramsgate): Port town on the east Kent coast. Vincent van Gogh moved there at the age of 23, describing, "There’s a harbour full of all kinds of ships, closed in by stone jetties running into the sea on which one can walk. And further out one sees the sea in its natural state, and that’s beautiful."
The ground: Southwood Stadium, Price's Avenue, Ramsgate, Kent CT11 0AN. It has a good main stand and cover at both ends, albeit some distance from the pitch. Ramsgate have ambitious plans to improve it with a £2m new stand that would also include classrooms and office space. It has a 3G pitch.
Directions: High speed trains zip to the coast from St Pancras in only an hour or a quarter, with cheaper but slower options also available from Victoria. It's then just under a mile's walk to the ground. The drive will take two hours or more, with roadworks on the M2 potentially adding to the journey. You can park at the ground.
Tickets: £12 adults; £7 concessions; £5 13-18; £2 8-12. THey have an online ticketing site at https://hernebayfc.ktckts.com/brand/match-tickets although our game isn't on there at time of writing.
Recent form: They've started the season with a 1-0 loss at Potters Bar and then an impressive 4-2 win at Haringey.
Players to watch: Marcel Barrington, a full Guyana international who scored 20 league goals for Cray Valley last season. Barrington was pipped to the Div 1 SE golden boot by Herne Bay's Zak Ansah and now the two will team up as a formidable strike duo.
Our record there: Our only competitive visit to Ramsgate came in 2005, with a thrilling 3-3 draw against a side who'd go on to win the league that year. Herne Bay would have been a new ground for most Ks fans but we've also been there once: 31 years ago, when goals from Dave Pearce and Francis Vines saw us win there in the FA Cup.
Crowd: A club well and truly on the up, with 1,102 seeing their playoff semi win over Haywards Heath. But the half hour train journey from Herne Bay to Ramsgate won't help them for this game.
Drinking: Options roughly on the way from the station to the ground include The Conqueror Alehouse, a micropub, and The Australian Arms, which sometimes has live music on. There's a bigger cluster of pubs in the area around the marina.
Food: It's a seaside game in August, so it has to be fish and chips. Our longstanding Margate favourite Peter's Fish Factory also has a Ramsgate branch, although it's quite a detour to get there. Nearer the station The Delicious Fish Bar isn't modest with its name but reviews suggest it might be justified.
