Title-winning Deal’s final-day celebrations proved a fitting farewell to one of the club’s all-time record scorers.

Striker Connor Coyne is set to head for pastures new this summer after nine years at the Charles Sports Ground.

Scorer of 116 goals for the club, he started his 335th Hoops match in Saturday’s 3-0 Southern Counties East League Premier Division win over Stansfeld as captain - in front of a crowd of 1,598 - before he was taken off in the second half to a fitting ovation.

“He has been absolutely outstanding,” said boss Steve King. “It’s one of the first times that I have ever shed tears on the sidelines when he came off the pitch on Saturday.

“For nine years, he has run through brick walls for us.

“He’s a very good footballer - first and foremost - but his attitude and commitment has been unreal.

“At times when the club wasn’t absolutely flying, he had plenty of offers to play elsewhere. But he always stayed loyal and stuck with us, and even this season he hasn’t played a huge amount of football.

“That’s a credit to the other forward boys. He just hasn’t been able to get ahead of Aaron Millbank, Rory Smith, Ash Miller coming in, Wes Hennessey and Jamie Kennedy. They have all done well.

“But Coyney said to me all along that he was sticking it out until the end of the season. He said ‘I’m not going to spend this long at the football club and then not be around when we win something!’.

“For me, winning this league hasn’t been about this season. It’s been about eight or nine years. He has been a massive part of that.

“Winning the league this season has just been the culmination of all of that effort. It’s not like we built a brand new squad at the start of the year, spent loads of money and that squad got us up. It’s been an ongoing effort.

“Coyney deserves his medal and all the praise he gets.”

Former Dover Academy and Folkestone player Coyne has spent time on dual registration with Kent County League Premier Division Hawkinge to play regularly this term.

King added: “Hopefully, he’s still got a few more good years in him.

“He wants to go off and play regularly. We wish him all the best.

“He has got a lot of good friends at the football club. I’m sure he will be around when he’s not playing elsewhere. He will always be welcomed back.”

Ironically, Coyne was replaced at 0-0 by Wes Hennessey, who scored, while young
striker Jamie Kennedy got the other two goals.

Little would have dampened Deal’s celebrations in any event, but one more victory to cap the club’s remarkable season seemed the best way to end it.

King said: “We were at Erith & Belvedere last year when they picked up the trophy. We turned them over 3-0, you’re still getting the trophy but nobody likes to lose games of football.

“So, it was nice for us to get the win, to win 3-0 and play well, especially in the second half, in front of such a big crowd. It was perfect.

“We dedicated the day to Coyney. It was great for him to get that recognition in front of a massive crowd.”

Teenager Kennedy’s final double this campaign, having stepped up to senior football from the Hoops’ successful reserve side, continued his red-hot end-of-season form.

“We have worked with Jamie through the reserves in the last couple of years and given him stuff to work on,” noted King. “He had to be patient and wait for his chance this season.

“But he kept doing what we asked, which was scoring goals for the reserves.

“Then, when he got his chance, it probably took him a month or so to learn the ropes.
It’s always important when players come up that you’re a little bit patient with them.

“I don’t know exactly what it is but he’s got probably 11 goals in that amount of starts. Fair play to him.

“He lives in Deal and we want to produce local players who understand what the club
means to them, but are they good enough to get into the side?

“Jamie has shown that and, hopefully, that shows the pathway to other local players.”

Ex-Deal manager Tommy Sampson is holding a “selling and signing session” for his recently-released book ‘From The Den To Wembley’ in the clubhouse on Sunday, starting at 1pm.