Herne Bay chairman Stuart Fitchie is relishing the start of his first season at the helm at Winch’s Field.

Mr Fitchie and manager Ben Smith have whetted the appetite of fans this summer by assembling an exciting new-look squad after arriving as part of a consortium takeover in May.

Bay begin their Isthmian South East campaign at Whyteleafe on Saturday as one of the division’s potential surprise packages.

“Overall on and off the pitch I’m extremely happy with how everything has been,” said Mr Fitchie.

“We’ve got what I believe is a great bunch of players and then off the pitch everybody is pulling in the right direction with a very similar vision.

“The support from the fans in the pre-season games has been amazing. We all can’t wait for Saturday.”

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On his relationship with Smith, he added: “We speak basically every day, whether trivial or important. We think very similarly which helps.

“We’re both on the same page, not just with Ben but also with Ben Brown, Tim Dixon and Mark Taylor who have been great.

“Everybody has been doing things outside their remit.

“Ben (Smith) has been jumping in and doing other bits at the club as well.”

Having kept a watchful eye over pre-season, Mr Fitchie has been encouraged by the impact of Bay’s new signings.

He explained: “I’ve been to every single game and training sessions as well, just because I like being around the players. I think it's great for me to be on that level with them.

“We’ve brought in some great players. Going forward we look great and at the back now we look solid.

“Obviously time will tell, at this level you don't really know how other teams will line-up until you play them. It's the nature of the beast in this league.

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“I honestly can’t wait. We’ve got a new recording device which Ben and the coaching staff can use to analyse performances so when the game has finished they can look back and assess where we might have done something right and something wrong, which I feel will be beneficial throughout the season.”

Mr Fitchie has also been dedicated to building a connection with supporters early on in his time at the club.

He said: “It’s the fans’ club more than anyone’s. Every match day we’ve had so far I’ve been speaking to different people, making sure everyone is alright and being one of them.

“On Saturday there was a Titch Willett Memorial Trophy which had previously been stopped and the fans asked me if it could be re-instated and I think it was a good thing that it was.

“We've got our stuff we need to do behind-the-scenes but when it comes to match-day we're all in the same boat and want Herne Bay to win.”

Bay, who host Phoenix on Tuesday, will be at home to Southern Counties East League side AFC Croydon Athletic in the preliminary round of the FA Cup, the tie to be played on August 24.

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