Chatham boss Kevin Hake feels privileged to be playing a part in the club’s rise.

Mr Hake has been a major contributor, as chairman and first-team manager, overseeing improvements on and off the pitch since taking charge of the club in 2017.

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Attendances are continuing to grow and Chats - whose ultimate aim is the Football League - will be looking to go one step better than last season after missing out on promotion in the Isthmian Premier play-off final.

Chatham rounded off a busy pre-season with an in-house match on Monday night, which pitted teammates against each other.

“Our pre-season campaign has gone really well,” said manager Hake.

“We’ve had the usual high amount of games to make sure that everyone has the right amount of game time.

“It’s necessary to look at all players, both existing and new, to assess where they are.

“Performances in the games have been overall very good but as cliche as it sounds this counts for nothing because the real work start on Saturday away at Lewes and then quickly followed by a home game with Billericay.

“Team morale and bonding is as good as I’ve seen it and I feel that’s important as it can make that difference come the end of the season.

“We know this league is going to be tough but we will apply ourselves in the right way and look to always improve both on and off the pitch.

“We had the community day last week and you can see just how much it means to everyone at the club to be there.

“It’s a privilege to be a part of this and everyone at the club can’t wait for Saturday to come.”

Chats follow up that Lewes opener at home to Billericay on Tuesday night (7.45pm).

Last season ended with a play-off final defeat against Enfield Town - watched by a limited-capacity crowd of 3,000. The club had been attracting gates around the 2,000 mark in the regular season games before that,

Supporters got to meet and greet the players on Saturday before the team set off for a pre-season game at Herne Bay. The club’s Community Day included competitions on the pitch.

Chats won 3-2 against Steve Lovell’s Herne Bay side.

Youngster Sam Sene-Richardson scored late on for Chats after earlier goals from big summer signing Freddie Sears and another newcomer Kofi Anokye-Boad.

Chats are expected to be well backed by fans again this season with Hake adding: “The supporters have been unreal and the fan base is continually growing.

“There was real genuine excitement as the fixtures were released as everyone was planning their year around the games and that shows how far we have come.”

Prior to the season starting Chats have also announced the signing of goalkeeper Brad House. The 25-year-old was previously playing at Sutton United.

*Gillingham season ticket holders can watch Chatham Town league games at half-price.

Fans need to present their season ticket cards at the turnstile to get the discount, with adults paying £6 (£12 standard price), £4 for concessions and £1.50 for under-16s.