The Transformation

A collective groan can be heard from the Sittingbourne FC faithful as the Whitehawk players celebrate their second goal which has all but wrapped up a hard-earned three points on the road.

It's a goal of Sittingbourne's creation, with the keeper smashing a clearance into the onrushing Whitehawk no.9 which sees the ball ricochet and roll into the empty Sittingbourne net. 

A new frustrated figure in the dug-out is Ryan Maxwell, confirmed as Manager and Director of Football after the match, stomps his feet and turns away in absolute disbelief.

The comically written goal sums up Sittingbourne FC’s 2022/2023 season in a nutshell.

The effort and the work rate were there in abundance but that only gets you so far in football.

The team desperately needs a win. 

English non-league football has re-surged into the sporting headlines thanks to the success of Wrexham FC under the new ownership of Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. 

Take the close to five hour drive to Sittingbourne FC's home ground, 'The Woodstock', there is another story of footballing success in unusual circumstances that has gone under the radar. 

A mid-table position in the Isthmian League's South East Division hardly screams of success. 

But anyone who has driven down the windy country roads to reach the outskirts of Sittingbourne to watch the Brickies this season will tell you it is a miraculous achievement. 

The club has been a mainstay in non-league football in Kent since the club's formation in 1886.

A decade later Sittingbourne joined the newly formed Kent League which was formed in 1894/95 and contained large clubs like Arsenal and Millwall.

If we fast forward back to the winter of 2022/2023 Sittingbournes' position in the Isthmian League's South East Division seemed inevitable to come to an end. 

Sitting in the automatic regulation places the 'Brickies' had not won a football match in ten games.  

Adding to the chaos Sittingbourne’s manager, Nick Davis, left the club by 'mutual consent'.

John Pitts, one of the Company Directors on the Sittingbourne board, knew that something had to be done to stop the club from being regulated.

"It fairly obvious that if we didn't do something then we would have been regulated, which would have been a death knock for Sittingbourne as a club."

Whilst Wrexham could call upon the Ryan Reynolds' vast riches, Sittingbourne called on their lesser known Ryan to save their club.

After steadying what looked to be a sinking ship and bringing in his own players, Maxwell oversaw a 12-game unbeaten streak that skyrocketed Sittingbourne up the table into 11th place.

Brickies have even more cause for hope than the mid-table finish may suggest.

Maxwell, who brought with him his own coaching staff of Che Stadhart, Billy McMahon and Glen Warwick, has a clear vision of how they want Sittingbourne to be on and off the field.

The club is now confident that it can achieve promotion with the core of players that have been assembled over the last six months.

When you speak to Maxwell he will tell you how important the Sittingbourne fans are to him and his squad.

"The fans were a big part of me taking the job as they were so supportive even though their team was on such a dismal run which made me think how good they will be after a few positive results," Maxwell said.

"Even the last game of the season when we went away to Lancing the fans turned out when we had nothing to play.

"It showed how fantastic these fans are, we just hope the word will spread and that we can get fans through the turnstiles."

But the numbers do need to improve for Sittingbourne to continue its positive trajectory.

The club launched an initiative to get 350 fans down at Woodstock using #backthebrickies on their social media pages as well as Maxwell promising that he would buy drinks for every fan that came to the game.

However, the attempt to get more fans at the game failed and Sittingbourne for now have to rely on its core of die-hard fans.

So who are these fans that are so highly thought of?

When you walk through the turnstiles of the Woodstock one of the first faces that will greet you with a beaming smile is 'Jimmy' Pledger.

Pledger has been following what is his local club since 1958 when the club played at the 'Bull Ground', where the club won three back-to-back titles in the now-extinct Kent League.

For him supporting his local club is about supporting the "ordinary lads like me who are plumbers, bricklayers and office workers who turn out on a Saturday to represent the club" rather than the large London clubs nearby.

So what makes a good Sittingbourne supporter then?

We have met Lee Cordingly already who took money out of his own pocket to help the club during the pandemic.

Cordingly said "The club brings us fans all together, it's very much family-orientated.

"There are so many volunteers who put their own time into the club for free and the community that surrounds the club, handing out flyers and spreading the word about the club."

Darren 'Gibbs', another of Sittingbournes' stalwarts, won Supporter of the Year this season.

'Gibbs' runs the coaches that ferry fans to away games as well as volunteering around the ground on match days but feels there is a stigma that comes with supporting a local non-league club.

Ali Rushworth is another lifelong fan who despite moving to London for work makes the effort to watch his beloved Brickies.

The location of the Woodstock is an issue for Rushworth as it takes 45 minutes of walking through Sittingbournes' country lanes to get from the town centre to the ground.

"But I think if the team starts winning games then and people are hearing about it through word of mouth then the community will start to increase," said Rushworth.

The gauntlet has been thrown down to Maxwell and his squad- promotion is now expected.

Whilst Sittingbourne FC does not have the glamour of Hollywood royalty to attract a Disney documentary its own cast of characters deserves the attention of football fans across Kent.

Keep an eye out for this club as something special is brewing right under your noses.