Departing Whitstable Town manager Marcel Nimani on his sudden exit; Oystermen win 4-1 at Stansfeld as Dan Eason takes charge

Departing Whitstable manager Marcel Nimani has described his spell in charge of the club as 18 months’ worth of great lessons learned.

Nimani surprisingly left the Southern Counties East Premier Division side alongside coach Craig Coles last week. He became Whitstable’s fifth boss in just 13 months in October 2022.

While Nimani and Coles provided some much-needed consistency, also making the Kent Senior Trophy Semi-Final this term, they appeared likely to miss out on Isthmian League
promotion for a second successive season, albeit a top-five finish and a place in the newly-formed play-offs - something Nimani had advocated for - isn’t yet totally out of the equation.

He said: “It was a year-and-a-half of great lessons.

“We came in to create an identity, to change the style of play and push for promotion.

“Results-wise, we fell short in a couple of areas, particularly in mid-season, and we should have done a few things differently in the recruitment - perhaps a bit earlier in the season - in preparation for the winter period as we really struggled to recover fully.

“Recent results proved that. In the last six games, we won four, drew one and suffered a narrow loss, but yet, we were chasing.

“At the same time, we managed to change a lot of things for the better and, ultimately, we left the first team behind in a far better place than it was when we arrived.

“The style of play was good with a clear identity and plan, the recruitment of top-end players was strong and the crowds were good. We could potentially end the season on 73 points and still not make play-offs. That, in itself, sounds harsh.

“Consequently, I believe the club will start next season in a better place for promotion.”

Explaining why he and Coles left with