Faversham Town chairman Gary Smart excited to renew derby acquaintances with Whitstable Town as the Lilywhites aim to find out Isthmian South East fixtures

Gary Smart has expressed his excitement at the prospect of Faversham Town renewing derby acquaintances with Whitstable.

They both will be in Isthmian South East this campaign as Whitstable return to Step 4 football for the first time since 2022, with the sides the past two Southern Counties East League Premier Division title winners.

One-time Faversham player and businessman Smart has even suggested matches against Lee Martin’s new-look Oystermen might have become the club’s biggest rivalry.

“When I was playing, in the mid-to-late 1980s, Faversham versus Sittingbourne were always ‘the’ derby games,” said Smart, who replaced Paul Bennett as Faversham chairman in 2022 and oversaw average league attendances of 545 last time out.

“But I guess in the last 10 years or so, it’s been Whitstable versus Faversham. I can’t wait for those games!

“Hopefully, they’re on good Bank Holiday weekends, like they normally are, so we can get gates of 1,000 or more. Both sets of clubs need that.

“Financially, it’s tough for clubs so, the more local derbies and the more people we can get through the turnstiles, the better.

"Since I took over when we had a 175-gate, we’re pushing over 500 each week now.

“We’re getting to that point where we are getting the following and the backing of the town on board. If we were to go up again - I’m not saying we’re going to, we’re going to try - that should increase.

"It’s progression.”

The league fixtures against Whitstable will merely be two in a division stacked with Kent derbies. The Isthmian League fixtures are due to be announced today.

Smart, who will hope to see Town improve upon a seventh-placed finish, said: “We have got Sittingbourne, Sheppey, Herne Bay, Margate, Ashford, Whitstable and a lot of