It was the year the American Dream was realised at Gillingham, there were brilliant FA Cup runs for two of our clubs and plenty of runs for Kent cricketers Daniel Bell-Drummond and Tammy Beaumont. The county shone at Twickenham, boxer Cheavon Clarke proved a big hit, there was a touring cars title to lap up and much, much more…
January
No one means business like the Americans do, so when new Gillingham owner Brad Galinson flew in from Florida fresh from his promise of a “lucrative” transfer window, anticipation among the fanbase was high.
Mr Galinson was as good as his word. Striker Tom Nichols had already agreed to join at the end of December from League 2 rivals Crawley and by the end of the month Gills had signed 10 players, including Exeter midfielder Timothee Dieng and forward Oli Hawkins from Mansfield.
Off the pitch, Kenny Jackett arrived as director of football and club legend Andy Hessenthaler was back again – this time as head of recruitment after quitting as Dover boss.
Once the new signings hit their stride, Gillingham’s first defeat of 2023, against Stevenage, and then an FA Cup Third-Round exit, 1-0 at home to Leicester, were forgotten and they took seven points out of a possible nine – Nichols scoring in his first three games – to lift Gills off the bottom.
The first win of the Galinson era was a 2-0 home success against Hartlepool, a match where the crowd reception for the new owner reached fever pitch. It was then he realised his decision to invest in a team bottom of the Football League was the right one.
“Investment banking friends of mine said there are better ways to get a return on your investment,” Mr Galinson said.
“They said ‘are you crazy – do you know anything about football and by the way, isn’t it called soccer?!’.
“It was an unbelievable experience but for me, looking at those fans and watching them, that made me realise that this was the right spot, what we wanted to build.”
Ebbsfleet made an unhappy start to the new year, losing 4-0 at Dartford for a second derby thrashing in less than a week in National League South. In the National League, meanwhile, Maidstone boss Hakan Hayrettin was sacked after two wins in 21 matches, with George Elokobi taking temporary charge.
Ramsgate manager Steve Lovell joined Hayrettin in seeking a new job after he was dismissed despite Rams sitting second in the Isthmian South East table. The ex-Gills boss was replaced by Jamie Coyle.
At just 28 Mitch Brundle became the youngest manager throughout the top six divisions in the country when he was named Dover boss.
It was the end of an era for Medway Rugby Club after long-serving Taff Gwilliam quit his role as coach with the side bottom of Regional 1 South East.
Gwilliam, a Medway RFC stalwart with more than three decades’ service as player and coach, said the squad needed “reinvigorating”.
In snooker, Ditton’s Barry Hawkins thrashed Mark Allen 6-0 in the Masters at Alexandra Palace – only to lose 6-5 against Judd Trump in the Quarter-Final.
February
After the departure of batting coach Ryan ten Doeschate there was some good news for Kent with the 2023 campaign on the horizon.
Former England batsman Joe Denly agreed a new deal until at least the end of 2025 and joined bowlers Nathan Gilchrist and Hamid Qadri – as well as batsman Tawanda Muyeye – in committing his future to St Lawrence. Ten Doeschate, meanwhile, was replaced by Alex Gidman.
“I’m really pleased to commit to Kent for at least another three seasons,” said Denly. “I still feel like I can make some big contributions as a Kent player and it’s an exciting group that we have now, eager to win more trophies.”
A late change of opponent couldn’t stop Gravesend cruiserweight Cheavon Clarke getting 2023 off to a good start. Clarke was due to fight Dec Spelman in Nottingham – but Spelman was forced to quit the sport after failing a brain scan.
Instead it was Israel Duffus who went toe-to-toe with the Kent Olympian, and he was no match, going down twice in the sixth round, again in the seventh and once more in the 10th, seconds before the end of the contest which Clarke won on points.
The new-owner bounce continued at Gillingham with four wins out of six games. That 12-point haul left them seven points clear of the two relegation spots. Two divisions below, runaway National League South leaders Ebbsfleet won five out of seven fixtures, the highlight being a 6-2 thrashing of Hampton.
A record crowd turned out to watch Southern Counties East League Hollands & Blair return home.
Having been away from Star Meadow for the best part of a year, Blair took to their new 3G pitch for the first time in a 3-1 Premier Division defeat to Deal. A club-record crowd of 660 watched on – beating the previous best of 504 against Chatham in October 2021.
Canterbury schoolgirl Qi’-Chi Ukpai landed her third national title in the past 12 months. The 14-year-old won triple jump gold at the National Indoor Championships in Sheffield with a new personal best of 11.79m. Her victory cemented her place as No.1 in the under-17 UK rankings and pushed her further up the all-time list.
March
Despite no wins and just three draws from 11 National League games as caretaker-boss, George Elokobi had done enough to convince the Maidstone board and he was named manager on a contract until the end of the 2023/24 season.
“I’m excited, but there’s work to be done in terms of where we are as a football club,” said Elokobi.
“We need to put a new structure in place here that we can implement and get a squad that will be able to fully compete next season. That plan is already ongoing.
“It’s exciting times for myself. It’s challenging but I’m a man that loves a challenge.”
It was the Dominic Poleon show when National League South champions-elect Ebbsfleet hosted Dulwich, with the striker scoring all four goals in a 4-2 win.
Those strikes took his tally for the season to 33, and he credited his prolific campaign not with an improved technique, but a positive mindset.
“I don’t think I’ve actually improved how I finish but I’ve improved my mindset and how to approach chances,” Poleon said.
“That’s been the massive thing for me. It’s been more of a mindset than a technical ability improvement. This is the most I’ve enjoyed my football.”
But there was bad news for Poleon’s strike partner, Rakish Bingham, after an Achilles injury in Fleet’s next match at Slough ruled him out for the rest of the season.
Gillingham’s renaissance continued with a 1-0 win over Carlisle to end March on a high. The victory was Gills’ seventh in eight home league games in 2023, leaving them on track to pass the 50-point mark as their early-season struggles seemed light years away.
Invicta Dynamos were dancing on ice after winning the NIHL Southern Cup in their 25th season. Mos beat Chelmsford Chieftains, winning the two-legged Final 9-4 on aggregate.
Gravesend gymnast Georgia-Mae Fenton was among the medals at the British Championships in Liverpool, winning silver in the senior women’s uneven bars and bronze in the all-round and floor events.
April
Ben Compton and Zak Crawley started the County Championship season with big scores as Kent beat Northamptonshire by seven wickets at Canterbury.
England opener Crawley hit 91 in the first innings while Compton was unbeaten on 114 in the second. That was as good as it got for Kent in April, though, with two defeats in the next three matches – although Crawley smashed 170 in the draw with Essex.
Ebbsfleet wrapped up the National League South title with four games to spare in a 3-0 Good Friday win over Oxford City, leading striker Dominic Poleon taking his league tally to 36 with a hat-trick.
A bumpy festive period aside, Dennis Kutrieb’s side had been almost flawless throughout the campaign and embarked on a 19-game unbeaten run on their march to the trophy.
“It’s a great feeling,” said Kutrieb. “We’ve been working hard for a long time, there’s been so many twists and turns over the season.
“It’s been amazing, especially from January 1, we haven’t lost a game since then so I would say we’re deserved champions.”
Moving in the opposite direction were Maidstone. A run of three points from 14 games since George Elokobi took over from Hakan Heyrettin – first on a temporary basis, and then as permanent manager – was only going to end in one outcome.
There was relief at Dover Athletic, who avoided relegation from National League South on goal difference after a 2-0 loss at Weymouth.
Gillingham’s bizarre victory over leaders Leyton Orient – a 23-minute delay for floodlight failure was followed by 10 minutes of keepball – guaranteed League 2 football for another season, an impressive achievement with the side seven points off safety on January 10.
There was another chapter added to the Chatham Town success story with the side’s second successive promotion. The Southern Counties East League runners-up went one better to take the Isthmian South East title with a 2-1 triumph against Cray Valley.
In the same division, it was a case of so near but yet so far for Hythe Town, who were edged out 1-0 by Whitehawk in the Play-off Final. The Cannons had won 14 of their last 19 league games, finishing with the best defence in the league.
Manager Tommy Warrilow departed fellow Isthmian South East side Ashford United by mutual consent after four years, while Jamie Coyle resigned as Ramsgate boss following their Play-off Semi-Final loss to Hythe.
Lydd’s Bradley Ray began his transition from British to World Superbikes with Yamaha Motoxracing at Assen in The Netherlands, finishing 18th in race one before retiring on the second lap in race two.
Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport BMW’s Jake Hill, from Platts Heath, started his British Touring Car Championship title quest at Donington Park with a best result of second in race one. Dan Cammish, driving for Wrotham-based Motorbase Performance’s NAPA Racing UK squad, won twice.
Gravesend’s Georgia-Mae Fenton added yet another medal to her collection with a historic first artistic team gold for Great Britain’s women at the European Gymnastics Championships in Turkey.
Ditton’s Barry Hawkins paid the price for dropping out of the world’s top-16 with a 10-8 defeat to Wales’ Jak Jones in qualifying for the World Snooker Championships. The last time the former Finalist and four-time Semi-Finalist failed to reach the Crucible was in 2005.
May
When Kent won rugby union’s County Championship in 1927, players and supporters probably didn’t expect a near-century wait for the next title. However, the 2023 vintage ended 96 years of hurt with a nail-biting victory over Lancashire at Twickenham.
With Kent leading 39-37, Greg Smith of Fylde prepared for a last-gasp conversion attempt to tie the match but his kick went wide, ending Lancashire’s hopes in the Division 1 Final and sparking the celebrations for Kent, whose try scorers were Alfie Orris, Toby Wallace, Nick Cook and Rafael Dutta, as well as a penalty try.
“Kent’s a huge rugby county, and getting the honours puts us on a pedestal with all the other big counties,” captain Jamie Stephens said.
“There’s a lot of talent out there, and let’s hope it inspires younger players to come and do this as well, and create the environment where everyone wants to get to Twickenham every year.”
Maidstone’s Alessia Russo and Gravesend’s Laura Coombs were named in the England Lionesses squad for the summer’s World Cup Finals in Australia.
Manchester United striker Russo’s inclusion was, barring injury, guaranteed but Coombs’ call-up was a surprise, the Manchester City midfielder having last played for England in 2015.
Gillingham ended an impressive second-half of the season with a final-day 1-0 win at Salford, the victory leaving them 17th in the League 2 table, 12 points clear of safety, but Dartford’s play-off curse struck again in National League South.
Alan Dowson’s side suffered penalty shoot-out heartache for the second successive season – and the third time in four years – in their Semi-Final against St Albans at Princes Park.
Reece Prestedge’s Margate proved spot-on in the Kent Senior Cup Final, beating Chatham Town 5-4 on penalties, while Steve Watt quit as Hythe boss – for one day!
Watt felt he had no choice but to resign, believing four new members of the board had effectively forced him out following two weeks of “radio silence” after initial discussions over direction for the 2023/24 season.
However, those four members quit a day later, and the remaining long-standing board members invited Watt to return, and he agreed following consultations with the players.
Kent Spitfires began their quest to regain the T20 Blast crown they won in 2021 with a seven-wicket victory over Gloucester, but followed the month with two defeats – Surrey winning by 41 runs and Somerset on Duckworth-Lewis-Stern.
Pembury rower Emily Craig celebrated European glory alongside Imogen Grant as the duo retained their lightweight women’s double sculls title at Lake Bled, Slovenia.
Poland, France and Greece alternated as their closest challenges but none of them could lay a glove on the Brits, who crossed the line for gold by 2.56sec to remain unbeaten since the Tokyo Olympics.
In tennis, injury forced Orpington’s Emma Raducanu to withdraw from both the French Open and Wimbledon. The 2021 US Open champion underwent surgery for hand and ankle injuries and was expected to be out for two months.
Tunbridge Wells table tennis star Will Bayley started his Paralympic qualification year in style with victory in the Slovenia Open.
Bayley retained his men’s class 7 singles title with a 10-12, 11-9, 11-7, 11-8 win over Japan’s Katsuyoshi Yagi.
June
Daniel Bell-Drummond made Kent history with a triple century in their County Championship game at Northamptonshire.
Bell-Drummond scored 300 not out – the fourth-highest individual score in the club’s history – in 439 balls and included a maximum and 26 boundaries.
“It’s an amazing feeling – I’ve never felt like this in my career and I’m still on cloud nine,” Bell-Drummond said.
“I’ll definitely have a drink tonight and enjoy the moment. Everyone wants to do it but I never thought it was coming.
“I’m glad I was able to stick to my plans and not give my wicket away. That’s how I grew up playing – I really valued my wicket and I’m glad I was able to do that in this game.”
Bell-Drummond’s skipper, Sam Billings, stepped down as Kent captain in four-day cricket for the rest of the season and was replaced by Jack Leaning.
Billings, who missed this season’s IPL to focus on his red-ball game, had endured a miserable 2023, scoring just 92 runs in 10 County Championship innings with a top score of 31.
Kent women’s skipper Tammy Beaumont was in record-breaking form for England with a first-innings knock of 208 in the defeat to Australia at Trent Bridge – the fifth-best score of all-time.
And she revealed that her omission from England’s T20 squad fuelled her desire to carry on playing.
“When I got dropped from the T20 squad last year, it was a bit of a blow and made me go away and look at whether I even wanted to play anymore, whether it was time, whether I was past it,” revealed Dover-born Beaumont.
“I decided I wasn’t! I went away and worked hard, and thought ‘Do you know what? There’s life in the old girl yet’. I’m only 32.”
Gillingham beat League 2 rivals Bradford City to the signing of former Wales midfielder Jonny Williams.
The 29-year-old, a Semi-Finalist at Euro 2016, was a target for the Bantams who thought they had their man before the Gills stepped in with a three-year-deal. It was also believed the Gills had made a bid for Cheltenham’s in-demand striker Alfie May, although he would end up at The Valley with Charlton.
Platts Heath’s Jake Hill claimed his first British Touring Car Championship wins of the season with a double victory at Oulton Park. The Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport BMW driver almost made it a clean sweep with second place in race three.
July
There was good news and bad news for Leeds & Broomfield.
The Maidstone club’s impressive progress in the National Village Cup had clashed with their Sunday Kent Village League fixtures and after Leeds conceded a third Village match they were suspended for the rest of the season and relegated to Division 2.
“We’re in the Quarter-Finals of the National Village Cup, which is absolutely fantastic,” said Leeds chairman and former captain Chris Davis.
“We’re two wins from Lord’s, which is a positive about it all. We’re obviously disappointed with the impact that’s had on playing in the league but I think they probably just need to review their rules going forward.
“If you concede three games you’re suspended and then relegated. You’d need to have two sides out on a Sunday, which is very difficult.
“It’s a shame. It’s one of those where we hoped they would make an exception but unfortunately not.”
Kent’s Zak Crawley emphatically blasted his first Ashes century in the fourth Test at Old Trafford.
With rain expected to limit play on the final two days, England hit the accelerator on day two with 25-year-old Crawley leading the charge. He brought up his fourth Test ton with a cut for two from Australia captain Pat Cummins.
He eventually went for a majestic 189 – the highest score of the series – with Crawley finishing second on the list of leading run scorers with 480, just 16 behind Usman Khawaja.
I enjoyed it a lot,” Crawley said. “It was good fun. I rode my luck at times – quite a lot of the time – but hit some good shots along the way. I was very pleased.”
Unfortunately for England a fifth-day washout stopped them taking the five wickets needed for victory. The draw meant the Aussies, 2-1 ahead with only one Test to play, retained the urn.
Crawley’s Kent team-mates endured a miserable month, with three County Championship defeats and another T20 Blast loss while keeper-batsman Jordan Cox turned down a new deal to sign for Essex.
Also departing the club, albeit not until October, was director of cricket Paul Downton. The former England wicketkeeper had been at the helm for five years.
Maidstone’s Alessia Russo and her England team-mates toiled in their opening World Cup match against Haiti in Brisbane.
It needed a twice-taken penalty from the European champions to seal a nervy 1-0 win, and they edged another tight game, against Denmark, which saw Gravesend’s Manchester City midfielder Laura Coombs make her first appearance of the tournament from the substitutes’ bench.
There was pre-season turmoil at Sheppey United when Jack Midson left the manager’s role and two weeks later chairman Matt Smith departed. Former boss Ernie Batten would end up back in the dugout.
There was change, too, at Folkestone Invicta who were under different leadership after a consortium of local businesses, led by new chairman Josh Healey, took over day-to-day operations at Cheriton Road.
Bradley Ray’s first visit to Imola ended with his best result of the Superbike World Championship season, a sixth-place race-two finish in his last event before shoulder surgery.
Tunbridge Wells’ Will Bayley warmed up for September’s European Para Table Tennis Championships with a golden display stateside.
Bayley won gold in the class 7 event at the US Para Open in Fort Worth, Texas – his sixth consecutive class 7 title.
Minster’s Ross Wilson, meanwhile, was too good for the competition with gold in the class 8 category.
August
Alessia Russo’s England put a slow start behind them with wins over China, Nigeria, Colombia and Australia to set up a World Cup Final clash against Spain – and the chance to win the Euros and the Worlds back-to-back.
“This is the biggest game, the one you dream about, the one that means the most,” said Russo ahead of the Sydney showdown.
“It’s been an incredible year but as a player you always focus on what’s next and never really get to enjoy the moment. I’m sure I will when I look back and am old and grey but now it’s about what’s coming up and what’s there to achieve.
“We’re all aware it’s the World Cup Final and there’s that on the line but as soon as you cross the white line and the first whistle goes, it’s just a normal game.
“That’s what we love to do, that’s what we want to do be doing. It’s 11 versus 11 and a game we’ve got to win.”
Unfortunately for the Lionesses, despite a Mary Earps penalty save, La Roja denied the European champions a second glorious summer with a 1-0 triumph.
Gillingham started their League 2 campaign with four successive 1-0 wins.
Gills went top of the table thanks to victories over Stockport, Accrington, Sutton United and Crawley Town – three of those triumphs on the road.
Morale was further boosted by more Carabao Cup heroics. After last season’s penalty shoot-out win over Premier League Brentford there was another giant-killing – this time a 3-1 win against Championship Southampton.
That was as good as it got in the League Cup, though, with Premier League Luton Town proving too strong in the Second Round, Gills losing 3-2.
Ebbsfleet opened their National League season with three wins in their first six games, while Maidstone kicked off their bid for an instant return to non-league’s top flight with a 2-1 success over Slough – a first three-point haul for the club since November 2022.
Isthmian South East Ramsgate commenced their FA Cup campaign with a 4-1 win over Bexhill United.
There were centuries from Ben Compton and Joey Evison as Kent began the defence of the One Day Cup with a two-run Duckworth-Lewis-Stern win over Yorkshire.
Matt Parkinson impressed with the ball during his loan spell for the competition, taking 17 wickets at 18.47 ahead of his permanent switch to Kent for next season, but Spitfires fell short of the Quarter-Finals, finishing with four wins and four defeats.
Ditton’s Barry Hawkins claimed his first ranking title since 2017 with a 9-6 win over Judd Trump at the European Masters as he made amends for his defeat to Kyren Wilson 12 months earlier.
In rugby, former Sevenoaks player Ben Earl was included in Steve Borthwick’s England squad for the World Cup in France.
September
There was disappointment for Leeds & Broomfield at the home of cricket after they failed to become the first Kent side to win the National Village Cup since 1999 after losing to Milford Hall at Lord’s by 10 runs.
Skipper Ed Scrivens couldn’t have been prouder of his team, though.
“It’s a special occasion, ignoring the result we’ve still had a pretty unbelievable day,” he said.
“I know we’ve lost but we’ve still had a really good time. It was always going to be a win (playing at Lord’s). It’s very painful now. We’re obviously disappointed but at the same time we’re proud of what we’ve done and how far we’ve come.
“To spend the day on the Lord’s turf with my best mates is something I’ll never forget.”
A dramatic final day of the County Championship summer saw Kent secure Division 1 survival – thanks to a helping hand from Nottinghamshire.
While Kent were unable to force a win as they drew their final match with Lancashire, they were left requiring Nottinghamshire to avoid defeat against fellow strugglers Middlesex – and the hosts inched to a narrow victory at Trent Bridge to relegate their opponents.
Meanwhile, the club confirmed bowling coach and former Kent seamer Simon Cook as their new director of cricket, replacing the retiring Paul Downton.
Moses Itauma showed his destructive power with a knockout performance at Wembley to remain unbeaten – with the TNT Sports cameras capturing the moment live.
In what was his fifth professional outing, the Chatham teenager, who dreams of beating Mike Tyson’s record as the youngest heavyweight champion, set when Iron Mike was 20 years and four months, sent Belgium’s Amine Boucetta to the canvas early on before finishing him off with a flurry of shots, prompting the towel to be thrown in and referee Marcus McDonnell to wave it off, with just 1min33sec on the clock.
Itauma spoke briefly afterwards to say it was his finest display yet since turning pro.
He said: “It’s the best performance I have had – the only performance I am satisfied with…it’s all about progression and being better than my last fight.”
Peerless Pembury rower Emily Craig delivered her latest statement of intent with a dominant World Championship success in Belgrade.
Craig and partner Imogen Grant were still unbeaten since missing the Olympic podium by a whisker two summers ago and kept that record intact with a comfortable lightweight women’s double sculls success.
Will Bayley booked his ticket to Paris next year after his class 7 title win at the European Para Table Tennis Championships in Sheffield secured a Paralympics spot.
Ramsgate continued to impress in the FA Cup with wins over Chatham, Cray Wanderers and Frome and they weren’t the only Kent side turning heads in the early stages. Sheppey United made club history after their 4-1 win away to Merthyr Town in Wales earned a place in the Fourth Qualifying Round for the first time.
Deal referee Matthew Carley took charge of his first-ever Rugby World Cup match when Wales faced Fiji in Bordeaux. Carley was an assistant referee at the last World Cup in Japan in 2019, but the 38-year-old was selected as one of the 12 match referees this time.
October
All teams go through a rocky patch, but despite a mixed September Neil Harris’ sacking as Gillingham manager came as shock – particularly with the side just outside the League 2 play-off places.
Harris spent 612 days and 90 games in charge at Priestfield, but it was the first two months of 2023/24 that sealed his fate.
His goal-shy squad had seen plenty of investment during the past two transfer windows by new owner Brad Galinson, but a return of just nine goals in 11 League 2 games was clearly a statistic that irked those behind the purse strings.
The FA Cup continued to cast its magic spell on Ramsgate and Sheppey United, with both clubs reaching the First Round – the Ites for the first time in their history while Rams hadn’t been this far since 2005.
Sheppey booked a tie with League 2 Walsall in front of the TV cameras after a penalty shoot-out win over Isthmian Premier Billericay, while Ramsgate knocked out AFC Totton 1-0 for the right to play National League Woking.
Batsman Daniel Bell-Drummond was confirmed as Kent’s four-day skipper for 2024. Sam Billings, who stepped down as club captain, would still take the team in the T20 Blast.
“It’s an absolute honour and privilege to be the club captain of Kent Cricket,” Bell-Drummond said. “I’ve been a Kent cricketer since I was seven-years-old; I love the club.
“It’s now my job, alongside the rest of the playing squad, to take Kent Cricket forward into a new season as captain and it’s a challenge that I’m looking forward to.”
Departing Kent, though, was batting coach Alex Gidman. He accepted an offer to become assistant coach of the England women’s team.
Motorbase Performance celebrated British Touring Car Championship success – under a new name.
Now known as Alliance Racing, the team announced the change ahead of lead driver Ash Sutton’s latest title win, his fourth so far, sealed at Brands Hatch.
It wasn’t just the name that was changing, either. The team announced they were leaving their Wrotham base to relocate to the Midlands.
Platts Heath racer Jake Hill, meanwhile, wrapped up his BTCC campaign on a winning note, his race-three victory on his home circuit his sixth win of the year as he finished third for the second season in a row.
Gravesend’s Georgia-Mae Fenton had to settle for sixth in the team event as part of the women’s GB squad at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Antwerp. Hopes were high of a medal after last year’s runners-up spot to the USA, but this time Brazil were best of the rest. In the uneven bars Fenton finished 13th.
For the men, Maidstone’s James Hall was the leading Briton in the all-round final, finishing ninth.
There was heartbreak for former Sevenoaks RFC player Ben Earl after England suffered a late defeat to South Africa in the Rugby World Cup Semi-Final. Leading from the sixth minute, Earl and his team-mates had the world champions on the ropes until three minutes from time, losing 16-15.
In boxing, Gravesend’s Cheavon Clarke won his first title as a pro – although he was forced to go the distance in beating the Czech Republic’s Vasil Ducar for the IBF international cruiserweight crown at OVO Arena Wembley.
November
Ramsgate made club history by reaching the Second Round of the FA Cup with a comeback win over National League Woking.
Dennon Lewis opened the scoring after just 13 minutes, but TJ Jadama and Lee Martin set up a tie at League 2 AFC Wimbledon.
The win left boss Ben Smith emotional. Remembering his late nan, Elizabeth, Smith broke down at full-time while Rams fans in the 3,000 sell-out crowd ran onto the pitch to celebrate the club’s greatest day.
“I’m in tears there, I turn round and Jim Ward (ex-Rams boss) is in the same state as I am,” said Smith. “The look on his face, he was made up and there’s so many people like that.
“My nan died two years ago, just before the play-off success with Herne Bay. She got me into football.
“I’m certainly not a religious man but sometimes you do think what’s going on up there, don’t you?”
Fellow Isthmian South East side Sheppey bowed out, however. Their run came to an end in front of the ITV cameras in a 4-1 defeat at home to League 2 Walsall.
At Priestfield, former Hull, Aston Villa, Sheffield Wednesday, Newcastle and West Brom assistant coach Stephen Clemence was appointed as Neil Harris’ replacement.
The Gills job was Clemence’s first chance to be the main man.
“I think if I had never had a go at head-coaching or management, it would be something I would regret,” he said.
“This is the opportunity and I am hoping I can make some good memories for the people of Gillingham, something that we can look back on with fondness.
“I will be giving my all to make the club successful, anyone that saw me play, I was 100%, I took that into my coaching career and I’m going to take that into my head coaching career, too.”
The former Spurs defender made a good start with a 2-0 success over Hereford in the FA Cup First Round, and although the month saw defeats in the EFL Trophy, to Fulham under-21s, and in the league to Wrexham and Tranmere, there were six points from home wins over Salford and AFC Wimbledon to leave Gills in the play-off places.
It was all change at Isthmian Premier Folkestone as joint-bosses Micheal Everitt and Roland Edge were sacked, replaced by Andy Drury, while a manager under pressure, Dennis Kutrieb, guided Ebbsfleet to their first National League win in nine games in style – a 4-1 success at Oldham ending their barren spell.
There was also good news for Lydd’s Bradley Ray, who kept his place on the World Superbikes grid for 2024 with Italy-based Yamaha Motoxracing and this time for a full season.
A year after England Roses’ dramatic World Cup Final defeat to New Zealand, West Malling’s Rosie Galligan helped them gain revenge with a 33-12 win in the inaugural WXV1 competition.
The 25-year-old lock started the showdown match for John Mitchell’s Red Roses in Auckland as England followed up wins over Australia and Canada to be crowned champions.
December
Ramsgate’s FA Cup adventure came to an end – but they went out on their own terms.
The Isthmian South East outfit insisted on playing out from the back at AFC Wimbledon in their Second-Round clash, the League 2 side running out 5-0 winners, but Rams boss Ben Smith had no regrets with his tactics.
“There was no way we were going to change the way we play – what’s the point?” stated Smith. “We got all this way playing that way so why change now?
“I said to people close to me before the game if we get it under six, I’d be very happy. I know it sounds defeatist but you’ve got to be realistic as well.”
There was little Christmas cheer for Dover Athletic boss Mitch Brundle. He was sacked with Whites second-bottom in National League South after just one win in 21 games. Jake Leberl and Mike Sandmann were confirmed as the club’s new-look management team.
A run of seven games without a win prompted Isthmian Premier Margate to axe Reece Prestedge after less than a year in charge. Former Gillingham boss Mark Stimson was named as his replacement, while Lordswood also went down the ex-Priestfield route, Nicky Southall taking the helm after Matt Barman resigned.
Maidstone’s Bivesh Gurung scored an FA Cup stunner that got England legend Gary Lineker talking.
Gurung’s 74th-minute screamer knocked League 2 Barrow out of the cup 2-1, winning goal of the round as well as plaudits from the Match of the Day host.
Speaking on his the Rest is Football podcast, former Barcelona and Tottenham striker Lineker said: “Bivesh Gurung scored a brilliant winner for National League South side Maidstone United as they beat League 2 high-fliers Barrow 2-1.
“[I’m] looking forward to seeing them against Stevenage or Port Vale in the Third Round where they’ll have a slight chance of getting through.”
Also through were Gillingham, Stephen Clemence’s side defeating League 1 Charlton 2-0 at Priestfield.
Over at Canterbury, former fast bowler Robbie Joseph was confirmed as Kent’s new bowling coach, with Toby Radford looking after the batting, while ex-club captain Sam Billings agreed a new, white-ball only deal until the end of 2025 allowing him to pursue franchise cricket opportunities.
