Chichester City boss outlines challenge ahead of hectic month

Chichester City boss Miles Rutherford says the team are ready for a sequence of matches that will test them as they bid to climb the table.
Chichester City have had a two-week break but it's been the calm before the storm / Picture: Neil HolmesChichester City have had a two-week break but it's been the calm before the storm / Picture: Neil Holmes
Chichester City have had a two-week break but it's been the calm before the storm / Picture: Neil Holmes

City had a weekend off last week but that was the calm before the storm – with their squad set to be tested to the limit over the coming weeks.

They have league matches with Whitstable, Sevenoaks, Phoenix Sports, Corinthian and Hastings to come in November – plus three cup matches. Rutherford said he’d need his whole squad in the coming weeks and there was the possibility of adding one or two more players to the ranks to help them cope.

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Whitstable are City’s visitors in the league on Saturday, having lost 4-0 at Oaklands Park in the FA Trophy earlier in the campaign.

But Rutherford is not expecting the Kent side’s lowly league position to mean a comfortable afternoon.

He said: “We have a hectic schedule coming up and we might be a bit light in places with certain players being unavailable for certain matches.

“We may well to look to bring a couple more players in but we’ll have to assess things week to week.

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“It’s an important period for us because we’d like to have more points in the bag. We’re not panicking but we know we need to start picking them up.

“It’s not been a great start. There have been games where we’ve played poorly and won, and others where we’ve played well and haven’t got our rewards.

“Although we have games coming up against a couple of sides below us, that’s irrelevant, really.

“It’s shown itself to be a very competitive league and one where anyone can beat anyone else.

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“But we have a good bunch of lads and have faith in them to keep working hard and to get results.”

After Whitstable’s return this weeknd, a trip to Sevenoaks is next up in the league for City a week later, followed on November 20 by a home game with Phoenix, who are currently bottom.

City will also have another team visiting Oaklands Park for a second time this season when they host Whitehawk in the Sussex Senior Cup – City beat them 6-1 in the league in September. And Chi host Crowborough in the Sussex RUR Cup and Hanwell in the Velocity Trophy.