Herne Bay – 2021/22 Season signings, squad and fixtures
Herne Bay have announced new signings and some of the retained list ahead of the 2021/22 season.
Their Isthmian League campaign kicks off with a visit to Hastings United on 14th August.
The Bay have revealed that Laurence Harvey will be remaining at the club.
Laurence started all 9 competitive fixtures from the 2020/21 season, scoring twice.
“I’ delighted to sign for another season at Herne Bay. The club is progressing every season and it’s a really exciting time to be at the club. Looking forward to a full uninterrupted season in front of our amazing fans ?? Up The Bay”
Herne Bay have announced the signing of Jack Parter.
27-year-old full-back Jack Parter hails from Faversham and was with Gillingham for six years as a scholar, signing a pro contract for the 2013/14 campaign, and playing in several first-team pre-season games, but was never given a shot at a first start. After loan spells at Ramsgate and Whitstable Town, he was released by the Gills in March 2014 and signed for Whitstable. He joined Tonbridge Angels in the summer of 2014, becoming their regular full-back, before trying his luck in the National South with Welling United during the close season in 2017. After being injured in pre-season he was then sent on loan to Kingstonian before his contract was terminated by mutual consent and re-joining Tonbridge in September 2017. He was in the Isthmian League Premier Division Team of the Season for 2018/19 when Angels won the protracted play-offs to gain promotion to the National South. Both of Jack’s seasons at Step Two were cut short by the Covid-19 pandemic and in April 2021 left Tonbridge to find a club closer to home. He clocked up 274 appearances for Angels, scoring seven goals.
Parts will be joining Herne Bay’s squad for the 2021/22 campaign which will see him join the likes of Laurence Harvey and Daniel Johnson.
First team manager, Ben Smith, had this to say on the first signing of the summer:
“Parts is a fantastic signing and once again shows our ambition as a club. He’s a player that has experienced success and shown great consistency at a higher level.”
“It’s been in the background since he decided to leave Tonbridge Angels in order to play closer to home and with quality players you have to be patient as, quite rightly, there is a lot of competition for their signature so we are really pleased that he has bought into the plans here and feels that this is the right environment for his next challenge.”
Jack had this to say on finding a club closer to home: “I’m looking forward to this new challenge and excited to join a club that is going in the right direction and wants to continue to progress. I can’t wait to get started now and I’m looking forward to the season ahead with the boys and having the fans behind us pushing us on.”
Herne Bay have also announced the signing of Keeper Jordan Perrin for the upcoming season!
Perrin heads coastal bound to the Bay as he moves from Sittingbourne to Herne Bay. Ahead of the announcement, we caught up with First Team Manager Ben Smith to get his thoughts:
“Delighted to bring Jordan to the club. He comes in with good experience for someone that’s only 21, having been ever-present in the Sittingbourne side over the past two seasons, captaining the side and becoming a firm fan’s favourite down there.
“He has massive potential in the game and shares the ambition that we have at the club. I’m sure he can hit the ground running and kick on with us at Herne Bay.”
Herne Bay Football Club is excited to announce the signing of Tom Phipp.
28-year-old midfielder Tom Phipp’s early days were with the Arsenal youth team before being released and bursting onto the scene at Ebbsfleet United in 2010 as a 17-year-old, catching the eye in the Conference South. He was one of four players kept on by manager Steve Brown following Fleet’s take-over by Kuwaiti consortium KEH Sports Limited in June 2013. Phipp was sent on loan to Maidstone United in November 2013 before being sold to Isthmian Premier League Margate in February 2014 for a four-figure fee. A season and a half later he moved to Tonbridge Angels, again in the Isthmian Premier League, in June 2015. From July 2017 he took time out from football to start a career in marketing after taking his degree. After a spell at SCEFL Premier Crowborough Athletic, he signed for Cray Wanderers in the summer of 2018 helping them win the Isthmian South East title in 2018/19. Injuries restricted him during the 2019/20 season, but he still made 16 appearances and was part of the team which was unbeaten in 2020 up to lockdown. The following campaign, when the Isthmian Premier was suspended in November 2020, Phipp re-joined Tonbridge Angels, appearing in a 1-0 win away at Ebbsfleet but the National South soon went the same way with a curtailed season. Tom will be joining the Herne Bay squad for the 21/22 season.
First team manager, Ben Smith, had this to say on the most recent signing:
“Tom is a great addition to our squad, he’s got all the ingredients that we have been looking to add for some time and will really complement what we have.
“It’s another addition that has a wealth of experience and knows what it takes to be apart of a successful team.”
We also caught up with the new signing himself who told us:
“It’s great to set sail into The Bay!
“There’s some great bits of work going on behind the scenes that will help propel the club forwards, and after the various late-night phone calls with Ben and Stuart, it made complete sense for me to join them at a really ambitious time for the club. The club, management and all other staff have a clear direction mapped out.”
“After a couple of dead-end seasons, there is going to be a lot of ambitious clubs, players and management teams ready to take on the new campaign, and I believe Herne Bay falls right into the category. I’m really looking forward to joining the group at this exciting time. Bring on the new season.”
Adem Ramadan has now officially signed for the club. Following his free-kick, on Tuesday night against Punjab United, the attacking midfielder has already caught the eyes of our supporters. Before the announcement we caught up with manager Ben Smith to get his view:
“Adem will add a lot of creativity to the side and I’m looking forward to seeing him link up with the quality we already have in that area. We’ve needed to add goals from other areas of the pitch and he will help us to do this. He’s settled quickly in the group and I’m sure he will have a really positive impact at the club.”
TT Walters
A deal has been agreed with Maidstone for TT and with ambitions to move back into professional football this is the first step he needs to take, getting full-time football. A move for TT could have happened a year ago but he wanted success at HBFC and he didn’t get that opportunity due to Covid and at his age needs to make that move now before it’s too late. The ceiling of his potential is so high and we hope he fulfills that and climbs the levels.
Brad Stevenson
Brad has accepted an offer to join National South Welling United. Again, a player that has undoubted potential and he can be as good as he wants. Covid has stopped us from seeing the best of him and also meant that time is not on his side to move back up the ladder. Steve Lovell gave Brad his Football League debut and I hope that he again gives Brad the opportunity to showcase his talent.