Sunday sees the culmination of a near military operation that will see Whitstable Town carry the Kent flag into the Isuzu FA Vase Final at Wembley – an operation that has had a Broadstairs schools’ officer at its heart. 

And she, Whitstable Town’s Club Secretary Francesca Milne has taken time from her incredibly busy schedule to talk KSN through the past six weeks since that Semi Final triumph over Hartpury University sent Jamie Coyle’s side Wembley bound. 

“It feels as though it was only yesterday that we won the Semi Final,” Fran admitted to KSN when we caught up with her at the Belmont this week in the buildup to the weekend, “but saying that, it also seems like an eternity and a lot of work in the build up to it!” 

“When I took the secretary’s role on after being “just” youth secretary, no-one told me about things like this,” she joked. “A trip to Wembley wasn’t on my horizon or anyone’s for that matter…” 

“We’ve come a long way in a very short period of time. When I first became youth secretary a couple of years ago, I think we had something like fifteen teams and now we are at fifty-six, fifty-seven teams at all ages, youth football, veterans, walking football – its hugely different.” 

“The ground has come a long way too now it’s a great pitch with all the facilities to go with it.” 

“I work full time in a school as a finance and pay-roll officer for a trust in Broadstairs – I work for Barton Court Grammar School, Barton Manor School and Charles Dickens – where I do the payroll and organise school trips and they have been amazing since we got through. In fact, I think a lot of them are going to Wembley,”  

Fran admitted adding, “A lot of them haven’t been to football before and never been to Wembley and I can’t quite believe that they’re doing what they’re doing, but they are all coming to support me on Sunday!” 

“Since we made the Final, it has been overwhelming at times! To work full-time, a single parent of two children and then everything associated with this, it really is quite something!” 

Reflecting on the last few weeks, the Whitstable secretary confessed, “I must admit that I have loved every minute of the build-up! It’s been so exciting; it’s the busiest I have ever been in my entire life but in such a good way. Getting to do things like liaising with the people at Wembley who look after the media, who look after the branding, it’s honestly something that you would never dream of doing working as a volunteer at a community club like ours – it’s just amazing! I am really going to enjoy Sunday, and I am determined to and make sure of that. Chances are that we will never be there again, so we must take in every single second.” 

“The amount of work that goes into a game like Sunday is staggering. We had our first meeting with Wembley and the FA, I think it was two or three days after our Semi-Final when we had a meeting on MS Teams, and I think there were around fifteen people from Wembley on that call, all with different roles and all introducing themselves to us and the Whyteleafe officials as well.  

“It was just person after person introducing themselves telling us what they do, and it was only then that I realised just how big an event we were part of – a huge machine that it is and how much goes on behind the scenes. I think I have spoken to Beth our Liaison Officer every day and then some plus endless emails. Steve (Clayton, the Whitstable chairman) has spoken to her as well and it really hasn’t stopped. They work every hour.” 

“Please don’t ask me if I will enjoy the day as I won’t know until after Sunday,” Fran admitted laughing. “I hope so… I honestly hope that all the work that we have put in as a club as there are some people at the Belmont who have just worked an endless number of hours at the club in the past few weeks and hopefully it will all pay off on Sunday when everything is done and we will have a really amazing day and we will win.” 

“When Jake (McIntyre, the Whitstable skipper) leads the team out, I think by then I might be “quite nervous”, but I will remember the lead up forever as after all, when will I be able to do this again?”