WHAT an incredible, unforgettable few months it’s been for all of us at Harwich and Parkeston.

Twelve straight wins, plenty of goals, a much-improved defensive record and up to fourth in the table.

As chairman, I never expected to find ourselves in this situation.

Not in my wildest dreams.

Survival and establishing ourselves back at step-six level was the only aim this season.

To be challenging at the other end of the table totally exceeds those hopes and, if I’m honest, I never thought I’d experience anything like this again.

When we were given an opportunity to take promotion last season, we put it to the vote among our committee members.

The outcome was 14-10 in favour of leaving the Essex and Suffolk Border League and rejoining the Thurlow Nunn League.

It was close but, without doubt, it’s proven the right decision. The best thing we could have done.

When you think about what’s been achieved since, it’s absolutely amazing.

The support from the town – through the turnstiles but also in terms of sponsorship and so on – has been a revelation and without that backing, we wouldn’t have achieved what we have so far.

Our comeback all started a couple of years ago when we merged with Dovercourt Vipers.

We put a structure in place within the club and that was the starting point.

It was the first building block and it’s great that so many players now want to play for Harwich.

They’re local boys and they’re passionate about our club.

They work hard and turn up for training.

The budget is a pittance but it just shows what can be achieved with team spirit and commitment.

The icing on the cake since then has been the work the two managers (boss Kieron Shelley and assistant Mike Wallace) have done and the quality of players they’ve brought to the Royal Oak.

The pair have been incredible and all credit to them.

They’re the ones that deserve a pat on the back and I can’t speak highly enough of them.

They’re a great combination and they’re the ones that have put all this together.

We’ve provided some organisation behind the scenes but they’re the ones that have built a side and got us into this position.

They’ve got a very small budget but produced a team people are travelling to watch.

There were 116 at the game at Wivenhoe Town on Saturday and probably 60 to 70 were from Harwich.

It shows that the town has got a passion for the club again.

The future looks better now than it’s ever looked, in my 20 years as Harwich chairman.

All I achieved, with the people around me, was keeping the club going.

It was a question of staying afloat but we were tiring.

It was getting tougher and tougher and we questioned whether we could carry on.

Without doubt, had we stayed in the Essex and Suffolk Border League – and I don’t mean this in a critical or disrespectful way – we would have folded. We needed something to happen and we needed the club to have a future.

In those two decades, there were a lot of knock backs and I’m really pleased for all those people who stuck by the club and kept it going.

Now they’re getting some enjoyment and that’s what it’s all about.

It looks like we might have a future.

There’s a long way to go and no-one can say we’re going to get promoted or anything like that.

But if the players keep working hard, you’d have to say we’ve got a chance.

I didn’t think I’d experience times like this again and I’m enjoying every single minute.

Long may it continue.