Chichester City were PFG – Playing For Gee

There’s joy at their incredible achievement of reaching the Isthmian south east play-offs – and intense sadness that assistant manager Graeme Gee is not here to celebrate with them.

Graeme, who was just 51, passed away last Thursday from kidney cancer that had spread to other parts of his body.

Two days later, City’s players and staff had to put their grief to one side – as he would have wanted them to do – for a vital match at Ashford.

And they did him – and themselves – proud with a 3-1 win that secured their place in the end-of-season promotion knockouts with two matches to spare.

They will face Sittingbourne, Ramsgate, Cray Valley or Three Bridges in a one-off semi-final on Tuesday, April 30, with the winners going through to the Friday, May 3 final.

And in their thoughts as they play their final couple of games – starting at home to Ramsgate on Saturday – will be Graeme, the football man who has been at manager Miles Rutherford’s side for all his eight seasons at Oaklands Park and for many years before that at Moneyfields.

Rutherford said last Saturday was a tough one for all concerned but they knew they just had to get through it – as his much-missed right-hand man would have insisted on.

"I don’t think we played as well as can and I think some were struggling with it emotionally,” he said.

"I didn’t need to say anything about them playing for Graeme or stuff like that. They knew they were playing for a play-off place and they put a shift in and he was certainly in everyone’s thoughts.

"It’s been a sad time and quite tough but we’re sticking together to get through it.”

Chi City coach Darin Killpartrick said: “We got the result we wanted and it was important to do that for Gee.

"We were PFG – Playing For Gee. He’s been such a big part of what we’ve achieved – even in recent weeks, he was on the phone to us and the players all the time.

The win left City in fourth spot, with Three Bridges, a place behind them, also securing their play-off place with a win last weekend.”