Ray Leader has been described as a father figure at Faversham Town by chairman Gary Smart after the club remembered the Lilywhites legend on Saturday.

Their Isthmian South East home match against Ashford was dedicated to the life of Mr Leader - a man who played an integral role in the club’s reformation in 2005 - following his death, aged 85.

Mr Leader was involved at Faversham Town for more than 50 years and was a great advocate for non-league football.

He served as Town chairman for more than a decade and, while he was replaced by Paul Bennett, former player Smart stepped into the void in 2022 and has been supported by vice-chairman Marc Leader, one of Ray’s sons, since.

“Ray was like a father figure at the club,” Mr Smart said. “He dragged me to Faversham Town because they were the premier team in the town.

“He used to go around park football and try to pick the best ones out to bring to the club. He was like a chief scout! He sort of took you under his wing.

“I owe him a lot. Without him, and other people like [former player and manager] Pat Miles and some others, there wouldn’t be a Faversham Town.

“Clubs were dwindling away but they kept it alive. The board now is full of that sort of age-group (that Mr Leader attracted to the club) so the legacy goes on and Marc now has got to take it up.

"But we definitely do owe Ray a lot.”

With the Leader family present on an emotional occasion, a memorial service took place before the game against Lloyd Hume’s Ashford.

Mr Smart said: “Most of the staff and the board were very nervous about it.

"We wanted to make sure it was fitting of the man that he was. We wanted to make sure it was right.

"I think the service we had just sort of mirrored him, it was classy.

“I’d like to thank Lloyd at Ashford and his boys because they interrupted their warm-up, if you like, to put this on. They stood with us.

"It was very nice of the boys at Ashford to join us in that moment.

“It was classy, it was really emotional and we just had to make sure we did him proud. From a club point of view, I think we did that.

“It was one of those things you can’t wait to come because you want to pay your respects - but you can’t wait for it to end because you want it to finish really well.

"The family were there, all the Leaders, and they had the sponsors’ lounge for the day.

“We made sure they were well looked after in Pat - Ray’s wife - and the kids, Marc, Beverly and Gary.

"They had extended family in there with them, as well, so the whole day was beautiful.

“A lot of Ray’s friends were up there from the league, the Kent FA and people from there. We’ve now got his funeral on Thursday.

“But I’m very proud of the club for what we put on.”

Among those to pay their respects to Mr Leader on the day were legendary former Folkestone manager Neil Cugley and ex-defender Matt Bourne, who remains the Lilywhites’ record appearance-maker since the club reformed on 473 competitive matches.

“There were some people there that we hadn’t seen for a long time,” said Mr Smart.

“Neil Cugley was there. He had known Ray for years, with Ray supplying the kit to Folkestone. What a man.

“It was a very emotional day, to be fair, but we got through it and did what we had to do to make him proud of us.”

Things went to plan on the pitch, too, where early frontrunners Faversham saw off Ashford 3-1 thanks to efforts by two-goal Tashi-Jay Kwayie and midfielder Harrison Pont.

While Mr Leader had largely stepped back from his active club involvements by the time Mr Smart became chairman, the Lilywhites were quick to make him club president and introduced him to their “Hall of Legends” in 2023.

Mr Smart also spoke of how fondly Mr Leader was remembered at opposing clubs throughout the non-league community.

He said: “We made him club president because he just belonged back in the football club.

“When we went to committee rooms - whether it was East Grinstead or Lancing when we were in the Isthmian League - he was welcomed into every single committee room like he was a brother. He was so well-liked throughout non-league football.

“He was very knowledgeable on non-league football. He used to read everything and he’d ring me up after a weekend and talk about some players he’d been looking at.

“He followed the game intently. It was his life.

“When I went in, he helped me in abundance with the stuff I was going to face. He was a student of the game.

“Even though he was 85 when he passed, there were still no flies around him in terms of what he knew about non-league football.”