Dartford manager Ady Pennock appoints Josh Hill as new club captain and completes backroom staff ahead of Isthmian Premier season

Dartford manager Ady Pennock has confirmed their new club captain - and completed his backroom staff.

The Darts boss has given defender Josh Hill the captain’s armband after Luke Coulson left the club at the end of last season to relocate to the west country.

Hill is no stranger to Princes Park, rejoining Dartford for what is his third spell in the close season.

“Josh Hill will be our captain this season, he leads by example on and off the pitch,” said Pennock.

“I was very pleased to get him in. We have other leaders out there as well, which I am pleased about.”

Pennock appointed former Folkestone joint-boss and Neil Cugley’s long-serving assistant Roland Edge as his new assistant manager at the start of the close season.

The duo are joined by fitness coach Neil Withington and new goalkeeping coach Les Cleevely, who replaces Jim Stannard.

Withington has worked with Pennock previously at Welling, Forest Green and Gillingham and has been putting the players through their paces in pre-season, with fitness one key area earmarked by the Darts as being below-par last term.

“We’ve worked them hard but there’s still a long way to go yet,” stressed Pennock.

“I think if you’re physically fit, you’re mentally fit so we’re not there yet but it’s very early days in pre-season.”

Cleevely was recommended to Pennock, after Stannard left to join Welling United, by former Dartford midfielder Jamie Day, who worked with Cleevely at the Bangladesh national team.

With extensive coaching experience, it’s an appointment that has already gone down well.

“Les came through Jamie Day,” explained Pennock. “Jamie had him at Bangladesh and he knew that Jim had left, he told me Les was a good lad and I spoke to other people about him as well and