Deal Town boss Steve King on teenager George Jenner’s winner in 1-0 triumph at Crowborough Athletic ahead of final friendlies against Faversham Strike Force and Dover Athletic

Teenager George Jenner scored the only goal in Deal’s weekend friendly win - and could yet have a role to play in manager Steve King’s first-team squad this season.

The 16-year-old struck his first senior goal at Crowborough Athletic and, while King admits it could be difficult for him to force his way into Deal’s first-team squad, going for Southern Counties East Premier Division promotion this term, Jenner could be an option if he continues to develop.

King, whose side won at Herne Bay on Tuesday night, said: “He has come off the bench against Minster and Gillingham.

“With a couple of people away, he did well in midfield.

“It’s very hard to force your way into the full squad. But he could be an option as the season goes on.

“He’s a strong boy, very fit, and we’ll see how he does, along with other promising youngsters we have got.”

The Hoops battled to victory against Crowborough amid windy conditions, despite ending the game with 10 players due to picking up some knocks.

“It was a proper game of football,” King reflected.

“It got a bit spicy, a couple of yellow cards were handed out.

“We had to play the last 15 minutes with 10 men because we didn’t want to risk anyone else. We actually scored with 10 men, which was nice, and we could have had another at the end.

“It was a test. We’ve planned the friendlies to give us different tests. It was another clean sheet for us and we played well.

“We picked up a few injuries, which is a bit frustrating, but we had done well on that front before then.

“Results don’t matter in pre-season but I would prefer to be winning games than losing.”

Normally, Deal would be without brothers Tom and Ben Chapman for much of pre-season due to cricket commitments. But the former has injured his