Faversham Town manager Steve Watt backs new signing Troy Howard to become a fans’ favourite at Salters Lane

Faversham Town manager Steve Watt expects new signing Troy Howard to quickly become a crowd favourite.

Howard set up a goal for Eniye Amgbaduba on his debut as the Lilywhites fought back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 with Isthmian South East leaders South Park last weekend.

And the winger, who’s joined from Welling, scored his first Town goal in a 1-1 draw at Cray Valley on Tuesday night.

Howard, set to face former club Sittingbourne at Woodstock this Saturday (3pm), was a key part of the Wings side who pulled off a great escape from relegation last season.

A pre-season knee injury limited his involvement this term, though, and manager Ryan Maxwell allowed him to join Faversham, a move which sees him reunited with Watt, who worked with the player at Hythe.

Howard provides goals, assists and pace down the right flank and should prove a major asset for the Lilywhites.

“Troy’s a great player,” said Watt. “I’ve got a lot of history with Troy.

“We spoke when he came back for the first FA Cup game against Welling (1-1 draw at Salters Lane in August).

“He’d just come back from injury and I said to him, if you feel like you need minutes, or Maxy feels you need minutes, we’ll always be here, give us a shout.

“That’s what materialised and we’re grateful to Maxy for his help to get the deal done and we’re pleased to have Troy in the building.

“He gives us something different in terms of what we’ve got going forward.

“He set up the first goal on Saturday with a great delivery and got man-of-the-match and showed what he’s going to be about.

“He’s a really important signing for us and it won’t take long for him to be a fans’ favourite.

“Welling have been flying and he’s not played as much as he would have liked but that’s to our benefit.