Former Herne Bay boss Ben Smith rejoins Isthmian South East side as club replace Liam Friend at Winch’s Field helm

A former Herne Bay manager has returned to the hot-seat.

Ben Smith, who was in charge at Winch’s Field from 2019 until 2022, replaces Liam Friend after the latter was sacked as player-boss by the Isthmian South East side three weeks ago.

In a statement on Tuesday, the club said: “Herne Bay FC are delighted to announce the appointment of Ben Smith as the club’s new first-team manager.

“Smith returns to the club, having previously managed the Bay between 2018 and 2022. He managed the 2021/22 team that got promoted to the Isthmian League Premier Division.”

Smith led Herne Bay to their inaugural Isthmian Premier promotion through the play-offs in April 2022 but lasted just three months the next campaign as the club’s stay at Step 3 proved a brief one.

Friend had steered Bay towards a top-half finish this season and even helped them briefly flirt with the play-off places, only for the 38-year-old defender to be dismissed after a six-game winless run.

Smith, who eventually stepped up to senior level at Herne Bay after enjoying success with the under-18s side, had been in attendance at some of Bay’s recent games while chairman Matt Barman and director of football Dan Tanner took charge from the dug-out.

They suffered a 5-2 loss at Sevenoaks, despite goals by defender Joe Tyrie and substitute James Jeffrey, last weekend.

Since his first Bay managerial stint, Smith went onto steer Ramsgate to the Isthmian South East championship with a record 109 points last season.

But their Isthmian Premier form was patchy, with three wins, six draws and six defeats in 15 games, leaving them 16th, before Smith resigned in November. He has since been replaced at the Southwood helm by Lee Martin.

Herne Bay are 13th, with five fixtures to play