Herne Bay boss Steve Lovell remaining upbeat ahead of talks with club officials after chairman Sam Callander’s departure

Upbeat Herne Bay manager Steve Lovell is remaining positive ahead of talks with club officials this week after the departure of chairman Sam Callander.

Bay’s unusual summer took another twist on Saturday with newly-appointed Mr Callander stepping down - as he recovers from injuries sustained when being hit by a van.

Vice-chairman John Bathurst will step up until a new chairman is appointed.

The board will meet with Lovell tomorrow.

Lovell revealed: “I’m meeting with everybody on Friday.

“I’ve called a meeting so, until I speak with everybody there, I’m not going to pass any judgement on what’s going on. I need to know myself.

“We’ll sit down and discuss it, and we’ll see what the best way forward is.

“But from our side of it, it’s positivity and we’re still approaching it in a way that the season is one that we’re looking forward to.

“There’s no reason why things should change.

“It’s just a matter of us, between now and the start of the season, trying to get a squad together that can compete in the league.”

Experienced manager Lovell had initially been attracted to pen a two-year deal with the Isthmian South East outfit by Mr Callander’s vision for the club and wished him well with his recovery.

He said: “We wish him a speedy recovery and want to see him back at the football club.

“But in the meantime, we’ve got to carry on - for the fans and for the town.

“We’ve got to make sure we do our job and ensure they’re going to enjoy their football this year.”

Lovell did concede the uncertainty around Herne Bay was making it tougher for him to sign players.

“It’s hard,” he accepted.

“At this time of the season, players are weighing up their options with where they want to go.

“Obviously, we want to know where we are and what we