Herne Bay boss Steve Lovell welcomes the arrival of former Lordswood manager Matt Barman as chairman heads up a new-look board

Boss Steve Lovell has welcomed the arrival of new Herne Bay chairman Matt Barman and hopes he can help take the club to the next level.

Lovell and son-assistant Mark Lovell built a new-look squad on limited resources and secured an eighth-placed Isthmian South East finish for Bay, narrowly missing out on the play-offs.

Now, they will work with three new directors at Herne Bay, headed up by ex-Lordswood manager - and former Whitstable reserves boss - Barman as club chairman, as well as directors Chloe Gardner and Jeff Hammond.

Lovell said: “Obviously, the new chairman (Barman) has come in.

“He’s trying to do so many positive things at the club.

“With the way the club has been - the year before last in particular - Chloe, Martyn (Sexton) and John (Bathurst) have done a great job in stabilising the club. Me and Mark did a decent job of stabilising things on the pitch, as well.

“Now, we want to take it further if we can. But the main thing is the stability of the club.

"Matt has got some great ideas.

“I think it’s a good thing for the club and, hopefully, we can have a good season.”

The Lovell duo needed little convincing to stay on, despite the changes behind the scenes, by the new-look board.

“Speaking to them, it was all positive,” he said. “Matt was well-pleased with what we did last year.

“We didn’t quite get over the line (and make the play-offs), but we want to take it further.

“I think me and Mark changed things around big time at the club - not just with the players. With the supporters, as well.

“The players were brilliant. They were lovely people and worked really hard on the training field.

"We’ll want more of the same this year.”

Herne Bay will target a top-five finish during the 2024/25 campaign but, with some