Herne Bay player-manager Liam Friend liked his first viewing of new-look squad; Bay start pre-season with 3-1 win against Kennington

Player-boss Liam Friend liked what he saw as he got his new-look Herne Bay squad together for the first time.

Bay reported back for pre-season training ahead of the new Isthmian South East season at the weekend.

While defender Friend admits he’s not usually easily impressed, he saw enough to get the juices flowing, ahead of Herne Bay’s first batch of friendlies.

They will be at home against Hollands & Blair on Saturday, having defeated another Southern Counties East League Premier Division side, Kennington, 3-1 in their first warm-up match on Tuesday night.

Tyler Sterling and Oscar Webb added late goals after Kane Haysman scored a first-half penalty and goalkeeper Joe Coleman saved a spot-kick at the other end.

“It’s really exciting,” said Friend. “We had our first session on Saturday.

“It was absolutely roasting! But the attitude and application of the players was really impressive.

“I’m usually more ‘We have ticked a box, let’s move on’, but they really impressed me.

"One of the new players, Alfie Bloomfield, who was at Beckenham, really impressed me in particular at training.

“He looked really sharp.”

Friend now has to guide his players through pre-season games for the first time, balancing fitness and playing patterns ahead of their first league game next month.

Asked if those decisions made his new player-manager post feel a bit more real, he replied: “I suppose so. That’s the job, isn’t it?

“Over the course of a couple of weeks, it’s a manager’s decision whether you play or not but, over the course of a season, that’s a player’s decision. If you keep doing the work, you can get back in.

“We have got one player that has a minor injury, although he should be okay for Saturday.

"Every decision is a good decision for