Hythe Town manager Ira Jackson plans to help former Folkestone team-mate Tyler Sterling get back to his best | Cannons top early SCEFL table after big Snodland victory

Hythe Town manager Ira Jackson sees an opportunity to help Tyler Sterling get his career back on track.

The pair were team-mates at Folkestone, where Sterling was tipped for big things after breaking into the side as a teenager.

It didn’t happen for the forward who was hailed for his “unbelievable natural ability” by ex-Invicta boss Neil Cugley.

But he’s still only in his early 20s and Jackson wants to help him shine after a chance conversation led to a deal.

Sterling opened the scoring on Tuesday night as Hythe beat Snodland 4-0 to sit top of the Southern Counties East Premier Division after three games.

“I’ve known him since he was 16/17 and, to be fair, I just tried to check up on him after I saw he wasn’t around Herne Bay any more after pre-season,” said Jackson.

“It wasn’t really with the intention of signing him but eventually we had a good chat and he felt this was the right space for him to get back to his best.

“I believe in Tyler and I want to give him all the support necessary to be the best version of himself.

“We’re starting to see flashes of that already.

“Some players are mismanaged, some players don’t understand their potential, some players are frightened by their potential and some players are just in the wrong environment.

“After Folkestone, where a lot of the players were very supportive of him, as time goes on he moved to different clubs.

“I think he was in an environment that allowed him to settle a bit and that’s why he’s kind of declined slightly but we’re hoping, with the belief we have in him, that he can still go out and improve as a player and reach those heights again.

“I said to him at 17 I believe you can be a professional player one day.

“He had the ability to do it but a lot of it is