Lordswood manager Matt Barman claims first win after beating Whitstable in the Southern Counties East Premier Division

Matt Barman celebrated his first win since taking over as Lordswood manager on Saturday - against his old club.

Among the goalscorers in Lords’ 3-1 win over Whitstable was Archie Risdon - the former captain of the opposition’s under-18 side.

Risdon is one of several young players that have arrived at Lordswood following a change in management, including Ryan Neal, another former youth player at Whitstable.

Barman was previously coaching the youngsters at The Belmont Ground and he believes the best way for Lordswood to achieve success in the Southern Counties East league is to put his faith in promising young talent.

“Why not give the youngsters a go?” said the manager. “It is so difficult for kids to break in because people look at them and think, ‘well you haven’t played for anyone’, but they haven’t had a chance, so it’s catch-22.

“We will give people opportunities but they still need to be physically and mentally ready, I won’t throw them in too quickly - but I am not going to block them because of a number.

“I think the way forward for us is to invest in these young players for the future of our club at Lordswood. We can create a team and an environment that we can build on, as oppose to me going out and spending x-amount on a player and then another player. This suits what Lordswood’s capabilities are.

“If you make it about the money Lordswood aren’t competing, what we have to do is find our own angle.

“We’re not shopping in Marks & Spencer but there are some good deals in Lidl - there are some gems down that middle aisle.

“These players are seriously hungry, the tempo in the training sessions has gone up, the dressing room vibe feels a lot better and I thought we deserved the win at the weekend against a very good