Lydd Town sign former Gillingham, Barnsley, Shrewsbury and Tranmere striker Stefan Payne from Southern Counties East League rivals Faversham Town

Lydd Town have signed last season’s Southern Counties East Premier Division golden boot winner.

The Lydders have moved for Stefan Payne, whose departure from Faversham Town was announced earlier this week.

“Stefan will become a fans’ favourite here at Lindsey Field,” said Lydd interim manager Ryan Smith. “He is a proven lethal finisher.”

The 33-year-old forward never started a game for Faversham this season after a disrupted pre-season but scored twice in nine substitute outings.

Payne joined Gillingham in 2010 and also included Barnsley, Shrewsbury and Tranmere among his former clubs.

Locally, Payne has featured for Ebbsfleet, Dover, Welling, Tonbridge and, more recently, Faversham.

The signing comes just days after Lydd’s new striker Trevor McCreadie was ruled out for a year with an ACL injury suffered on his debut.

McCreadie, a prolific scorer with Tunbridge Wells, had joined from Eastbourne United.

Lydd are currently 18th in the Premier Division with two wins from their first 10 games, but haven’t won in their last five league matches.

They are due to visit Athletic Newham in the FA Vase first round on Saturday but Payne is cup-tied having already played in the competition for Faversham this season.