Caretaker still targeting salvation

A 4-0 defeat at home to Faversham brought Cox's three month reign at The Belmont to an end and Patching has drawn up a list of must win matches if the Oysterman are to beat the drop.

Patching, Town's U21s manager and newly appointed club development manager, stepped up last week with coach Bob Reardon after Cox stood down having overseen 10 ten defeats in his 13 games at the helm.

Despite the Oystermen sitting 15 points from safety after Saturday's 6-1 defeat at Hastings United, Patching believes anything is possible if they can change attitudes and take points from key games.

He told www.kentonline.co.uk: "We are looking at certain games we think we can realistically earn some points.

"We need to implement more of a game-plan and introduce more of a disciplined structure to how we play. If we can do that, then it should pay dividends.”

The former Corinthian and Chatham player, whose coaching CV includes spells at Hitchin, Cray Wanderers and in Australia, added: “I’ve been around a bit over the past 17 years or more. Bob and I have been around the block and know what to do and how to manage players."

Former Gillingham and Trinidad & Tobago World Cup defender Cox arrived in November as part of joint management team with Wayne Wilson. After Wilson left in February on Valentines Day, Cox went just one game into the new regime of chairman Adam Lightowler and his consortium.

A director of Medway-based construction firm Merit Building Services where he is a colleague of new club vice-chairman and former Town scout Keith Perkins, Lightowler succeeded former Whistable Town chairman Gary Johnson.

Follow us: @rymanleaguenews on Twitter | Ryman League group on Facebook