Michael Salako has enjoyed a superb start to life with Herne Bay.

Striker Salako bagged a brace in Saturday’s Isthmian South East 4-2 success at 10-man Horndean, having also netted in his first two appearances.

Bay boss Steve Lovell is thrilled with the impact Salako has made but hopes there is even more to come from him.

“Mike has done really well for us,” said Lovell. “He brings something different up front.

“He’s lively and a goalscorer. All his goals are scored in the six-yard box. That’s what you want to see from your forward.

“He’s fitting in really nicely. Him and Kane [Rowland] have got a good relationship.

“I think there’s only more to come from him. He’s a great lad, works hard and he’s scoring goals.

Two-goal Bay frontman makes team-of-the-week

“Hopefully, he can continue doing that.”

Salako made his Bay bow as a substitute, scoring in a 6-1 FA Trophy loss against Leatherhead, before he struck again in last Tuesday’s Velocity Cup 2-1 win at Sheppey.

Lovell said: “He does a bit of everything.

“Because of his pace, he makes runs in behind and gets flicks from Kane.

“But the main thing is he has that instinct. When the ball comes across, he’s in the right areas.

“It’s quite rare to find that these days. He’s not an out-and-out No.9.

“He’s not a big lad, either, but he holds the ball up well.”

Young on-loan Bromley defender Sam German and utility player Theo Osinfolarin were also on target at Horndean.

“It was a good result and a good performance,” Lovell reflected. “We could have got a few more goals but their keeper was excellent.

“We had a lot of chances and, going forward, we were very good, which was a positive.

“Defensively, we should have been a little bit better. We’re still not right as a group, defensively, but we’re getting there.”

Rudi Blankson was red-carded in the first half for Horndean, although the visitors were already 2-0 up by then.

Lovell noted: “Sometimes, it can work against you. The opposition sort of sit back with 10 men and can stop you.

“But fair play to them, they came out and still had a go.

“It gave us gaps to exploit. We just didn’t take all the opportunities.”

Other recent recruits to join Herne Bay have been left-sided player Tom Hanfrey and experienced midfielder Mo Kamara.

Lovell admitted: “We have got a decent squad now. I’ve brought in three new players - I think we needed to just liven things up.

“The boys had done really well in pre-season. But I feel we had not kicked on since, especially in the cup matches. I think we needed to freshen the squad.

“It’s quite a big squad in numbers now and everyone is fighting for their place. If you play well, you stay in.

“It’s hard in non-league football because you can only play so many players and you have to leave people out. The players can either wait their turn again or move on.

“But I will change it around on a weekly basis, based on the team we’re playing against.”

Injury-prone attacker Jack Richards has also returned after just under a month out.

Lovell, who also had Richards at Ramsgate last term, said: “Jack Richards has come back.

“He’s still not quite 100% fit but he’s getting there. I’ve had him at a few clubs and Jack has always been unlucky with injuries.

“If we can keep him away from injuries, we will have a very good player.

“I’m trying to give him an hour here or 70 minutes there.”

Bay’s next league encounter will see them face Phoenix Sports, 5-3 winners at Ashford in their last league game, this Saturday.

Herne Bay were beaten 3-0 away to rivals Sevenoaks in the First Round of the Kent Senior Cup on Wednesday.