Herne Bay boss Ben Smith welcomes signing of ex-Gillingham midfielder Bradley Stevenson
06:00, 19 September 2019
Herne Bay manager Ben Smith is eager to help Bradley Stevenson fulfil his potential after signing from Gillingham.
The 20-year-old has been on the books at Priestfield since 2006 and made his first-team debut as a substitute in an EFL Trophy tie against Luton Town in August 2016.
He has since been sent out on loan five times, most recently to Hastings United in March for his second spell at the Isthmian South East side.
Bay manager Smith said: “Tuesday night (in the league at Ramsgate) came a little bit too soon for him.
“He’s not played for four weeks so he came and signed. He did a fitness session with me Monday and he’ll train Thursday. It will be a case of building him up to speed.
“He brings real quality. Anyone at Gillingham will say he’s got undoubted ability, probably one of the best talents they’ve had at the club.
“It hasn’t quite worked out for him. Changes in manager and changes at the club have made it difficult for him to settle and establish himself.
“I’ve known him a long time. I’ve taught him at school and he’s someone I think can still have a career in professional football. It’s a case of him settling in and establishing himself.”
Bay ended a four-game winless run with a 3-0 win over Ramsgate, with Smith’s men producing a necessary response to Saturday’s 5-1 loss to Whitehawk.
He added: “We’re Jekyll and Hyde at the minute. We know there is undoubted ability there.
“I sound like a broken record but it’s going to take time for the players to click.
“We certainly don’t want to be losing games 5-1, that was totally unacceptable and a real spineless performance. The players let themselves down.
“Roll on Tuesday and we’re thinking ‘have we got the character to come here and win against a Ramsgate side littered with quality?’.”
Smith was particularly pleased with his side’s clean sheet having conceded 14 goals in their last five games across all competitions.
“We went back to basics and just nullified everything,” he said.
“As long as we keep it tight and defensively sound, we’re always going to cause problems.
“We were excellent front to back on Tuesday, even at 3-0 in the last three or four minutes people were throwing their bodies on the line and working for each other.
“We've been on a poor run and the confidence has been sapped out of the side. We needed a night where everybody gives 100% and when you've got Zak Ansah anything can happen.
“To top it off Chris Saunders covered every blade of grass and got his goal.
“One win won’t wave the magic wand, but it does an awful lot and we’ll continue to build on it.”
Bay are due to host second-bottom Hythe at Winch’s Field on Saturday.
