Hythe boss Clive Cook hopes Town’s season is finally up and running and is on the lookout for a 20-goal striker to help ensure it.

Cook saw Jay May leave to link-up with his former Maidstone team-mate Steve Watt, now manager at Bostik Premier Margate last week and is hopeful of finding a replacement before Guernsey visit Reachfields on Saturday.

The game will kick-off at 2pm and was arranged after both sides made early exits from the FA Cup.

Cook remained tight-lipped about his targets but said: “The deal was right for all parties. Jay is a great guy and I appreciate what he brings to the team.

“He’s a bit of a Marmite one, you either love what he does, or hate it but I always liked it and it’s a loss for us.

“He’s got what he wanted, though, the chance to play at a higher level and with players he’s played with before and the club got what they wanted to.

“I have got young Sid Sollis who is hungry and going to be a good player. It’s right for everyone, us as a club and for Jay.”

Cook claimed the Cannons have the ‘spring in their step’ back after an encouraging display, if not result, in a 2-0 loss at Phoenix Sports on Saturday before a 4-1 win – their first of the season – at home to Ramsgate on Bank Holiday Monday.

Cook said: “We played better on Saturday than we did on Monday but we beat a good Ramsgate side and lost to Phoenix Sports who I thought were poor. That’s football for you.

“We had 20 chances, 10 of them clear-cut on Saturday, but just couldn’t score. That game was never a 2-0, just like Ramsgate will think that Monday was never a 4-1. There are results every day in this league where you look and think ‘I would never have seen that coming in a million years.’

“It’s so wide open this year –even more than normal.

“Saturday won’t be easy. Guernsey are decent. They got a good point at Lewes and they’ve lost narrowly a few times, including 2-1 at Horsham on Monday.”

He added: “Hopefully, that is us turning the corner and that win kick-starts our
season.

“What we don’t want is to take two steps forward and then three back.

“I knew it would come. I wasn’t worried. We let ourselves down on Saturday but even their players were asking how the heck they had taken three points.”

Barring a replay in their FA Cup first qualifying round tie against Greenwich, Folkestone Invicta will visit Hythe in the Kent Senior Cup on Tuesday (7.45pm)