Richard Dimmock has been busy reshaping the Lordswood team and now needs a win to kickstart their survival bid.

Former Lords player Dimmock was brought in a month ago to try and lead them to safety in the Southern Counties East Premier Division but a disrupted fixture list has seen little action taking place.

Lordswood lost 2-1 at home to K Sports last Saturday in the Challenge Cup second round. Dimmock's only other match in charge was a 2-0 loss to Rusthall the week before in the league.

Central defender Chris Mirrless has previously played under Dimmock and made his debut at the weekend while other newcomers Chris Ware and Jack Harding were named on the bench.

Midfielder Rob Hicks has also joined, following on from the arrivals of winger Sam Bailey from Erith Town and loan striker George Baker-Moran - a former Gillingham youth player - from Ramsgate.

"Hopefully things will start to gel and results will start to come in," said the new manager.

"It was a very young squad so I have tinkered a bit, brought in a bit of experience, still kept a few of the boys there, got some players in on loan and it has tightened up a bit. It is down to fitness now.

"Some of the boys haven't been playing at other clubs and they are finding their levels now, it has been those last 10 minutes that has killed us in both games."

On Saturday they were leading 1-0 through Charlie Edmundson, a recent signing from Corinthian, before conceding two goals in the last 15 minutes to lose the match.

Edmundson scored his goal just before the break after missing an earlier penalty.

Both teams played an hour with 10 men after Mehmet Piro - another new face - was sent off for Lordswood and Max Morgan for K Sports.

Lordswood return to league action this Saturday at home to Canterbury City - a side who have just appointed a new manager. They start the weekend six points adrift of safety with the division's worst goal difference and half of the season played.

Dimmock was keen to tackle the challenge having played several seasons for the club. He returned to Martyn Grove after leaving Halls Athletic's promotion bid in Kent County League, Division 1 West.

He had previously enjoyed success at Welling Town, taking them from the Kent County League into the Southern Counties East.

His love of the Medway club meant he couldn't turn the job down when it was offered to him, saying: "I have played there, I love the people at the club, it is well-run and I don't want to see them relegated.

"Me and my assistant [Mike Jones and Jason Long have followed him from Halls] sat down and looked at what we could do and we agreed to go for this new challenge. We are confident we can get them out of the situation.

"It was a tough decision but I wanted a different challenge, I have never been in this situation before. I could come in and be a hero and it would be a massive achievement. If we can get that first win the confidence would be sky high.

"We have to go into Saturday thinking it is a must win, but if we can turn up and get the three points and get the boys back in during the week we can then work on things from there."

The recruitment, meanwhile, hasn't stopped.

Dimmock added: "There are a couple of other players I want to try and bring in to try and strengthen the ship up, if I can get them in I really think we can go on that run and if we get two or three wins on the bounce then we are right in amongst it.

"There is a little budget, I am using my contacts. And some of them are really helping me out. At the moment it is slowly going the way I want it to go."