Lee Martin has revealed that retirement was on his mind until Ramsgate manager Ben Smith got in touch during the summer.

Martin bagged his second goal in as many games on Monday as Ramsgate came from behind to win 2-1 at Herne Bay in Isthmian South East.

The 36-year-old former Gillingham midfielder, who signed for the Rams after leaving Dover, conceded he found the offer tough to turn down with Ramsgate harbouring ambitions for promotion this season.

“As you get older you never know when your retirement is coming,” said Martin. “I thought about it at the end of last season, I really did, but I spoke to the manager here who has been after me for a couple of years, and there is a different outlook here, a lot more enjoyable and everyone has made me feel really welcome.

“The chairman (James Lawson) has been absolutely outstanding with me, he has helped me out in terms of my next venture in coaching. The gaffer has been great too - very supportive.

“I can’t speak any higher of the place, and I think that is coming out in my game. I am looking at it as an enjoyment level really, taking it all in and knowing that last game isn’t so far away as you get older.

“I am just enjoying it. I have been fortunate that some of these younger players I have played with before at Gillingham and Ebbsfleet.”

Martin, who started his career at Manchester United, scored the winner at Herne Bay with Jordan Green having scored the equaliser within a couple of minutes of the second half.

Martin admitted the Rams were slow to get out of the blocks but, in the end, perhaps should have won by a greater margin.

He added: “I thought we looked a lot better in the second half - a slow start as you might expect off the back of a Saturday-Monday schedule but I felt they adapted to it a little bit better in the first half. Our quality shone through in the end, and I thought we maybe could have got a couple more.

“We have got some very talented individuals, and when they fire, we will win games. It’s about how many times we can get the ball to them. The conversation at half-time was get the ball forward into the danger men, into Joe Taylor, get him touches and build from there.

“That was the only difference from the first to the second half, we had a little bit more forward thinking, shorter passes to get the ball forward when needed to and then we isolated the full-backs in wider areas where somebody like Jordan Green can do some damage.”

In the opposition dugout on Monday was Steve Lovell, who managed Martin during his time at Priestfield and the former Charlton man was full of praise for the former Welsh international.

“Lovs has been one of my favourite managers,” Lee said. “During his tenure at Gillingham he changed a lot; we were going in the wrong direction and what he did was incredible, really. He changed us from rock-bottom to almost play-off challenging, we fell away towards the end but those memories will always last for me.

“I was fortunate enough that, when he did release the shackles, he brought out the best in my game because, prior to that, I was struggling. I will be forever grateful in that sense and he’s a man I really respect.”

Ramsgate, who had Lovell in charge for a period last season, ultimately missed out on promotion but Martin is hopeful the squad have the capabilities to go one better this time around.

He added: “I think silence sometimes is always the better way to approach things but you don’t sign the players we have signed to be mid-table. We have got a big goal, we have big ambitions and we need to get it right.

“We’ve got a target on our back now because of the players that we have brought in so we know it’s going to be a lot harder than maybe it would have been if we didn’t have them, but we understand our roles and we understand what is needed to get over the line and we are focusing on each games as it comes, it’s that old cliche.

“We are all in it together and pulling in the right direction - we are a brand-new squad and I think there are only a couple of boys from last year so we are going to get better as time goes on.”

The Rams travel to Chatham on Saturday for another tough fixture in the FA Cup First Qualifying Round and Martin knows it will be a big challenge for the squad.

He added: “It’s going to be a tough game but we have some very talented players, and a good squad. We might need to adjust a few things and we know we might need to concede some areas of the pitch, but the manager is really good on that front.”