Peter Nott admits replacing last season's top scorer Ian Pulman at Belmont will be no easy task.

The Whitstable Town boss (pictured) says he was close to doing a deal to keep the prolific marksman at the Ryman League Division 1 South club when Blue Square Bet South side Eastbourne Borough made their approach.

With Lloyd Blackman moving to newly-promoted Safety Net Kent League champions Hythe, Nott has been forced to look elsewhere and believes he is on the verge of landing one his targets.

He said: "Pully and Blackman were two players we didn’t want to lose, and finding someone like Ian to score 30 goals a season is hard. We have already signed Keelan Mooney, and I am very close to getting another striker. I don’t want to say too much about him, because it will only alert other people."

The Town squad return to pre-season training on Saturday week, and Nott said: "I am talking to another defender, and another midfielder, but both are due back from holiday. I hope we will know whether all three players are coming in the next week or so."

Nott has strengthened his backroom team, bringing in Paul Hyde as goalkeeping coach, and David Chapman Jones as performance and fitness coach. Rikki Sceats continues as the club’s physio.

Whitstable vice-chairman and secretary Gary Johnson was appointed to the Ryman League board of directors at the competition’s annual meeting in Brighton on Saturday.