New boss Dan Lawrence is confident he can ensure Canterbury City avoid relegation from the Southern Counties East Premier Division.

Lawrence is back at City, replacing Keith Bird who resigned as manager just before Christmas.

Lawrence and Sam Wilson held the reins around a year ago for three matches, and thought they would get a long-term crack at the role, only for Bird to be appointed instead in January 2022.

Canterbury are four points adrift at the end of the calendar year. There’s plenty of league games to go this term, though, and ex-midfielder Lawrence is upbeat they can beat the drop.

“I looked at the league table before coming over on Boxing Day and it’s not going to be easy,” said Lawrence, who will once again work alongside Wilson.

“It’s going to be tough and we’ll need to pick up results quickly but we are halfway through the season so there’s points to be had.

• Report: Whitstable 4-2 Canterbury City

“It’s just a case of getting them as quickly as we can and getting on a roll.”

Lawrence - who had stints at Faversham and Herne Bay as well as City in his playing days - also works as under-18s boss at Isthmian Premier Herne Bay but the chance to manage at senior level proved too good to turn down.

He said: “Obviously I played a lot of games for the club and had a brief stint as the manager on a temporary basis this time last year for three games.

“So it’s something that I have always been interested in. Trevor [James, chairman] and Ada [Gower, one of the club’s other coaches] gave me a call when Keith resigned and just asked if I’d be interested - and I jumped at the chance.

“I’m doing the Herne Bay under-18s but it [first-team management] was always something I wanted to do anyway. I met with Trevor and finalised it on Tuesday, and I’ve got the gig.

“I was a bit gutted that we didn’t get the chance to carry it on this time last year because we had built a good side and a good environment there.

“We put our names in the hat and - as far as we were aware - we were going to get a good run at it. Then obviously, they brought Keith in. It was what it was.

“It’s always something I’ve been interested in anyway but trying to get a start in non-league management is difficult.

“I got offered the opportunity to manage Herne Bay under-18s and have been doing that since July, and we have some good players there.

“But the chance to manage at this level, I couldn’t turn down.”

Lawrence watched on during Tuesday’s derby as City lost 4-2 at Whitstable and, despite the loss, he was pleased with what he saw. Their goals came from Henry Arnold and Seb Rowland.

He said: “It’s the first opportunity I have had to watch them this year.

"Without meaning to sound disrespectful, I was pleasantly surprised.

“They do have some good players and, at times, they had Whitstable on the ropes. But they didn’t really capitalise on the possession they had and maybe some naivety at the end cost them the three points.

“There’s plenty to work with. If I can bring in some experienced players around the youngsters that we have got, then that’s going to be the way to go.”

He’ll restart life at the City helm with a home match at Sittingbourne against Lordswood on Monday, kick-off is at 2pm.

“I know Dimmo [Richard Dimmock], the manager there. He’ll have built a good side, a tough side,” said Lawrence, who also is keen to bring in a goalkeeping coach.

“I have got a couple that have already agreed to come in with me so we’ll try to get them in as soon as we can.

“Then we’ll go from there and, hopefully, we can try and get three points.”

A club statement read: "Following the resignation of director and team manager Keith Bird, Canterbury City chairman Trevor James is pleased to confirm the appointment of Dan Lawrence as our new team manager.

"Dan will be known to many Canterbury City supporters as an ex-City player and club captain and even as team manager for a brief cameo role in January. Now, he has been given the reins with his

assistant Sam Wilson to see what he can achieve to lift City from bottom position in the SCEFL Premier Division.

"With exactly half of the season gone, realism shows City to be in the proverbial mire, so something has to change to lift the spirit of the team and pull the club out of the mess that we find ourselves

in. Even Houdini would find this task a tough one to get out of, so the journey ahead could be likened to the Great Escape!

"It’s Dan’s first managerial role at Step 5 level in the football pyramid, so his appointment might raise some eyebrows - as he doesn’t necessarily have coaching badges up to his armpits as some other applicants have - but what he does bring to the City team is youth, playing savvy, passion for the club and, most of all, leadership - something that has been missing.

"Dan’s backroom team will also include the City stalwarts of Ada Gower and Kerry Harris who are the cornerstone of the club and, with Mick Santer, have held things together until this appointment.

"Doubtless, there will be bumps in the road ahead, but God loves a trier!"

Canterbury have only earned three league wins this term but one of them came at Lordswood, a 2-0 success when the teams met in September.