Four players have agreed to follow former manager Jason Lillis from Lordswood to Whitstable Town.

Lordswood’s player-of-the-year Joe Kane is one of the quartet teaming up with Lillis, who was this week named as Nicky Southall’s assistant at The Belmont.

Striker Jordan Wells, midfielder Peter Huggens and defender Adam Hooper are also making the step up from Kent League football.

Southall said: “Those guys are known by Jason and he trusts them. They were permanent fixtures last year and Lordswood had a good season. It’s a different level but sometimes players step up at the next level.

“There’s no stigma in that. The way I look at it, they’ll have a lot of fire and determination and that’s what we need to try to make things happen. They’ll bring hunger, desire and passion and I think we lacked a little bit of that last season.”

Southall met with his players on Tuesday night to to start the process of refining his squad ahead of the 2013-14 campaign.

His shake-up extended to the coaching staff, with Lillis taking the place of previous assistant manager Richard Langley, who has been offered the chance to work with Whitstable’s new side in the Ryman under-21 League alonsgide Bob Reardon, who guided the Oystermen reserves to the Kent League Division 1 title this term.