Whitstable boss Nicky Southall says the signing of 42-year-old former Trinidad international and Gillingham defender Ian Cox will give his squad a timely boost.

Southall’s former Gills team-mate – who was part of his country’s World Cup 2006 squad – retired from football at the end of the 2008/09 season after a spell with Maidstone.

Southall said: “We were room-mates at Gillingham for a time and have kept in touch over the years. He’s been out of the game a couple of seasons but I met him last week and had a chat.

“We need more experience in key areas and he will bring his defensive abilities and the younger lads can learn from him. He is a great character to have around the place, too.

“He needs a few training sessions but he could be around for Herne Bay on Monday.”

Town claimed four points from two games against Chipstead on Saturday and at Hythe on Tuesday to leave Southall in positive mood.

He said: “We’ll not get carried away but the green shoots are there for all to see.

“We could have won at Hythe and it shows how far we’ve come.

“Last season we’d have lost that game but the new-found belief and confidence that they are fitter and stronger than anyone else got us through.

“We tell them ‘you have done three or four weeks more training than anyone else, we are going to be fitter and stronger than they are.’ We have to put that belief in them.”

Whitstable visit pointless Sittingbourne on Saturday before hosting Bay in Monday’s derby (3pm).