A summer turnover of players has helped Corinthian make a decent start on their Southern Counties East Premier Division return.

Promoted two years ago as part of the Football Association’s reshuffle of the lower leagues after two non-completed seasons due to Covid, the Hoops’ Step 4 stay proved brief, relegated last term after an eighth-placed finish in their debut Isthmian League season.

Captain Jamie Billings and suspended Sam Bewick are two of few to remain from last campaign’s squad, with Corinthian presently occupying a play-off place. They are on 24 points from 13 league matches in fourth.

Long-serving boss Michael Golding said: “As a management group, I think we know how to win games of football at Step 5.

“Obviously, we lost a lot of games last year in difficult circumstances. But when you have got a whole new team going into this season, that doesn’t really roll over.

“We’ll always pick stuff apart and see areas that we could improve on. But I think the harsh reality is we have come down from Step 4 and we have had to rebuild the side again. We were able to keep or recruit a few senior players, which we lacked last year.

“The honest truth is that we had no idea where we would be in the league.

“To have 24 points on the board - and we have only just dropped below two-points-per-game - which, if you are looking to get into the play-offs, you’re aiming for. Overall, that’s good.”

But Corinthian lost 1-0 at Bearsted on Saturday.

Trailing to Daniel Melvin’s first-half effort, striker Charlie Clover was denied by home goalkeeper Frankie Leonard and Michael Hagan blazed over the rebound in the same passage of play just before the interval.

Things went from bad to worse during more than 12 minutes of second-half stoppage time when Connor Driscoll was dismissed and the Hoops ended with nine players as one of his team-mates was sin-binned.

“It was a game of nothing that I think the officials made a bit chaotic towards the end,” suggested Golding. “I think Bearsted scored their big chance and we, unfortunately, missed ours through Charlie and Michael Hagan at the end of the first half.

“The second half kind of petered out. There were a couple of breakaways for Bearsted towards the end, as we were chasing the game, but we didn’t do enough in the second half.

“A point might have been fair, but fair play to Bearsted.”

Corinthian visit Stansfeld in the Second Round of the Challenge Cup on Tuesday and return to Gay Dawn Farm against Fisher in the league this Saturday.