Faversham’s young players are heading into the new season full of confidence to the delight of manager Ray Turner.

A young Lilywhites side stunned Folkestone on Saturday by winning 4-0 at the home of the Ryman League Division 1 South champions.

“It was a big boost in terms of a result and the performance,” Turner said. “It’s always nice to pick up a little bit of confidence pre-season.

“It was a big boost in terms of a result and the performance,” Turner said. “It’s always nice to pick up a little bit of confidence pre-season.

“It’s given a huge boost to the young players we’ve got at the club. We’ve spent a lot of time building the structure of the club and there were eight players under-21 in the squad at Folkestone on Saturday.

“I don’t get too carried away with wins or defeats but when you see young players coming through, it’s nice for them to pick up that confidence, guys that haven’t been around.

“We had under-18 players making their debuts and it’s for them to take something out of it more than anything. That’s what I’m most pleased about.

“It gives players a real recognition of a route through to the first team and that’s why I haven’t gone into the (transfer) market too much in the summer.

“Prices have been high for players but it’s not just that. We need to look within, first and foremost – that’s how we’ve got to do things at Faversham.

“We’re now seeing the benefit of regular first-team players, the likes of George Monger and Dan Carrington. Steve Ratcliffe, who was at Ebbsfleet a couple of years ago, has joined the squad this year as a young player.

“It’s still key for me, in terms of the balance of the squad, to have the right senior players who can help those young players. But we have to compete that way and it brings a bit of continuity. I’ve got the same squad I had at the back-end of last year.”

Faversham travel to Leatherhead on Saturday for their final pre-season friendly (3pm)