Herne Bay manager Ben Smith insists criticism of Ricky Freeman will only spur the striker on.

A surprise U-turn saw Freeman sign for Bay despite having already committed to staying at Whitstable for the upcoming season.

He will be joined at the club by a familiar face in Stuart West, who has also made the move from The Belmont.

Smith explained: “Ricky contacted us, nobody signs a form until July 1. We all run the risk of announcing players but we’d spoken to him well before that had been announced.

“I don’t know what went on between him and Blacky (Whitstable boss Lloyd Blackman), what was said and what wasn’t said.

“All I can go with is the fact everyone is a free agent until July 1 and there were a few things he wasn’t particularly happy with down there.

“Obviously (former manager) Scott Porter going was a major impact on Ricky. He was the person he was down there playing for, the same for me when I left a club (Canterbury City) and players have left to play with me.

“Wherever there is a managerial change there is always going to be players that feel like they’re in the plans or aren’t. I guess that’s for Ricky to say whether he was really into what they had planned for him as well.

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“He’s an experienced goalscorer. He did it for Hornchurch for a number of years, he played a huge part in getting Whitstable promoted to this level. He couldn’t quite carry it on last year because of the injuries but we’ve got a refreshed player out to prove a point.

“The fact that it’s been a bit controversial switching between the two clubs, that’s going to give him the fire in his belly. He’ll hear on social media people slagging him off, that’s just fuel for the fire and he’s sort of relishing it really.

“For us, the more people do that on these forums the better really. It’s just going to push him and fuel the motivation.

“Stuart (West) is somebody I’ve liked for a long time. He nearly won the league with Hollands & Blair, went to Ashford and captained them to win the league, went to Whitstable and won the league there. He gives us versatility, he’ll give us good character and experience.”

Bay also profited from the exodus of SE Dons players from Hythe, with the addition of Kieron Campbell.

Smith added: “I'm delighted. I didn't think it would happen because he's had so many clubs interested and to be fair he's had some quite lucrative offers.

“From the minute we met him really I think we seemed to get on really well and in all the discussions we seemed to hit it off so I always thought there was half a chance just because we had a fairly decent relationship from the off.

“Then it was a case of seeing if we could get anywhere near the offers he was getting previously and thankfully we've come to an agreement.

“He's somebody that wants to be successful and wants a challenge. I think we're certainly a team that wants to be successful and a team that is going to be an ongoing challenge.

“He's an exciting winger, full of tricks, full of energy. He's been one of Hythe's better players over the last few seasons and I think he's one that would have stayed at Hythe but obviously they were in a position where they had to lose some of the SE Dons players.

“We're not trying to sign the world but we've identified targets. If they come off then great, but at the minute we're in good shape. If we can get the last one or two over the line then fantastic, if not then I think we're still looking strong.”

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