Boss Steve Lovell is thrilled with how Herne Bay’s new-look squad is coming together - but isn’t getting carried away yet.

There’s been plenty of changes at Winch’s Field this summer, with Lovell taking charge while all of last season’s squad, which suffered Isthmian Premier relegation, have moved on.

But Bay have won four of their first five pre-season friendlies, including a 2-1 triumph over Isthmian Premier Margate last Friday.

Lovell said: “I told the boys after that we’ve only been together three weeks and it’s amazing, really, what they have achieved.

“There’s teams who have been together for years and aren’t playing like we are at the moment. But it’s pre-season.

“There’s another month to go until the start of the season and we have got to keep improving as we go along.

“At the moment, everything’s fine.

“We have got a couple of injuries but you get that as pre-season goes along.

“Overall, I’m very pleased.”

A goal from forward Gil Carvalho, set up by midfielder Archie Burnett, and a second-half Samson Maagbe penalty ensured they got the better of a competitive friendly against Margate.

“I thought it was a good game of football,” Lovell reflected.

“There were a few juicy tackles going on there but that’s part of football.

“They came down with a good side and we put in a good performance.

“I know you don’t look at the results [in pre-season]. I look at the performances and the performances have been getting better as we go through.”

The match was moved forward a day, due to Steve and assistant Mark Lovell celebrating birthdays on Sunday, but a bumper 474-strong crowd turned out.

Lovell, who took versatile midfielder Bola Dawodu off as a precautionary measure after a first-half knock, said: “A lot of people do a lot of things on a weekend.

“I do like the evening games and it was a good crowd - it was excellent for a friendly.

“I hope the Herne Bay supporters have gone home happy with what they’re seeing. I think they should be.

“The boys are performing well and are doing the club proud at the moment.”

Herne Bay have also learned their opening-day match in Isthmian South East will see them host Burgess Hill, managed by ex-Leyton Orient midfielder Dean Cox, on Saturday, August 12.

“It’s nice to have a home game for the first game,” noted Lovell, whose troops will visit Corinthian or Bedfont Sports Club in the FA Cup the following weekend.

“Then we have got a few cup games after that.”

Lovell gets an early reunion with his former club Ramsgate when the teams meet at Winch’s Field on Bank Holiday Monday, August 28. The return game is on Boxing Day.

They round off the campaign at home to Chichester on April 27.

Bay ended up on the wrong end of a nine-goal contest at home to lower-division Deal on Tuesday, losing 6-3.

Carvalho and Theo Osinfolarin were among their scorers while ex-Herne Bay frontmen Aaron Millbank and Rory Smith were on target for the Hoops.

They’re at home to a Gillingham XI this Saturday and visit Southern Counties East Premier Division VCD next Tuesday.