Herne Bay boss Steve Lovell’s phone has been red hot this summer.

The Bay players are back in training this weekend and Lovell hasn’t been short of options as he looks at filling a few gaps in his squad.

“It has been quite settled this summer,” said Lovell, who had to start from scratch a year ago.

“We still talk to players and there are players getting in contact with us to see if we would like them.

“It has been amazing, really, the amount of players who have rung us and asked us rather than us asking them.

“It has been really encouraging. Obviously, there are only so many you can invite in for trials, but everyone who comes will be given a fair chance.

“We are being honest, you might have to turn around and say ‘Sorry, we have players in that position’ and if we haven’t and I feel the player could give us value then we will invite them in.

“I don’t want hundreds of bodies turning up just for the sake of it.

“I think that spoils the training, the quality of the sessions and it stops them boys from playing at a level they should be playing.

“We have eight pre-season friendlies so loads of time to look at players and even the ones who come back, they have to come back and prove their right to play.

“There will be competition everywhere and I think that is a big thing for us, having that little bit more competition this year.

“Last year a squad was put together and week in, week out the team picked itself, especially at the start.

“Going into the new season there will be a lot more competition, especially in pre-season where players have to prove their worth.”

The first of Bay’s summer friendlies takes place next Saturday at home to Southern Counties East Premier Division side Hollands & Blair.

Lovell believes the club are more desirable to players with the hard work done on and off the pitch.

He said: “A couple of years ago Herne Bay were in a bad position off the field and on it, and I think the people last year at the club did a magnificent job in settling the club off the field.

“It has always been a good club, Herne Bay has always been a very good Kent club, very well supported, the supporters are fantastic.

“I think a lot of them can see that changes have now happened and the only way forward is being positive and looking forward to the new season and improving on what we did last year - on and off the field.

“This time last year we didn’t have anybody, me and Mark (Lovell’s son and assistant) put together a squad to get us through the season and we did well.

“[It was] just disappointing at the end that we couldn’t get into the play-offs.

“We’re a step ahead this year with the nucleus of the squad, only a couple have left for other clubs.

“The squad will change as pre-season goes along but the majority of the boys are coming back and we just need to fill in the gaps.

“I love pre-season. It is an opportunity to look at players and there is no pressure on trying to win games.

“It is more about looking at individual performances and working on a team performance going forward and shape work and what way we want to play and giving everybody a chance to get themselves fit.

“Pre-season is a good time and it gives me and Mark a chance to look at everybody and by the time the season starts we should be in a better position than we were last year.”