John Embery says he had little or no influence on son Jake’s decision to leave Herne Bay.

Embery junior completed a move to National League Maidstone on Tuesday, ending a highly productive two-year stint at Winch’s Field.

The 19-year-old is the club’s record scorer in the Isthmian League with 40 goals, 23 of which came in his debut season – another club record.

His tally in total for the club is 49 from 85 appearances, which includes two four-goal hauls this season, against Ramsgate and Greenwich.

John, the club’s joint-boss, revealed his son had turned down several offers to stay with Bay last season.

He explained: “He had offers last season from clubs at our level and the one above, which he knocked back because going full-time was always his aspiration. I think he just felt this was just too good an opportunity to miss.

“It was his decision to speak to Maidstone, just as it was his decision to get an agent, that’s how he is.

“I’m his dad but I’m not his keeper, he’s an adult, he makes his own choices. Yes, he asked me what I thought, but at the end of the day I said it was his decision. I said whatever he decided I would back him.

“People might think it puts me in a difficult situation but he’s no different to any other player at the club.

“The reason Jermaine (joint-boss Jermaine Darlington) and I came to Herne Bay was to progress the club and progress players. The last thing we’d want to do is stand in the way of anyone who has a chance to push on.”

Embery junior’s decision to leave comes just weeks after he’d asked to be released from his contract and offered to play on for free.

That has led to some frustration among the club’s hierarchy, who now face the prospect of receiving neither a fee nor any compensation for losing their prized asset.

A statement put out on the club’s website on Monday night said they were ‘not at all happy’ about the situation, but chairman Bill Dordoy says there is no animosity towards the player.

He explained: “Jake’s been great for us and he’s a nice lad, we sat with him in the stands at Three Bridges on Saturday so there’s certainly no ill feeling between us.

“We’re always very proud when one of our players goes on to better things. The frustration comes from the fact that the club have helped him develop over the past couple of seasons and the likelihood is that we probably won’t receive a brass farthing for him. It was the same when Coventry came in for Sam McCallum last year.”

Maidstone have said they will play Bay in a pre-season friendly – at the player’s request.