Lex Allan is the new captain of Hythe Town following Jack Steventon’s departure.

Steventon left Reachfields at the end of last week following an approach from Isthmian South East rivals Sittingbourne.

He’d been made skipper by former boss Sammy Moore and retained the armband under Nick Davis.

But Steventon’s move gave Davis a decision to make and he’s plumped for centre-half Allan.

The new Cannons boss first worked with Allan at Sittingbourne, giving him his debut as a 17-year-old.

Scouts were soon monitoring the 6ft7in defender and he had trials at Millwall, Norwich and Crystal Palace while working under Davis.

They’ve been reunited at Hythe and Allan, now 25, is ready for the extra responsibility that comes with captaincy.

He equalised as the Cannons came from a goal down to beat Herne Bay 2-1 last night, with Bruno Tavares scoring the winner from the penalty spot.

“Lex is our captain now,” confirmed Davis.

“He was delighted when I offered it to him and he’s probably been our best player. He’s been fantastic.

“I’ve known him a long time and he’s grown into a fantastic player. He’s certainly progressed. He’s very consistent, very good in the air and decent on the ball.

“He’s a good all-round centre-half at this level.”

On Steventon’s departure, Davis added: “Sittingbourne put an approach in for him and at the minute they’re in a different place to what we are.

“He thought it was a better fit for him, so good luck to him.”

Steventon’s exit and the unavailability of Stefan Wright and loanee Sam Blackman left Hythe short for their FA Trophy tie against Three Bridges on Saturday, with Davis fielding a number of teenagers.

The Cannons could only name a three-man bench for the first qualifying round tie and lost 2-1, with Tavares scoring a last-minute consolation.

Davis has praised the contribution of the club’s youngsters.

“We had only 14 players on Saturday and seven were teenagers,” he said, speaking before the Herne Bay game.

“Kian Scott, who’s started the last three matches, is 17, so credit to him and all the youngsters because no one’s let anyone down.

“It’s a lot to ask to play these games in such quick succession and even though we’ve lost, the silver lining is there’s an opportunity for young players.

“Kian led the line for us at Ramsgate last week (2-0 league defeat) and he’s run himself into the ground for us over the last couple of games, so fair play to him.”

Davis was encouraged by Hythe’s performance at title favourites Ramsgate, where they made life as difficult as they could for the free-scoring hosts.

But he felt they left it too late to get after Three Bridges in the Trophy after falling two goals behind in the first half.

“We weren’t great on Saturday but we didn’t have loads of options,” said Davis.

“We didn’t defend very well for the goals.

“It was a much better second-half performance but we threw the kitchen sink at them maybe a bit too late.

“Maybe in hindsight we should have gone a bit sooner.

“In a cup game, whether you lose 4-1 or 2-1, you’re still out.

“It was one step forward after Ramsgate and two back but that’s how it is at the minute.

“We’ve got players coming in, so we’ll get stronger and have more options.

“We just have to stay positive and believe in what we’re doing and hopefully we’ll come good.”

Hythe visit Sevenoaks this Saturday (3pm).