Hythe have three strong candidates to captain the side this season.

Experienced defender Jake Goodman has impressed with his leadership qualities since joining.

Jack Steventon wore the armband for the Cannons’ 4-2 friendly win at Punjab on Saturday while Lex Allan, who missed the game through injury, is another good option.

Goodman, 30, started his career at Millwall and in recent seasons has played for Ebbsfleet, Dover, Folkestone and Sittingbourne.

“It’s the first time I’ve worked with Jake and I love his attitude,” said Cannons assistant manager Darren Beale.

“He’s got that experience about him where he’s played at different levels and he’s someone who will help bring the youngsters on and help us as a team.

“He’s just got those natural leadership qualities which we certainly need with a young squad so I’m excited to have him involved.”

Beale and manager Sammy Moore also like what Steventon and Allan bring to the table.

They’re among the few players to have stayed on from last season.

“Steventon was captain at the weekend,” said Beale.

“He’s another one who’s got good experience behind him. He’s been loyal to Hythe.

“When we came in at the end of last season he was someone we could rely on.

“It’s no secret we struggled to put sides out and he was someone that stuck around.

“I think he quite likes what he’s seen from Sammy and I and we like what we see from him.

“He’s potentially up there. Lex Allan is another one. He was injured at the weekend but we know what Lex is about having worked with him towards the end of last season.

“There’s two or three there potentially that can get the captaincy. We’ve still not made our mind up yet but we’ll do that towards the end of pre-season.”

Beale, who saw Hythe lose 1-0 at Larkfield & New Hythe on Tuesday night, says their recruitment isn’t finished yet.

The management have been busy assembling a squad for the new season, with the friendlies giving them food for thought.

“Playing games gives us a better idea of what we’ve got and what we still need to recruit,” said Beale.

“If I’m honest, pre-season training so far has predominantly been about fitness, a combination of that and ball work.

“We’ve had a few small-sided games but you don’t really get a chance to look at them in a competitive situation.

“We know where we’re short at the moment so there’s still a little bit more recruiting to go.

“We’re certainly not the finished article squad-wise and there’s some youngsters there that have got another few games to be involved and show where they’re at.

“We have 15/16 players, so we’re potentially looking at two or three more additions ideally.

“We’re quite a young squad so it would be nice to have that little bit of experience but I still think there’s a lot of players out there hedging their bets.”

Hythe’s transfer business has been aided by the extensive pitch works commissioned by new chairman Matt Smith.

The Reachfields pitch is unrecognisable from last season when a stream of postponements led to a heavy fixture backlog.

“A lot of the players we’ve spoken to, the pitch was one of their main concerns,” said Beale.

“It’s been highlighted what problems they had with the pitch last year and how many games they had to call off but the work that’s gone into it has been brilliant.

“We want to play football. We don’t want to be direct. There’ll be games when we have to be direct but, at home, we want to try and excite those fans who come along.”

Talking of the fans, they’ve been playing their part to get the ground looking tip-top for the new Isthmian South East season.

“They’ve got a working group down there,” said Beale.

“I’ve been down there a couple of times with them and they’re working their socks off doing all those unseen tasks.

“I want to thank them for everything they’ve done.”

Hythe are in friendly action at Snodland on Saturday (3pm).