Lordswood manager Nicky Southall hopes a focus on attack helps his side challenge at the top end this season.

Forwards Jake Embery and Brad Schafer have joined from Hythe Town over the summer with higher-level experience behind them, Elliott Duncan has swapped Crowborough for Martyn Grove while Callum Peck will also hoping to be among the goals this season.

With some experienced additions, Lords boss Southall - who took over midway through last season - is hoping his side can take a leaf out of Deal Town’s book as they start their challenge in the SCEFL Premier Division away at Corinthian this Saturday.

Southall said: “(Coming in last season) gave me a good insight into the teams in this league and style of play, what I have to do, new surroundings, it has been an eye-opener.

“I decided at the end of last season that I wanted to try and get some goalscorers in. No disrespect to the levels, but I think defenders aren’t as strong as they are at the levels above, so we wanted to try and get more goals in the side.

“If you have goalscorer like Jake Embrey in there, Brad Schafer, Callum Peck, they have played at higher levels, Elliott Duncan. I decided to go down that route and see where it takes us.

“I studied the way Deal Town played last year and they won the league at a canter. A lot of their players know each other, they know each other’s game inside out, when we played them twice at the back end of last season they had five players who used to be my boot-boys! It was crazy to see.

“They played a certain way, they got the ball high up the pitch, almost five in the box every time the ball went in. Is that the way forward at this level? “They have a good manager at Deal and a good core of players. Maybe we can take a leaf out of their book.”

Lordswood finished mid-table last season but Southall’s got big ambitions in management and is keen to push the club on.

He said: “I want to try and finish the minimum of the play-offs, that’s the goal.

“Lordswood have never been in there and I am ambitious, I want to do well and I want to kick start my managerial career.

“I have been assistant for some good clubs but I want to be no.1 and kick on myself. I have loads of experience and lots of knowledge and I just want to do well with Lordswood.

“They have never really had a push for play-offs for a long time and we could get there or thereabouts.

“There is always one team who seem to do well, an unfashionable club, hopefully it can be us this year.”

Opening weekend hosts Corinthian are a big first challenge, a side who only missed out on promotion after a penalty shootout defeat against Erith Town in the SCEFL Premier Division play-off final.

“There are some good teams in this division,” said Southall. “Some people think that because Erith and Deal got promoted last season it will be an easier league but I don’t think it is, I think it’s stronger.

“Saturday isn’t going to be easy but you have to play these teams at some stage and maybe the start of the season is a good time to play them - before everyone gets into a rhythm.”

Lordswood were due to host Croydon on Tuesday night in their final pre-season match. Last Saturday they were beaten 4-0 by Isthmian South East side Sittingbourne.

On that weekend loss, Southall said: “They have got a really good team, they finished on a high last year, they have a manager who is a bit of a task-master and takes no prisoners, a young and athletic bunch who are fit and you can see a difference but I was pleased.

“We started really well for 20 minutes and had a good 25 minutes in the second half against a team who will be up there or thereabouts in the league above.

“I had a few players missing, my goalkeeper picked up an illness from being on holiday. I was missing a centre back, we had a few trialists, but overall I was really pleased and just looking forward to the season now.”