Hollands & Blair manager Luke Jessup plans to continue his dual role as youth coach and first-team boss next season.

Jessup has helped guide the under-13 Bair team to unprecedented league success in the Kent Youth League this term while getting stuck into his role as manager of the club’s senior side, which he took charge of in January.

Monday afternoon was spent analysing video footage of the senior side’s Friday night game at Kennington, to prepare for Tuesday’s training, and putting together a game-plan ahead of the weekend visit of Tunbridge Wells.

The under-13s ended their title-winning season by thrashing Rochester City 8-0 on Saturday.

“It’s all going really well - I can’t grumble!” said the coach, as he paused his midweek viewing to talk.

“The under-13s played 20 games, won 19 and drew one and I’ve been told that’s the first team at Hollands & Blair to have won a Kent Youth League.

“We have a good bunch of lads, some will be lost to pro clubs, which is unfortunate, or fortunate whichever way you look at it, but we’ve already strengthened and are ready to give it a go next season. I will continue to do that as they work hand in hand.”

Prior to his youth side’s Saturday goal-fest, Blair’s SCEFL Premier team were held to a 1-1 draw away to Kennington on Friday night.

With Dean Grant and Rob Denness unavailable, Blair missed a ruthless finisher on the night.

He said: “We had very good spells of possession, we went down the left, down the right, Jabari Christmas has gone through the middle, we’ve absolutely played them off the park in that first half and it wasn’t for the want of trying.”

Christmas – on loan from Chatham – put Blair ahead on 41 minutes but Kennington hit them on the break in the second half before a busy final few minutes for the referee.

He denied Blair a penalty when Aaron Simpson went over in the box and on 79 minutes sent off Ton’s Charlie Owen for a high challenge on Will Oliver. Owen’s team-mate Craig Calvert followed him off and into the sin-bin for his protests.

Jessup said: “We had conceded through a lapse of concentration, a counter from Kennington and it’s 1-1 from nowhere which was frustrating to say the least.

“We pinned them in when they were down to nine men, all sorts was going on, we just couldn’t get it in the net. We needed someone at that end of the pitch who is ruthless, in and around the box, someone who can just tap it in.”

Having footage of the games - senior and junior - has been a big help to the manager, assisted by Gillingham academy and B team analyst Asif Rasheed.

Jessup said: “There is no point bombarding players with too many statistics but all the players in the (message) group are asking for the videos.

“I think it is a different generation, our under-13 boys were asking me for the video, I think it is an honest generation coming up and they are looking to improve.

“When you can see it with your own eyes and then look at it retrospectively, it is unreal feedback, there is no more black and white than watching it there, so that’s good.

“It’s great to have someone like Asif with his wealth of knowledge and the levels he’s worked at.”

Looking to the weekend, Jessup added: “This is the last home game and we’re trying to get as many people there as possible, we had nearly 400 against Faversham and it would be nice to get near to that or more.

“We’ve no injuries which is nice, Dean Grant is still suspended but Rob Denness will back and we’re buzzing for the game!”