Matt Barman celebrated his first win since taking over as Lordswood manager on Saturday - against his old club.

Among the goalscorers in Lords’ 3-1 win over Whitstable was Archie Risdon - the former captain of the opposition’s under-18 side.

Risdon is one of several young players that have arrived at Lordswood following a change in management, including Ryan Neal, another former youth player at Whitstable.

Barman was previously coaching the youngsters at The Belmont Ground and he believes the best way for Lordswood to achieve success in the Southern Counties East league is to put his faith in promising young talent.

“Why not give the youngsters a go?” said the manager. “It is so difficult for kids to break in because people look at them and think, ‘well you haven’t played for anyone’, but they haven’t had a chance, so it’s catch-22.

“We will give people opportunities but they still need to be physically and mentally ready, I won’t throw them in too quickly - but I am not going to block them because of a number.

“I think the way forward for us is to invest in these young players for the future of our club at Lordswood. We can create a team and an environment that we can build on, as oppose to me going out and spending x-amount on a player and then another player. This suits what Lordswood’s capabilities are.

“If you make it about the money Lordswood aren’t competing, what we have to do is find our own angle.

“We’re not shopping in Marks & Spencer but there are some good deals in Lidl - there are some gems down that middle aisle.

“These players are seriously hungry, the tempo in the training sessions has gone up, the dressing room vibe feels a lot better and I thought we deserved the win at the weekend against a very good side with very experienced players.

“All the time these youngsters are prepared to listen and learn and take things on board that is the way we will go. We want to be part of these players’ journeys.”

Lordswood had a 16-year-old at right-back and a fellow youngster on the opposite flank.

Ethan Stewart made his debut - a Quested player looking to make the step up into Saturday football. He scored twice the following day in Q's Kent Sunday Premier Cup win.

Goalkeeper Tom Crump has recently come out of the youth set-up at Gillingham while Julian Kuhr - on a scholarship programme at Priestfield - is with Lordswood on work experience. Barman named three teenagers across the middle of the park.

Added to the mix is some experience too, with Harry Goodger, 37, and Luke Medley, 33, playing an important role on the pitch.

Experienced striker Medley scored in each half against Whitstable, either side of Risdon’s 64th minute volley. Gus Barnes got one back late on for the visitors.

Goodger - known for his prowess in the opposition box - has been tasked with helping out in defence for Lordswood, where he’s done a job for Barman years before in Sunday League.

“He is certainly capable of doing it,” said the manager. “He brings an awful lot of experience to that young backline and physicality. He gives us lines of communication stemming from the back.

“We haven’t got a lot of experience in the team but we can make up for that with energy, it is a process of trying to get them to believe it. Hopefully the best thing we got out of Saturday was belief.

“It’s not just youth, I want to give a chance to local lads as well, we are not getting hung up on age, from 16-37, we know that the better lads who are 23-24 might be out of our reach, but we’ll have a look and give opportunity.

“We need to create the right environment, the right team spirit, the right ethos where players are not afraid to make the odd mistake because you will get that more with the youngsters. In my footballing journey I only learned from mistakes and if they are happy to embrace that, all well and good.

“The 16-year-old lad had a really tough start if I am honest against Jefferson Aibangbee, one of Whitstable’s best players, but by the end of the game he seemed to have worked him out, which is amazing.”

Barman has been in the job for a month, replacing outgoing boss Richard Dimmock. His primary task this season is to ensure the club avoid relegation.

With a first win and first goals under the new manager, next up for Barman’s side is a trip to runaway league leaders Erith & Belvedere this Saturday.

“It won’t be about damage limitation," he said. "Let’s see where we are at against them and if we have to go back to the drawing board and tweak a few things then that’s what we will do but I am expecting the lads to see it as a good challenge.

“We won’t be expected to get anything out of the game, they will want to react from their loss at the weekend (losing 1-0 to Punjab in the Kent Senior Trophy semi-final). We will be up against it but the challenge for the boys is how will we deal with that? We need to make the game about us and give all we can. I am really excited for the game.”