Lordswood are challenging for a Semi-Final spot this weekend and new boss Nicky Southall hasn’t ruled out promotion contention, either.

Southall’s side play host to ambitious Southern Counties East Division 1 challengers Larkfield this Saturday in the Kent Senior Trophy Quarter-Final, buoyed by back-to-back Premier Division victories.

A flurry of new signings have given Lords a new look and one of them, Alex Willis, was on target in last Saturday’s 3-1 win at Kennington. Josh Reid and Artem Kuchkov also netted in the win.

They remain some way off the play-off battle but Southall isn’t giving up when there’s still hope.

He said: “The current group we have now would definitely make the play-offs if it was the start of the season. We have almost half of a season left and we have the next three games against teams in the bottom half of the league, if we can go on a run you just don’t know.

“If you can get in that last spot and try and get to a cup final I think that would be a decent end to the season

“I have said to the boys that I want to try and sneak into those play-offs. You have to have some kind of goal, there is no point going out there without any kind of ambition. We’ll try and get into those play-offs and get a squad together which can go to war next season as well.

“We all know the teams up there have massive budgets for the level, and we are not at that level yet, but last year when I was a Ramsgate, Hythe sneaked in right at the end as they had a bit of momentum playing Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, and once you have a bit of momentum and belief you can try and force your way in. We ended up getting beat on penalties against them and they were unlucky not to get promoted.”

Southall has been busy reshaping the squad as he looks to put his stamp on the Lordswood team.

A handful of former Sheppey academy players have arrived, following Southall’s assistant Ross Wiles to the club. Goalkeeper Hadley Glock picked up the man-of-the-match award for his part in the 1-0 win over Welling Town.

Jamie Graham and Bailey Catherick have joined from Sheppey along with striker Willis, who Southall knows well from his time at Dover.

“I am glad he got on the scoresheet,” said the manager.

“He has played in the league above and when I was at Dover we brought him in pre-season after he had just come back from America. It was touch and go whether he would get a contract.”

Willis ended up with Faversham Strike Force and then Sheppey and will be hoping his weekend goal is the first of many.

Other new players include defenders defender Louis Elsom and Danny Keyte, midfielder David Chandler and ex-Gillingham junior Jimmy Witt.

Southall said: “When a new manager comes in you are going to make signings and players will come and go. I said from the start I would give everyone a fair crack.

“We didn’t get off to a winning start in my first two games but it was over the Christmas period where it’s difficult to get people through the door and we had to go with what we had.

“I noticed from the first couple of games the boys weren’t fit enough, I told them they needed to commit to training two nights a week and I got them to buy into that. In the last few games, we have started to pick up and it’s justified them turning out for training.

“We have let 10 go. I said to the boys, the train is at the station, you can get off or you can get on and show me you want to be here.

“There is stuff going on in the background at Lordswood which is exciting and they have big plans. I said try and stay around and be a part of it.”

Last Tuesday Lordswood had a friendly with Sheppey and in that game - which The Ites won 4-2 - Southall saw a lot to be happy with.

He said: “I named two different teams and we played them off the park, we didn’t deserve to lose 4-2, we hit the bar, and the post, I said to the boys I had never been so excited about a group of players, after the way they played and the way they moved the ball, they had so much quality.

“I told them they just had to believe in themselves a bit more, we took that into the game at Kennington where they have a brand new 3G and that suited our play. I have been brought up playing football and I want my boys to get the ball down and play.”

Southall knows that their quarter-final tie won’t be easy this weekend despite playing at a higher level than Danny Lye’s Division 1 side.

He said: ”Danny has got a good squad, the team they have got is probably a league above and they have Michael Phillips in there who used to be my boot-boy at Gillingham!

“I know that they will be physical, organised and it won’t be an easy game. You can see that with the results they’ve been getting. I won’t be underestimating Larkfield, no way.”

*SCEFL Division 1 side Rochester United are away to leaders AFC Whyteleafe this Saturday in a clash of the top two. The Spartans currently trail The Leafe by seven points