Nicky Southall has made a quick return to football management as the new head coach of Lydd Town.

The former Gillingham midfielder takes charge just a couple of weeks after leaving fellow Southern Counties East side Lordswood.

Lydd, beaten 2-1 by Rusthall on Saturday, are bottom of the Premier Division, but Southall is ready to use his experience to lead them up the table.

They’ve been without a permanent boss since Scott Porter resigned on the eve of the new season, with defender Ryan Smith taking caretaker charge.

Southall will be in the dugout when Lydd host Rochester in the Challenge Cup this Saturday.

His first league game comes at home to former club Lordswood the following weekend.

“I’m looking forward to the new challenge at Lydd,” said Southall, who’s watched the last two games.

“I’ve worked with a few of the lads before, James Rogers, Stefan Payne and Charlie Dickens.

“They’ve got some good players who’ve played at levels above, so I think the team are in a false position.

“We’ve got games in hand, so we just need to go on a little run leading into Christmas and see where we’re at.

“I believe with myself, and the people I’m going to be bringing in, that’ll we’ll hopefully climb the league quickly. We’ve just got to get organised and get a bit of confidence in them.

“They want to train more regularly, which is a good thing, because I want to earn my money on the training ground.

“The firepower is a joke for this level.

“We just need to get the fitness levels up and I want a bit more pace in the team, some quick wide players, getting on the outside putting balls in the box for these forwards.

“I’m excited to be back involved again. You can’t get any lower than being bottom of the league, so we’ve just got to look up now.

“They lost late against Rusthall and at Whitstable the week before in the FA Vase, having played well.

“The talent’s there and the ability’s there, so it must be down to fitness levels in my opinion.

“I don’t want to keep going on about fitness but I think the decision-making and sharpness on the ball, it all helps when you’re training week in, week out.

“As much as people talk about team spirit, it’s not just team spirit on the pitch, it’s team spirit in the dressing room, in training and all the stuff that goes on before, during and after.

“So that, for me, is the biggest catalyst to move things forward.

“We’ll get that team spirit, get the bond going, get the training going, get the fitness levels up and I think the results will come.”

Southall worked with Rogers at Dover and Maidstone and coached Dickens at Soccer Elite, while he brought Payne to Gillingham as a young player from Fulham.

The new Lydd boss has stayed in touch with Payne over the years and knows his goals will be vital.

“I’ve tried to get Stef at various clubs I’ve been at but he’s been banging goals in for other clubs and hopefully he can do that for Lydd,” said Southall, who is talking to a potential assistant manager.

“We’ve got to get him the ball in the right areas.

“Obviously he’s not how he used to be when he was younger and he had that rapier-like pace.

“He’s matured now and he’s a bit more of an all-round striker and I want to try and get the best out of him.

“If I do we’ll soon climb the league because he’ll be banging goals in for fun.”

Southall was recommended by Rogers and arrives with an impressive CV.

He played in the top four divisions of English football, with former clubs including Bolton and Nottingham Forest.

He was assistant manager to Andy Hessenthaler at both Dover and Gillingham, and No.2 to Jay Saunders when Maidstone reached the National League with back-to-back promotions.

This season, he led Lordswood on their best-ever FA Cup run, bowing out to Sittingbourne in the second qualifying round, live on the BBC, before results dipped.

The appointment allows Smith to focus on playing and his work behind the scenes.

“I can’t give it everything we need,” said Smith.

“I’m not a tactician, I haven’t got a coaching qualification.

“We can’t keep making excuses, we’ve got to fix things, and Nicky will get us training and structured. We need to try something different.

“He knows football, he’s a knowledgeable guy, he’ll be marketable for our youth section and I like the professionalism he brings. That’s what I want.”