Joe Dowley insists it will be business as usual when he returns to the Sittingbourne dug-out at Dulwich on Saturday.

The sudden appearance of caretaker boss Marc Seager and assistant Steve Nolan against Whyteleafe earlier this month came as a surprise to many outside Bourne’s inner circle.

But Dowley (pictured) maintains everything was done with his knowledge while he was away on a two-week pre-arranged holiday and will now carry on until the end of the season before sitting down to reflect on things.

He said: "The chairman (Andy Spice) spoke to Marc who agreed to help us out.

"I had a long chat with him and gave him carte blanche on things while I was away. He has got a lot of contacts and has got some good players into the club, so things have worked out quite nicely.

"I came back late on Thursday night, and suffered a bit of jetlag, so Marc was in charge again against Eastbourne.

"I went to the game but didn’t have much involvement and took a bit of a back seat."

Seager – who drew two and lost two of his four matches in temporary charge – is backing Sittingbourne to preserve their Ryman League Division 1 South status.

He said: "I think they are safe already, three points clear of Whyteleafe and have got more than enough about them."