Harry Harding hopes he can get back to doing what he does best after his summer switch to Sittingbourne.

Harding bagged 45 goals in a season a few years back at Erith & Belvedere but his move to Faversham didn’t go as he wanted, with a first season halted early on by the Covid pandemic and the second a struggle, out for three and a half months with an injury and returning to a team fighting a relegation battle.

He netted eight goals last term, playing as a box-to-box midfielder as injury issues left them short, so he’ll be keen to make up for lost time as he looks to be the main man again now he’s agreed a one-year contract with the Brickies.

He said: “My strengths are scoring and creating goals and I want to get back to doing that this year and being the important person who needs to step up and get the goals and take us to where we want to go, I like that responsibility.

“I feel that I have a knack for scoring goals, I feel like it is my biggest strength and every team needs that person who is going to get the goals to get them to where they want to go.

“I want to shoulder that responsibility of being that person, definitely.”

Harding had no issues playing a different role last season for Faversham, as the team ended up pulling well clear of the relegation battle.

He remains close to their departed boss James Collins and admitted he almost followed him to Isthmian Premier side Bowers & Pitsea.

It was a tough call he admitted, but Harding was already familiar with the route to Swale, the travelling for matches in Isthmian South East is less arduous and as a father of young kids, it wasn’t a decision just about him.

He said: “James is quality. We are good mates outside of football, it was a hard one and one of the other guys who has gone to Bowers works for me as well!

“It was a tough one but going to Sittingbourne fitted everything for me. I spoke to Nick (Davis, the manager)

and it felt like a better option for me.

“It is massive for me this year in terms of style of play. We had to really grind it out at times last season and the pitch wasn’t the greatest at Faversham.

“It was really important I signed for a team that played to my strengths and I think that will be the case at Sittingbourne this year.”

Pre-season training started at Sittingbourne last weekend ahead of their first pre-season game this Saturday at Glebe (kick-off 1pm).

Sittingbourne then travel to take on Collins’ Bowers & Pitsea on Tuesday night.

It’s been a tough start to pre-season for Harding as he’s still shaking off a bout of Covid but the goal-getter is looking forward to playing some football again.

He said: “I have signed a contract at Sittingbourne this year because I wanted to show that I was totally committed to them.

“I want to have a really good season. I want to be successful, I really do think we have a strong squad to try and at the very least finish in the play-offs.”

Sittingbourne, meanwhile, have recently announced more new signings. Midfielder Matty Warren arrives from Cray Valley, where he was named their player-of-the-season while left-sided player AJ Dythe comes in with experienced at both VCD and Phoenix Sports.