Sittingbourne are looking strong at both ends of the pitch after further summer signings.

The Brickies have landed goalkeeper Bobby Mason from Essex club Canvey Island.

They’ve also brought in forwards Bruno Tavares and Josh Osude, who join from Concord Rangers and Coggeshall Town respectively.

Mason’s arrival is a major coup for the Brickies.

He played a starring role as Canvey finished third in the Isthmian Premier, having helped them win the Isthmian North play-offs last year.

With teenager Harley Earle back with Maidstone after a successful loan spell, Sittingbourne needed a top-class replacement.

Mason, 33, fits the bill for manager Ryan Maxwell.

“Bobby’s someone who’s got better with age,” said Maxwell.

“A number of clubs were looking at him last year.

“Despite the fact Canvey were third, Bobby was by far the busiest keeper in the top six, I can tell you that.

“A lot of credit goes to him - and his defence, but certainly him - for keeping Canvey in games and he also has experience of winning the play-offs.

“He’s someone I know and have played against a number of times in the past and it’s certainly an achievement to get him in.

“He wasn’t short of offers, believe me, but we had a good chat and spoke about what we wanted from him and what sort of environment he’d be in, and I’m delighted to get him.

“A keeper is just as important as a forward. Usually the team with the most clean sheets wins the league, so it goes without saying it’s a hugely important position.

“We got lucky with Harley last year - not many young goalkeepers will be as good as he was at his age - and we needed to replace him.

“We’ve also been lucky with Bobby.

“He had so many offers but he’s just having another baby, which means a little change in what he can commit to in terms of distances, and we train near his house, which helped get us ahead in the pecking order.

“So we’ve had a little bit of luck there but this guy is a winner who’s been promoted before and he wants to help us with our promotion challenge.”

Tavares joins from Concord following their relegation from National League South.

The Portuguese-born forward, who’s also played for Hungerford, was close to joining League 2 club Swindon a couple of years ago.

Maxwell wants to help him rediscover the form that led him to the verge of a move to the County Ground.

“The kid’s got real ability - he just needs to settle down somewhere,” said Maxwell.

“He’s got pace, he can finish, he just hasn’t settled.

“He was close to joining Swindon a couple of years ago and that falling through has derailed him.

“He scored a couple of goals in pre-season for them, he was certain he was going to get a deal but there was a takeover going on and something changed.

“I know what he’s capable of and he’s a player who will excite fans.

“He wants to get back to the levels he’s shown previously and we can help him do that.

“He knows we can offer an environment where players will improve and, at 23, he’s got his best years in front of him.

“Our job is to give him the tools to kick on but ultimately it’s got to come from the player.

“You can guide a horse to water but you can’t make it drink.

“I’ve told him it won’t be easy - he understands what he’s in for.

“It’s down to him to work extremely hard and, if he does that, I think he can kick on again.”

Osude will almost certainly be the quickest player at Sittingbourne.

The winger-turned-striker brings exceptional pace to an already-rapid forward line.

“He’s a winger by trade but I always thought he could be a striker,” said Maxwell.

““He’s the quickest player at Step 4 - he’s blisteringly quick.

“He’s now thinking like a striker but there’s still a little bit of work to do in terms of being an out-and-out striker.

“My assistant, Che Stadhart, used to be a striker and he’s excited to be working with Josh and our other forwards.

“We’ve got some real pace up there but no one will be as quick as Josh.

“We’re not quite finished but the players we’ve brought in will excite, they’ll be pacy and they’ll be energetic.

“We want Sittingbourne fans to go away from games saying they’ve had their money’s worth and we feel we’ve signed players who will get bums off seats.”