Sittingbourne manager Ryan Maxwell’s good turn has been rewarded with a new signing.

Maxwell did Joe Boachie a favour by allowing him to join the Brickies at pre-season training.

Things went so well the former Tonbridge and Folkestone man ended up joining the Isthmian South East club.

Boachie, who’s also played for the likes of Braintree, Hungerford, Wingate & Finchley and Potters Bar, will be handed the chance to nail down the No.10 position, having been moved about for much of his career.

“Joe wasn’t supposed to sign for us,” said Maxwell, whose side start their pre-season fixtures at Faversham on Saturday (2pm) playing for the Bob Amor Cup.

“I was doing him a favour by letting him come and train.

“I think Joe’s problem - and it’s not his fault - is he gets pigeonholed a little bit positionally and gets told to go up front and do roles that maybe in my opinion he’s not 100% suited for.

“I said come and train with us and he just wanted a bit of advice, which I was happy to give.

“But I must say, his attitude for a player who was only in training was exceptional.

“He was super-fit, arrived early, trained well in terms of physicality and technically - you couldn’t help but be impressed by him as an individual.

“I spoke to a few clubs about him and I said to him you need to hang your hat on a position and master it because you’re going left wing, right wing, off the frontman, No.10, No.9 and therefore your numbers don’t inspire people to sign you.

“By that, I mean his numbers aren’t big enough for people to go he’s an off-the-frontman-type, he’s scored 15 goals.

“I said I think you need to be a No.10 and create as many as you score. You’ve got all the skills, you’ve got pace, you’re strong, you’ve got a great shot on you.

“He’s also got the tools to be one-v-one in a wide area but you’ve got to want to do that.

“He was also telling me when he was younger he played as a deep midfield player, which you can see when he gets the ball because he’s so comfortable on it and looks to complete his pass.

“One day, he hung about to speak to me and said he’d been thinking about what I’d said, he’d had a good chat with his dad and, and, if we were open to it, he’d like to be considered for us as a No.10. I put my around him and said 100%.

“There was no intention to sign him but this is football.

“It’s full of opportunity. Had Joe come in and not trained well, I probably wouldn’t have jumped at it or recommended him to a couple of National South clubs.

“But he trained so exceptionally well that when he was open to signing I absolutely jumped at it.

“He’s here to refine his tools and be the best No.10 he’s ever been.”

Sittingbourne have also signed experienced midfielder Godfrey Poku.

The 33-year-old counts Luton, Woking, Oxford City and St Albans among his old clubs and he finished last season at Margate.

Maxwell said: “He’s captained a number of clubs and his experience is going to be vital.

“He’s super-demanding, a good talker, a good organiser and a good tackler. He’s someone I know from when I was at St Albans.

“He’s had a very good non-league career and he knows what it takes to win. It’s good to get him on board.”

Sittingbourne host National League South Maidstone on Tuesday (7.45pm).