New Whitstable summer signing Michael West has explained how boss Jamie Coyle helped convince him to join the club - over a round of golf.

Former Football League midfielder West has agreed to link up with Coyle and No.2 Matt Longhurst for the Oystermen’s 2024/25 Southern Counties East Premier Division promotion push after leaving Ramsgate.

“When I met up with Coyley, we had a little round of golf and he seemed to see the game the same way as me,” revealed West.

“I like to play with the ball on the floor a lot and he likes that, as well.

“They have got a good youth set-up there and I’ve been keen at the clubs that I have been at in the last few seasons to help young players out.

“I guess that’s something Coyley and Matt want from me a bit, to sort of be the on-the-pitch manager a bit more, especially with the younger ones. You see things slightly differently when you’re on the sidelines.

“I’m really looking forward to it.

"Hopefully, we can have a good go at it this year.”

West, formerly of Ebbsfleet, then-League 1 side Crewe, Tonbridge and Herne Bay - where he had a brief spell as player-boss - initially had expected to stay at Ramsgate despite suffering Play-off Semi-Final heartache.

But it didn’t pan out that way for West with the Southwood side in the end, and Coyle got his man.

On his summer switch, West said: “It came out of nowhere, really.

“I thought I was going to be staying at Ramsgate, but long story short, it didn’t happen that way. I spoke to Coyley and Matt a few times.

“I had never been down there before but everything seemed really good.

“I’m at a stage in my career where I don’t really want to be going from club to club every season.

"I seem to be a little bit of a specialist in promotion and, hopefully, that can happen again!”

While the 2023/24 season finished in disappointment for West at the Rams, he did enjoy a fine FA Cup run which culminated in a Second-Round 5-0 defeat at AFC Wimbledon after they knocked out National League Woking at home 2-1 in round one.

West said: “That’s what the FA Cup is all about.

“It was an amazing experience, playing AFC Wimbledon live on ITV. But the Woking game - if anything - was even better.

“We had that extra competition, I suppose, with it being at home. It was incredible, beating a team like that.

“It will be great if we can do that at Whitstable, for the club and for the town especially.”

Promotion will be the aim for Whitstable but they will face some serious competition.

“There’s some very big budgets in this league,” admitted West. “We’re going to be nowhere near the favourites - but that can be a good thing.

“I’m big on the team thing and maybe that’s part of the reason why I have been brought in.”

West is also excited at the prospect of playing in front of some big crowds at The Belmont.

He recalled: “I went down to Whitstable one evening and there were five or six youth teams there, with a lot of parents watching.

“I heard they get about 500 or 600 every week. Wherever Matt and Coyley have been, they have tended to raise attendances, as well.

"Hopefully, they do the same again.”

There will be some familiar faces for West, too, when the Oystermen return for pre-season training.

“I was with Jordan Perrin at Herne Bay,” he said. “When I was manager, I managed to get him back because I’m a big fan of his.

“Finn O’Mara and Jerson Dos Santos were at Herne Bay, as well. But, when you get to 33, you have seen so many faces and it’s about putting names to the faces!”

West also has fond memories of playing against a side led by Coyle while he was at Eastbourne when his new manager was in joint-charge at Dartford, albeit that was five years ago now.

Asked if he remembered any previous encounters against Coyle, West replied: “The one I recall was when he was in charge at Dartford and I scored probably the best goal that I ever scored for Eastbourne!”