Coach Craig Coles is backing Whitstable’s latest summer recruits to give supporters plenty to get excited about.

Attack-minded midfield trio Tyler Anderson, Eri-Oluwa Akintimehin and Josh Williams are the latest to join, ahead of the start of pre-season training this weekend for the promotion-chasing Southern Counties East Premier Division outfit.

“The club shouldn’t be where it is,” said Coles, manager Marcel Nimani’s No.2. “But unfortunately, it finds itself there.

“It’s our job as a management team to do our best for the club to try and get them back where they belong.

“The club - as a whole from its youth structure to its under-18s, 23s and first-team, including the fan base - it’s not a Step 5 side.

“We need to get them back to where they belong but it’s doing it in the right way as well.

“We want to play the right way. We want to play in a way that excites the fans and makes them want to come and watch us.

“For me, the signings we have made will only make fans want to do that more. They’re all exciting signings.

“They’ll all give fans something to watch so it’ll be good.”

The trio follow frontman Steadman Callender in linking up with the Oystermen.

Coles noted: “Marcel has been working really hard, to be fair, at trying to bring some players into the club.

“We knew we needed to bring in a few, especially in wide areas and a No.9. Getting Steadman on board has been massive for us. He was our first target.

“As soon as the season finished, Steadman was the first person we contacted.

“It was really positive to get him and, obviously, we got three [other] new additions.

“Getting Tyler and Josh in, they’re really good signings, especially Josh.

“I think he will have a really good impact at the club, especially with the way we play.”

The new faces will work with Whitstable’s existing squad from Saturday, having ended the 2022/23 season strongly.

Coles said: “We’re really looking forward to getting the season started.

“Obviously, we haven’t got any pre-season games until July 1 so we’re looking forward to that.

“We’re trying to carry on with the messages we were putting across towards the end of last season.

“For us, there’s not a lot that will change from the end of last season, apart from a couple of players that we have brought in and we’re still trying to bring in.

“It’s just a case of maintaining what we had and building on performances.”

Coles reckons there’s a good mix with some younger players joining up with an experienced backline which includes keeper Dan Eason and defenders George Sheminant, Tom Mills, Will Thomas and Jake Mackenzie.

He explained: “We are quite young but we do have those senior heads that have been in the game for a long time.

“To be fair, even some of the younger heads have been there and been involved for quite a while already.

“You only have to look at the back four - Macca [Mackenzie], Will, Millsy and Shem - and Dan Eason in goal as well.

“The amount of games they have already played at Step 4 and 5 is only going to help everyone else to have the freedom to go and express themselves.

“Last year, for whatever reason, we struggled a bit in front of goal.

“Hopefully having brought those players in, and being able to keep the back five, that’ll give the boys we have brought in the chance to express themselves and show the fans what they’re capable of.”

Whitstable are now “missing one more piece of the jigsaw” before the new season starts.

Coles said: “We’re very close now. Like we’ve said in previous interviews, we’ve kept the bulk of the squad that we wanted to keep.

“We felt we needed a striker and needed at least two wingers. We’re missing one more piece of the jigsaw, we feel.

“But once we have managed to fill that piece, then we’re definitely ready to hit the ground running.”

Whitstable begin their friendlies at home to Isthmian North Basildon on Saturday, July 1.