What Carl Rook gives us is experience, leadership and a statement of intent from me and the club, says Faversham Town boss Ray Turner

FAVERSHAM TOWN boss Ray Turner says bringing striker Carl Rook to Salters Lane is a “statement of intent.”

Rook, 33, has decided to leave Ryman Premier League side Folkestone Invicta to sign for Ryman League Division One South side Faversham Town.

“What Carl gives us is experience, leadership and a statement of intent from me and the club,” Turner told Faversham Town’s website.

“We have got 20 games left and this season is far from finished.  He will also give us goals. He can cover centre forward and centre half.

“He is a threat in both boxes and he has got that winning mentality. He is a winner and another winner in our squad.

"He is used to playing, and winning, at a higher level and he knows what it takes to get out of this league because he helped Folkestone do it."

Rook joins his home-town club that is looking to turn a five-match unbeaten run into a late promotion push.

Turner said: "We've had a really positive run since Christmas. We are playing catch-up but the only way to do that is to put one win after another.

"A lot of the teams above us are playing each other soon, and we've not given up on promotion - far from it.

"We have experience of being up there, and teams still see us as a threat even though we are behind at the moment.

"We did it in the last game of the season last year, and if it takes 20 games to do it again, that is what we'll aim for.

"It's important that we are not just sitting back and accepting we are mid-table. That is never going to be okay for me.

"I'm a manager who is striving to push this club forward."

Turner could not hide his disappointed that Kieron Campbell had been tempted away by Ryman League rivals Hythe Town.

He added: "I think Kieron has a long way to go in terms of his development and I'm disappointed we've not had the chance to finish the work we started.

"But it's great to have Liam King back (from Hythe) to continue the work we're doing with him, and with Carl now here too I want to concentrate on the positives."

Ramsgate and Burgess Hill Town were also believed to be interested in the journeyman forward, who joined Folkestone Invicta from Leatherhead (via Cray Wanderers where he had been on loan) in the summer 0f 2015.

Rook was involved in 19 games for Folkestone this season with seven starts, often coming off the bench.  He has scored three goals this season after notching 11 for Neil Cugley’s side in their title-winning season last term.

Cugley told www.folkestoneinvictafc.co.uk: “It’s been a pleasure to have Rooky around.  His enthusiasm rubs off on many of the other lads – especially off the field.

“But he is one of our higher paid players and we feel that the time is right for him to move on.”

Visit Faversham Town’s website: www.pitchero.com/clubs/favershamtownfc