Ramsgate boss Matt Longhurst appoints Lee Barnett as his assistant manager

RAMSGATE manager Matt Longhurst has appointed Lee Barnett as his new assistant manager at the Isthmian League South East Division club.

Barnett will work alongside Longhurst and Liam Taylor to form Ramsgate’s management team for next season.

“Lee is a great addition to the management team,” full-time Longhurst told the club website.

“He has worked with me at all my previous clubs but work and family commitments didn’t allow him to come into Ramsgate when I first came in.

“He really understands the way I work. He is a big character to have around the club and he will bring additional experience at this level as a player and coach, which will enhance the group off the pitch as well as on it.

“Barnett was a key component in building fantastic dressing rooms particularly at Corinthian and Erith & Belvedere, where we spent longest together.

“His pedigree of previously being a professional player at QPR having a set back then a prolific spell as a player in this level of football so he can pass this knowledge on to the likes of Josh Ajayi who are in a similar position now.”

Meanwhile, Paul Meade joins as under 23 player co-ordinator to help facilitate the players’ progression from the age 16 to the first-team squad at Southwood Stadium.

Longhurst said: “Paul has a wealth of local knowledge and will help recruit in the older age groups but more importantly he will be a sounding board and go to between the under 18s, 23s and first-team for our young players, making sure they are looked after correctly when being promoted between teams.

“Communicating the good and the bad is vital for these young players and having someone who takes care of this as a job will enable everyone to focus fully on their own roles and know the players’ welfare is taken care of.”

Meade, who played youth football with Gillingham, played Southern League football for Margate in the late 1970s and played for Ramsgate in the old Kent League before a knee injury forced him to retire at the age of 23.

Meade went on to gain his FA coaching qualifications and is a member of the Licenced Coaches Association.

He coached with local clubs and schools before returning to Ramsgate to help in their youth development programme, becoming lead youth coach.

He currently holds the role of assistant head of youth development at neighbouring National League club Dover Athletic.

Visit Ramsgate’s website: www.ramsgate-fc.co.uk