Whitstable Town have signed Tom Loynes after the midfielder had a change of heart and decided to leave Sittingbourne.

Loynes played for Danny and Jim Ward when they were Brickies’ joint-bosses and this week renewed acquaintances with the brothers ahead of Whitstable’s first pre-season friendly against Conference South side Whitehawk on Saturday.

Danny Ward said: “He’s an excellent signing. I took Tom to Sittingbourne two years ago, when he was a young lad in the Dover academy.
“He learnt a lot in the two years and scored eight goals from midfield last season.

“He’s one of my players. He spoke to me in the summer when I got the job and said he was going back to Sittingbourne for pre-season, to see how it went.

“But he wasn’t happy with what was there and he spoke to one of my other players, to ask whether I still wanted him and it went from there.

“Our chairman did an excellent job, he spoke to Sittingbourne and got the deal done.”