Mark Beard admits it’s been a whirlwind over the last week since his appointment as new First Team Manager, but can’t wait to get going.

And supporters should be excited to see a team looking to push towards the top end of the National League South standings and a brand of football that has had proven success under Beard.

In his first interview with the club, Beard said: “It’s amazing, i’m so privileged and honoured to be manager of this great club.

“It’s been a whirlwind, in the space of two days Danny Bloor left, the next day I approached Marc White at Dorking and then met with Alan Williams and Simon Leslie and in the space of 36 hours i’ve gone from looking forward to a season coaching at Dorking to now manage Eastbourne Borough.”

The club moving to full-time status will effect player recruitment over the coming summer, with conversations already ongoing with members of last season’s side.

Beard added: “I’ve had to speak to the current players here, to tell them about the season, how we’re going to approach it with training and how we’re playing.

“The phone hasn’t stopped ringing, but we want to bring in the right characters, the right players to give the supporters a team to be proud of.

“The vision of Simon Leslie is one that I believe in, it’s how I’ve built my whole career both playing and then coaching.

“It’s the player care, the individualised training programmes we’re going to provide, the team ethic, we are going to look after every player we really want them to be here. It’s not about finances, it’s not about money, it’s about them wanting to play here and create a good atmosphere.”

And what should fans expect of Beard’s team? The 48-year-old left his position as Head Coach at Dorking Wanderers to join the Sports, having spent four years as Academy Manager at Brighton & Hove Albion.

“If anyone’s seen my Dorking or Brighton teams, we will look to play high-tempo,” Beard explained.

“We will look to play out, but if it’s not on then we will have to mix it up. It all comes down to the training – each player will have an individual programme, an individual development plan.

“We have a very good strength and conditioning coach, we have coaches looking at tactics, technical and the psychology side as well. If you have a group of players who are working together all the time, they are only going to get better and better and improve all the time.”

Mark’s full interview will be available later on our YouTube channel.