Longhurst fills the void left by the departure of Steve Watt, who was named manager of National League South side Margate last Friday. Hare said: “One of the things I did lean on Steve a lot for was his contacts and knowledge of players, and Matt I think supersedes that. I think he will be a valuable addition to us. I’ve known him a long time and he’s someone I can trust.” Hare added that Longhurst, who was previously at Erith & Belvedere and Corinthian, has done ‘a terrific job’ to keep East Grinstead well clear of relegation danger in Ryman League Division One South. United’s manager believes that Longhurst’s extensive knowledge of players will be useful as he contemplates topping up his squad for the closing weeks of the season. “There’s the potential we might be able to bring a couple in just to help us,” Hare said. “Jack Harris is going for his operation at the end of the month and we may need to bolster the troops a little bit. There’s a few feelers out at the moment.” United contested a thrilling 4-4 draw away to Longhurst’s East Grinstead side in their first game of 2017. See our comprehensive sports coverage in the Observer every Friday. Don’t miss out on all the latest breaking news where you live. Here are four ways you can be sure you’ll be amongst the first to know what’s going on. 1 Make this website your homepage 2 Like our Facebook page at facebook.com/pages/Sport-Sussex 3 Follow us on Twitter @SportSussex 4 Register with us by clicking on ‘sign in’ (top right corner). You can then receive our daily newsletter AND add your point of view to stories that you read here. And do share with your family and friends - so they don’t miss out!