Kent Head Coach Jimmy Adams has declared himself “very happy” with the new additions made to the backroom team at The Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence.

The club announced yesterday that former Kent batsman Matt Walker, who spent 15 years at the club as a player between 1993 and 2008, would be returning for the 2014 season as assistant coach.

Alongside the appointment of Walker, Dan George was named the club’s new first team physio, Jon Fortescue as the new strength and conditioning coach and Michael Najdan was brought in as an analyst.

Speaking to KSN about the appointments, former West Indies captain Adams said: “I’m very happy with all the positions that have been filled.”

On Walker, Adams said: “He’s had a tremendous history with Kent going back many, many years, and he’s been doing a lot of good work in a coaching role with Essex. We felt that with his experience and his coaching skill, and what came across as a very deep desire to be involved in Kent Cricket again, meant he was a very good appointment.”

With the players set to return for pre-season training on March 14, Adams is keen to get going again in preparation for the 2014 season.

“It’s very exciting, as I think it generally is when you get people coming into new positions”, he said.

“They are pretty hyped up themselves; starting in new situations, and the players, obviously, have a keen sense of anticipation. Obviously a new season always brings that approach – to know that you’re getting involved in a new support system I think will really be the sort of emphasis that we want to get across with the players coming together in about a month’s time.”

Adams also spoke to KSN about the reappointment of Rob Key as skipper for the coming season, with the West Indian keen to get to work with the former England batsman once more; Key having been captain during Adams’ first season at the club in 2012.

“I’m very happy”, he said. “We had a very good working relationship in the first season that I was here. Forget his cricket – his cricket speaks for itself, but he’s somebody who has obvious leadership qualities and brings so much experience to the table.”

The Head Coach also spoke about the impact he hopes that Key can have with some of the younger members of the squad, saying: “Having a squad that is being populated by a lot of young players trying to make their way, I think it’s a good time to have Rob in charge of the team and to have him not only there but looking forward to it and pretty enthusiastic himself is a good sign, I think.”

Adams also explained that while Key was not the only candidate for the role, he was certainly the outstanding one.

“We had a few discussions about different possibilities and it was something that we considered carefully, but I think it’s fair to say that Rob ticked far more boxes than any of the other candidates that we would have considered”, he said.