Cooney has made nearly 400 appearances for the club while former Holmesdale, Phoenix Sports and Croydon boss Beckingham is back for the third time at College Lane.

Simon Kidby has also joined the management team, having recently been coach under Micky Collins at league rivals Sevenoaks Town and scout at Isthmian Premier Division side Horsham.

Chairman Richard Tramontin told https://egtfc.co.uk: "We’re really pleased that Drew and Tony have accepted the challenge. We think they will bring stability and can take the club forward. We did consider other candidates, but the management committee were very impressed with the presentation they put forward and their desire to progress the club in the short and long-term.

Their priority is to win matches and make sure we remain a Step 4 club, but one which is looking upwards rather than over our shoulders.

“The committee were also impressed by their long-term vision, not least their desire to get more locally based players into the first team squad, especially from our existing youth set-up.

“Drew has got a lot of respect in the changing room and isn’t ready to hang up his boots just yet. But he’s already planning when he retires and this is the first step, working alongside Tony who has lots of managerial experience and knows how the club operates.

“They will be adding to their coaching team in the next few weeks, but I’m delighted that they will have Simon Kidby as part of their management group. Simon has extensive contacts at all levels of the game and will play a big part in our recruitment going forward. We are hoping to have some new faces in the squad in time for Saturday’s home game against Corinthian.

“As a club we have a lot going for us, not least our pitch and facilities. Results need to improve as everyone acknowledges but we’re looking forward to what we hope will be a successful and progressive era under Drew and Tony”.