You would never guess it from his Kiwi accent but new Brighton coach Bert Merritt was born in Gosport and used to play for Worthing.

Merritt was taken by his family out to Auckland as a baby and returned for a year in 1976 to play in the Worthing pack.

Now the 52-year-old is back on these shores and, after an encouraging season in charge at Effingham and Leatherhead, is ready to get Brighton back on the straight and narrow.

After finishing second, then first in successive London Three South East campaigns, last season could best be described as one of mixed fortunes for the ambitious Waterhall club.

As well as taking just one point from their last seven games, they also lost two big name coaches, had four points deducted, saw their skipper break his leg, had a key player cited for foul play, lost their main goalkicker and their scrum half to illness and injury and heard their ground had been temporarily closed down by the council.

Other than that, it was not a bad season.

Enter Merritt, a self confessed disciplinarian and lover of back play.

He might not be able to do much about foot-and-mouth or unfortunate injuries, but he is ready to tackle the other problems which led to Brighton sliding down the table.

To that end, Merritt appears to have brought in two quality coaches in former West Hartlepool flanker Matt Emmerson and Irish international prop Gary Halpin.

Emmerson will play a key role in the back row and Merritt hopes to tempt Halpin into action after he has recovered from a shoulder injury.

Merritt said: "My main focus will be on fitness and discipline.

"Matt will be a good addition at No. 6 and Gary will offer specialist scrummage coaching, although I know he wants to go on to greater things.

"Although I played in the back and second rows, I specialise in coaching backs. That came out of necessity because there was a dearth of backs coaches in New Zealand.

"Of course you need to win good ball first but I love to play 15-man rugby.

"That is a bit different to what Brighton have been used to but they have got good backs and we have put a lot of work in with them."

Brighton certainly never took backwards step under title-winning coach Ian Watkins.

The former Welsh international hooker brought massive steel and resilience to the side and one of his main proteges, front row stalwart Mark Jenkins, looks like playing a key role in the new season.

Jenkins, 37, has been named as new skipper and Merritt admits he will be making full use of his knowledge of Three South East opponents.

Lock Danie Venter is recovering from a back injury but competition for the two overseas slots will be tough as Merritt plans to bring in a giant Australian lock plus two more South Africans.

Vice-captain Geraint Jones is likely to fill the No. 10 slot, operating outside Julian Hutchens, whose season was curtailed by a dislocated shoulder last time round.

Two other players to suffer setbacks last season will continue to pay the price at the start of the new campaign.

Gary Henderson has not fully recovered from a broken leg and Mark Gibb will be suspended until the end of September.

While Watkins made sure the rugby was deadly serious during his successful tenure, the players did enjoy a laugh and a joke with him whenever Wales struggled. On one feted occasion during the World Cup, he was forced to train in a Samoa tracksuit.

Any thought they might have got an Englishman in charge now are quickly dismissed by Merritt, despite his birthplace.

He said: "I spent 50 years of m,y life in New Zealand. I am a New Zealander, no question about that."