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Chatham Town have home advantage tonight in their play-off semi-final but the manager’s confident in his team wherever they play.
A drama-filled last game of the regular season at Enfield Town ended in a 2-2 draw on Saturday to guarantee home advantage should Chats get to Monday’s final but they must first overcome Horsham tonight - a team who beat them two weeks ago.
The weekend match at Enfield was another huge game for Chats as they ended the regular season sitting second in the Isthmian Premier Division table.
Boss Kevin Hake said: “The lads came through another high-pressure game against a fellow play-off team and from the moment the boys turned up you could see they had their minds on it.
“Half-time and full-time was the same and it wasn’t necessary to raise their motivation levels as they were focused.
“This is not the just 16-man squad but all the other players who were either injured or not selected which is great to see.
Isthmian Premier Division – the top five
“The result means we finish second and get home advantage, which is nice to have, but with the lads in this frame of mind I would have been happy to have gone away if necessary.
“I’m pleased mainly for the fans as it gives us a chance to pack the Bauvill again and make more memories there.
“We’ve had so many great times there in recent years and the plays-offs will only add to them.
“It doesn’t matter now where we finished in the league as we are in effectively a cup competition with the winner gaining promotion.
“Our focus is on Horsham, who we played recently and lost, so we know the battle ahead and need to overturn this result if we are to progress to the final.”
Chatham twice came from behind to earn a draw against Enfield as Kareem Isiaka cancelled out a 13th-minute opener and after going 2-1 down, a controversial goal pulled them level.
Enfield were upset as their players thought they heard a whistle sound as Sam Robins poked the ball past his own keeper when under pressure. Home forward Oliver Knight - who scored both of their goals - also crashed an effort off the bar late on.
Chatham secured second spot with the draw and will play a Horsham side who won 3-1 at the Bauvill Stadium only recently, ending a run of seven straight home wins for Hake’s men.
Wednesday night’s game will be segregated with Horsham fans housed at the Palmerston Road End. A limited number of home tickets have been released for online purchase to guarantee entry.
Enfield Town host the other semi-final tonight against Wingate & Finchley. If Chatham beat Horsham they will play the winner of that game at the Bauvill Stadium on Monday, May 6 (3pm).
