Ashford Town manager Steve Lovell will take absolutely nothing for granted as he tries to extend the most successful period of his managerial career at Whitstable on Saturday.

Town go into the game with six straight league wins under their belts following last Saturday's 1-0 win over Folkestone Invicta, while Whitstable's worries ar the wrong end of the Ryman 1 South table worsened with a 3-0 defeat at Sittingbourne.

Lovell said: "I have never managed six league wins in a row as a manager, and it's nice to go into the new year in that position, but Whitstable will make it tough for us because it's another local derby.

"It doesn't matter where they are in the league, games like this are always hard. It's not like playing Burgess Hill or Walton Casuals, the players all know each other and it's a big game for the supporters as well."

Lovell pointed to the Folkestone game as further evidence over what Ashford can expect this Saturday.

"It was a tight encounter which was always likely to be decided by a set-piece or a mistake, " said Lovell, "and I think we just edged it on points. We didn't play very well, but it showed that we can games by battling if we have to."

That said, Lovell will be pleased that he has more options up front again now that his son Mark has recovered from the knee injury which has sidelined him since the opening day of the season.

Lovell junior was on the bench last Saturday and can expect to see some action at Whitstable, while Charlie Glyde is also available again after completing his suspension.