Whitstable Town are gearing up for two crucial games in four days against clubs just above them in the relegation dogfight.

The Oystermen travel to Horsham on Saturday before welcoming Merstham to the Belmont on Tuesday night as their mind-boggling run-in gets underway.

Only 64 days are left for Town to play their final 23 games in Ryman League, Division 1 South. It’s a schedule which has frustrated club bosses in recent weeks but manager Nicky Southall has now embraced the challenge which lies ahead.

He said: “I’m excited for the next 23 games and the players need to be excited about where it could take us.

“We could put a massive amount of points on the board in a short space of time. But it can go the other way, too. If we lose four or five on the bounce, we’ll get sucked into the relegation battle.”

Southall was encouraged by his side’s display in their 2-0 Kent Senior Cup semi-final defeat to Ebbsfleet United on Tuesday. But he knows that sort of performance can’t be a one-off.
He said: “When you go to fantastic stadiums, to play clubs with history and all that comes with it, you don’t even have to do a team talk. It’s the lesser lights, when you go to not nice grounds, difficult environments, when you need a different mindset and temperament.

“The players need to realise they’ve got to earn the right to win at those places. Horsham, and the other teams around us, are all fighting to get away from the bottom.

“I believe we’re in a false position and Tuesday’s performance showed what we can do. But we can’t just do it twice in four or five games, we’ve got to do it every single
game.”

The only injury concern for the Horsham trip is club captain John Guest (knee), although he could be fit to face Merstham.