Whitstable Town joint-manager Danny Ward can’t wait to see his side back in action at Belmont on Saturday.

He knows they will be playing against Ryman League, Division 1 South rivals Hastings United on a decent pitch – something that wasn’t the case at Walton & Hersham last Saturday.

The Oystermen lost 2-0 and Ward said of the pitch: “It was more like a ploughed field than something used to play football on. It was dreadful and more suited to playing rugby
on.

“It would have been easier to pick the ball up and run with it because there was no way you could play passing football on it.That wasn’t even worth trying in those conditions.”

And passing football is something Ward is adamant his side will be doing when they play at home for the first time since the 1-1 draw with Burgess Hill Town on November 8.

He said: “The surface at Belmont is fantastic. It allows you to play a passing game, it’s the way we want to play.

“There won’t be any of this thumping the ball upfield in a bid to stop it sticking in the mud. We’ll be glad to get back home.

“That’s where our focus is, that’s where we’ve done well and we’ve picked up most of our points and so much of it is down to playing on a great surface.”

Injuries continue to hurt Ward’s small squad with winger Jake Mackenzie, who scored Town’s goal at Hastings earlier in the season, and defender Luke Doherty both in doubt for Saturday.