Steve King is hoping Deal can finish the calendar year on a high.

With plenty of other matches postponed amid wintry conditions and freezing temperatures, the Hoops took advantage as they won 2-0 on Saturday at Whitstable on their 3G pitch.

Although frontrunners Erith & Belvedere are 20 points clear at the Southern Counties East Premier Division summit, just six points separate second-placed Stansfeld and Glebe, who are 10th.

Deal boss King, whose team are three points off Stansfeld with a game in hand, said: “It changes the picture massively.

“We’re now three points off Stansfeld in second with a game in hand, and three of our next four games are at home. I think they’re all against sides in the bottom half of the table as well.

“So if we can string some wins together, we’ll be in and around second. We knew that was the case.

"Our next two games [against K Sports and Kennington] are both at home but we lost to them away.

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“But if we can pick up a couple of wins, we’ll be challenging for second going into the New Year, with the FA Vase and the Kent Senior Trophy to play for as well.”

A goal in either half at The Belmont by striker Riley Alford and midfielder Billy Munday saw the Hoops win the derby.

King reflected: “We were really pleased. We played very well, kept a clean sheet and did the job.

“We were deserved winners.

"With a lot of games being called off, it turned out to be quite a big three points.”

The manager was also delighted to see his team keep a first clean sheet since their 7-0 thrashing of Division 1 Tooting Bec in the FA Vase in October.

“The nice thing for us was to keep a clean sheet,” said King, whose side host K Sports on Saturday before facing Kennington on December 27 at the Charles Sports Ground.

“As I’ve said for a few weeks, although we have won quite a lot of games, we have let teams back in.

"On Saturday, they had chances - any decent side will have their chances - but we did all the things we wanted to.”

There was also a return for young on-loan Dover defender Alex Green and, despite suffering with illness, he produced a fine performance.

“Alex was very good,” King said. “I was very impressed with him.

"He was actually quite ill - but you wouldn’t have known! I knew Alex before we brought him in.

“In the games, he has done very well. He can be proud of the clean sheet on Saturday and he has settled in well with the boys so that’s a real bonus.”

Whitstable lost substitute Jordan Wells to a straight red in stoppage time for a lunge on Jack Penny.

King commented: “I didn’t have a great view at the time, but I have watched it back.

“It’s probably a little bit harsh but, when you dive in like that, you leave the referee a decision to make.

“But we are talking about something like the 91st minute so it didn’t have an impact.”

Deal have been drawn at home to Division 1 leaders Snodland on January 21 in the Kent Senior Trophy quarter-finals.