Manager Derek Hares is becoming concerned with how many league matches Deal still have to play this season.

The Hoops were due to host Canterbury on Monday but the Southern Counties East Premier Division clash was postponed due to Covid cases in Deal’s squad.

Hares is hopeful their match at K Sports this Monday will go ahead - but admits he is concerned his sixth-placed team have only managed to play 17 league fixtures so far.

Looking ahead to their match at K Sports, who lost 2-0 at Sheppey on Monday, Hares said: “They are a decent side.

"It’s always a bit of a test there, especially on the astro-turf. If we are going to win the game, we are going to need to be at our best.

“I just hope it’s on because the other issue is the games in hand we’ve got.

"I think we have four games in hand on some sides now and five on a couple of others. You don’t want it to get any bigger than that.

“It’s all right saying ‘We will have games in hand’ but you need to play them - and you need to win them.”

On the Canterbury postponement due to Covid, Hares added: “Hopefully the lads that did have it are all right now. They got it at the beginning of last week.

“There’s no fresh cases as far as I’m aware so, hopefully, we will be ready for Monday’s game.”

Deal have been drawn at home to fourth-placed Glebe in the Kent Senior Trophy quarter-final on January 22.

Hares said: “In the league, you always want to do better than what you did before.

"We are doing that at the minute and we have always been capable of winning a cup, and we are still in two cup competitions this year.

“We are certainly playing well enough.”