More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
Deal Town are making life easy for manager Derek Hares as their brilliant run continues.
The Hoops chalked up a seventh straight victory with a 4-0 triumph at Tower Hamlets on Saturday.
They’re scoring goals, giving little away and confidence is sky-high.
Performances have been so good it’s left Hares with little to say to his Southern Counties East high-fliers.
“I don’t really have to say a lot,” said Hares. “It’s like anything, if you get in a losing habit it’s hard to get out of and it’s the same with winning.
“Every game we win gives the lads more confidence, I don’t have to say much at all before a game.
“The tactics have been right, the players have all been playing together for a long time and while we are a young team, a lot of these boys have played 100 games in this league.”
Deal remain a point off the top, in third place, after second-half goals from Macca Murray (penalty), Alfie Foster, Rene Rivera and Troy Howard at Tower Hamlets.
They’ve scored 26 goals in their 11 games and boast the meanest defence with only six conceded.
“We’ve been excellent for the last three or four games and we’re just not giving goals away,” said Hares.
“If you’re conceding two or three every game you’re not going to win many but the clean sheets give you something to build on.
“The boys are working hard in training and Kingy (head coach Steve King) has to take a lot of the credit, along with Dean Hill (coach).
“We’re enjoying the run but it’s no good getting too far ahead of ourselves.
“Expectations grow the more games you win and people start saying you’re going to do this or that but we’ve never mentioned anything about winning leagues.
“Maybe if we were in this position with 10 games to go, we’d feel different.”
Deal, 3-0 winners over K Sports last Tuesday night, have a break from league action with back-to-back games against Kennington.
The sides meet in the Kent Senior Trophy at Homelands this Saturday and again at the Charles Ground the following weekend in the FA Vase.
Town have already beaten Kennington 2-0 in the league and are one of the few teams to keep 16-goal striker Gary Lockyer quiet.
“We’re expecting two tough games, especially up there because they’re very good at home,” said Hares.
“But we’ve shown if we’re at our best then whoever we’re playing will have to play very well to beat us.
“Gary Lockyer’s banging in the goals and doing really well but we managed to stop him at Deal a few weeks ago and there’s no reason why we can’t do it again.
“It won’t be easy, and I don’t particularly like playing the same team two games running, but that’s the way it’s come out.
