Ray Turner hopes Faversham can lift themselves one more time to finish an extraordinary Ryman League, Division 1 South season on a high.

The boss was at a loss to explain how his Lilywhites team lost 2-1 at lowly East Grinstead on Saturday – their second straight loss.

The result left them two points and two places outside the top-five and needing an unlikely set of results to go their way this weekend to reach the play-offs for the third year in four.

Turner said: “It is difficult to take. Even before the last week this season has been extraordinary, with so many ups and downs.

“We’d done the job and got ourselves in the top five but then we lose to a wonder goal at Sittingbourne on the Tuesday which is fair enough but Saturday is a lot harder to accept – I have rarely seen a team –any team – dominate a game like that. We created so many chances and we had a goal wrongly disallowed. They barely touched the ball in the second half. It is so hard to deal with.

“I can’t explain it. We don’t apportion blame, it’s a collective effort and ultimately I have to carry the can as a manager. We have to take it on the chin and try to raise ourselves for Saturday.”

Faversham must beat third-placed Hythe at Salters Lane and hope two other results go their way, with Turner admitting: “We have a small, slim hope.

“I don’t expect (fifth-placed) Corinthian Casuals to slip up at home to Three Bridges, although (sixth-placed) Hastings at home to Herne Bay is not the easiest.

Should Town sneak into the play-offs in fifth place, they will visit second-placed Dorking Wanderers on Tuesday (7.45pm) with the final away at either Hythe or Worthing on Saturday week.