By Cameron Hogwood

Phil Miles believes three more wins could be enough to secure Faversham safety in Bostik South East this season.

An Ashley Miller goal handed Town a 1-0 victory over sixth-placed Whyteleafe at Salters Lane on Saturday to move them onto 29 points in 14th.

A fourth win in seven league outings marked another significant stride towards survival, although joint-manager Miles is taking nothing for granted.

He said: “We’re trying to put some daylight between us and the teams below us.

“It’s a funny league this year because six weeks ago it was probably just us, Herne Bay and Sittingbourne, but all of a sudden Three Bridges have dropped in there.”

“Whitstable have dropped into the bottom six, Guernsey are there. One of six teams could potentially get relegated at the moment.

“It’s difficult because you look below us and the teams there are winning.”

Faversham continue their campaign this weekend with a trip to Sittingbourne, who leapfrogged them into 13th on goal difference following a 5-0 win over Three Bridges on Tuesday.

Home meetings with 10th-placed Phoenix Sports and eighth-placed VCD Athletic follow.

“We’re hoping if we can win the next three games that will be our safety point, but on paper they are three tough games,” Miles added.

Miles deemed Saturday’s result nothing more than his side deserved on the back of two frustrating defeats.

“Against Hastings we felt we should have got at least a point out of the game,” he said.

“Haywards Heath, again, personally I think we should have gone 2-0 up before they even scored so Saturday was a massive game for us because obviously we didn’t want to go on another losing streak.

“Although we were disappointed to lose the games, the performances were still there and thereabouts.”

Defensive organisation across the team and a continuity in personnel have proven key components to Faversham’s improved form, admitted Miles.

“The back four has been the same for the last six or seven games, they’re all good solid defenders,” he said.

“We haven’t really focused on defending but what we’ve got now are four defenders that want to defend and that has made a massive difference, but also we’re defending better from the front and in midfield as well.”

Miles also touched on the value of Saturday’s match-winner Miller on 50th appearance for the club.

“With the potential and ability that Ashley Miller has got, he could have a massive say in the last nine games,” he added.

“As long as we keep him fit and he keeps doing the good stuff he has been doing over the past six weeks then he’s more than capable of scoring more goals in this league.”

With regards to team news ahead of Saturday, Miles added: “Dave Cook had to come off after about 30 minutes last week.”

“His hamstring is slightly tight so we won’t really know about him until on the day, but everyone else is fit and available.”