Sam Denly hopes Herne Bay’s fortunes in cup competitions on the road continue this season when they travel to Heybridge Swifts in the Preliminary Round of the FA Trophy on Saturday.

Victories at Walton & Hersham in the FA Cup, and Whitstable in the Robert Dyas League Cup, represent Bay’s only successes on their travels so far, but boss Denly says there are plenty of incentives to go and get a result against the Essex-based Ryman League Division 1 North outfit.

He said: “It’s good prize money (£2,500), and the club could do with it. We have had Heybridge watched, they are a decent side, but I see it as a winnable game.”

Denly blamed an “awful” second-half display for the 3-2 defeat by Chipstead on Saturday – their first at Winch’s Field since August.

Denly said: “We were awful in the second half for whatever reason, and there are no excuses, it was a game we should never have lost.

“We lacked a few leaders in the second half to calm things down, which we didn’t do.

“Give Chipstead credit, they had a go and probably deserved to win in the end. It was a learning curve for us all, and we move on.”

Bay’s injury worries are easing with long-term absentee James Turner now their only major concern.

He is due to have an operation early next month after a specialist diagnosed floating bone in his ankle.

Meanwhile Sam Hasler is close to a return after getting the all-clear following a lengthy absence and Ben Brown started on the bench against Chipstead, after being out with a heel injury.