It’s “now or never” for Herne Bay in their play-off bid, according to manager Ben Smith.

Bay missed out on more potentially valuable points on Saturday as they were held to a goalless draw at Burgess Hill in Isthmian South East, although Smith was fairly happy with his side’s overall performance.

It’s now three games without victory for sixth-placed Herne Bay, who are only out of the top five by a point ahead of this weekend’s home match against Chichester.

Smith said: “All we can do is win our games and see what happens above us. Since Christmas, with games in hand, the pressure has always been on us.

“But we have not got games in hand anymore. We have to try and win four games.

“It might not take four (wins for Bay to finish in the play-offs), and it won’t be easy, but our aim now is to win four games of football.

"I need a few players to put in 8 out of 10 performances rather than 7 out of 10 performances. That’s all it takes.

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“It’s now or never, really.”

Smith was philosophical on whether the point gained in West Sussex was a good one.

“We will see at the end of the season,” he explained. “I thought we played really well on the day.

“I came away from Saturday with a lot of confidence, to be honest. Everything we worked on in training, I saw.

“We made some tactical changes. I thought the boys did well in the game - it just wouldn’t go in!

“To be fair, earlier in the season, it was a bit more one-sided (as the sides played out a goalless draw at Winch’s Field in November).

“Throughout the season, I have always been ‘Don’t lose the game trying to win it’ - but we were certainly not thinking that way on Saturday.

“We had some scary moments where they missed some chances but, at the moment, we need to do something a bit different to create on our own luck.”

“None of my players are playing badly,” he insisted.

“We just need someone in the right area at the right time to step up and deliver.

"If they do that, we win games of football because we have enough quality in the side.

“The supporters have not given up, either. They are still travelling in their numbers and making lots of noise.

“They still get behind the players when it’s not going for us. It’s going to be tight but we are right in it.

“This is the time for the players to step up.”

Playmaker Eddie Allsopp was given his first Herne Bay start at Burgess Hill - and Smith was impressed with what he saw from him.

Bay’s boss enthused: “He looked outstanding, the boy is a real talent. That’s a real plus.

“It’s just adding to what we already have in the squad. There’s goals in us.

“We just need to make our own luck.

"That’s what we are trying to do.”

Captain Laurence Harvey netted a late winner as Bay beat Chichester in February but Smith, who watched them lose 1-0 at Whitstable on Tuesday ahead of Saturday’s match at Winch’s Field, will not be underestimating the 11th-placed outfit.

“They are a good side, they have got some good players there,” he commented.

“They were probably the most well-organised side I have seen all season when we played them at their place.

“But it’s an altogether different game at our place - whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing for us, we will wait and see.

“It’s hard to read too much into that game but we do have a fairly good record against them since I took over at Herne Bay.

“Hopefully that continues.”