Hythe boss Steve Watt says there will be no pressure on his side when they host Isthmian South East leaders Ramsgate.

The teams meet at Reachfields on Boxing Day (2pm), with Rams three points clear at the top and the Cannons in 13th after back-to-back postponements since beating Sheppey at home a fortnight ago.

Hythe pushed Steve Lovell’s men close at Southwood in August, losing 2-1 after leading at half-time.

Their performance that day, coupled with an unbeaten home record, gives them reason for optimism.

But they can relax, knowing anything is a bonus given the sides’ respective league positions.

“We’re playing the top-of-the-league and one of the best teams in the league, with probably the best manager in the league,” said Watt.

“It’s going to be tough - any points we get from that game will be a positive for us.

“There’s no pressure on us in 90% of our games - all the pressure is on Ramsgate.

“We’ve just got to go out there, acquit ourselves well and try and impose ourselves on the game and get the result we want.

"We’re unbeaten at home, and we’ve got to take confidence from that.

“It’s only eight games but I wanted to make us difficult to beat at home when I came back.

“I think we are and it’s something we need to continue. Boxing Day will be another big test for us but I’ve full confidence in the players to rise to the occasion.

"It’s not that we owe Ramsgate but we feel like we gave them the result last time.

“Full credit to them for the way they played in the second half but if we’d not made two errors, I think we probably win that game.

“If you make mistakes against a side of Ramsgate’s quality, they’re going to punish you."

Saturday’s game at East Grinstead was the latest postponement for Hythe.

They lost 2-0 in a friendly at Herne Bay on Tuesday night, an important run-out with Ramsgate coming up.

“We didn’t want to go into Boxing Day having not played in three weeks, so we’re thankful Herne Bay got in touch,” said Watt.

“Going into Christmas, we’ve only played 15 league games, which I’m not sure has been seen before.

“We’re still four games from being halfway through the season, which isn’t great.

“But it’s OK when you look at the table and where we could end up if we win our games in hand.

“Considering the resources we’ve got compared to some of the teams in this league, it’s quite promising."