Hythe Town are fired up to put things right this weekend after suffering their heaviest home defeat of the season.

The Cannons lost 3-0 to Dorking Wanderers on Saturday, ending a nine-match winning run at Reachfields.

Defeat also saw them drop out of the Ryman League Division 1 South play-off places and manager Clive Cook admits the next game – away to Whyteleafe – can’t come soon enough.

He said: "I won’t need a team talk on Saturday because they’re fired up massively.

"I can’t wait. I wish we had two games this week. The quicker you put a game like that to bed, the better.

"The players are ready to roll, they’re aggressive towards it. I’ve got to try to control that aggression.

"It’s a kick up the backside, something which we possibly needed.

"It’s come at the right time in the season because now we’re in the business end."

Hythe had won nine league games in a row before the Dorking defeat.

Cook said: "That’s a few monkeys off our back now, which I’m pleased about. Somewhere along the line we were always going to have a blip. That’s where it stops and we crack on with Saturday.

"We’re still very much in the mix and it’s going to be tight. I still feel the same way about it, nothing changes.

"There’s probably six or seven teams going for one (play-off) spot and anything can happen.

"It’s how I respond and it’s how the players respond to it. They can go whichever way I want them to go. They could feel sorry for themselves if I feel sorry for myself.

"I always look at myself first. Could I have done things better? Possibly. Could I have picked a different team? Possibly.

"But that’s after the event. I’ve got to be positive to make them be positive."

Hythe have signed Dave Botterill from Faversham and the midfielder could make his debut at Whyteleafe.

Cook said: "I needed more experience and some dominance in the air.

"I needed a fresh face to liven it up a bit and Dave ticks the boxes of what I felt we lacked on Saturday.

"I do my business, get in, get out, done. I don’t mess around. I spoke to the chairman on Saturday, told him how I felt and what I wanted to do.

"Dave’s competing for a start, they all are. That’s the competition I want, that’s me controlling their aggression so there’s no complacency. I’m livening it up all the time."

Alfie May should return to the starting XI on Saturday after suffering with illness last
weekend.