Clive Cook says Hythe must ‘go for the throat’ when they visit Molesey as they seek three points to keep them in the Ryman League, Division 1 South title mix.

The Cannons saw off basement boys Godalming 2-0 at Reachfields on Saturday to sit fourth – 10 points off the top – but face a testing trip to fifth-bottom Molesey this weekend.

Town boss Cook admitted: “Sometimes games against sides down the bottom are more difficult than those against the sides who come at you at high tempo.

“You have to respect these sides to get the points you need. That said, it was a hollow game, we just wanted to get rid of it. I’d have taken a clean sheet and three points all day.

“That’s the first hurdle out of the way and we’re right in the mix. The second comes this weekend.”

Molesey have only lost one of their 14 home games – the best return in the league – although Hythe are top of the away form table with 33 points from their 16 games on the road.

Cook said: “They are down there but it’s going to be different and much more difficult than last weekend.

“They have drawn eight and lost one at home. They work hard. They do something different there than they do away, where they have lost 13 of 16. It was one of our hardest games last season (a 3-1 win last March). We want to go there, get in, get the points and get away.”

He added: “We won 1-0 at home but it took 80 minutes to score. They had 10-men behind the ball and spoiled the game. I have no reason to expect they’ll do anything different this week.

“We’ll show Molesey respect but we have got to go for the throat from the start and get at them.

“If we can get the early goal, then they have to come out to try and get something and we are good on the counter, we’ve got so much speed.”