Boss Clive Cook has called on his Hythe players to ‘show their bottle’ and sustain a title challenge in Ryman League, Division 1 South.

Town banished the memory of a 3-0 defeat at Whyteleafe and last Tuesday’s dismal 4-0 home drubbing by Tooting by crushing Walton Casuals 6-1 on Saturday and hammering lowly Guernsey 8-1 at Reachfields on Tuesday night – a new club record.

Cook said: “It could have been more – it could have been a cricket score. Fair play to them, they came over on a week night and it was cold but I don’t feel sorry for them. This is football.

“We’ve been on the end of a few big scores and it’s not nice, you have to make the most of the good times when they are here.”

He added: “The big disappointment was that we let them score at the end.

“I was upset and the players were too, which is good. It shows they are thinking about things the same way as me.”

Cook said Cannons chairman Paul Markland sent him a message early on Wednesday morning, revealing: “He texted me at 4.20am on his way back from Dubai, woke me from my beauty sleep and said ‘what a difference a week makes.’

“He’s right. We conceded seven goals and didn’t look like scoring, a week later we have scored 14 and let in two.”

Despite four points from four games at the turn of the year, Town sit fourth, seven points off top spot and visit third-placed Greenwich Borough, a point ahead, on Saturday (3pm).

Cook said: “It’s back on us again, it’s like a game of tennis. We have got to hold our bottle now. Every time we have got ourselves into a good position off the back of a lot of hard work, we have let it slip. We don’t want that to happen again. We have got another chance at this.”

He added: “Saturday is a massive game. I’m not sure them losing (3-1 at home to South Park) on Tuesday will help us though – it will probably give them a kick up the backside. The atmosphere in our squad, though, in the dugout and in the dressing room, was electric. We have got great momentum and they will be looking to get back to it. It should be a great game.”

Town also host play-off chasing Hastings on Tuesday (7.45pm) and Cook added: “We have got three tough games coming up but we want to keep the run going now.”

Liam King has been allowed to return to previous club Faversham after seeing his playing time limited with the Cannons but one player who could feature is midfielder Owen Price who completed a move from Chatham.

The 30-year-old came through the ranks at Tottenham and had spells in Finland and Sweden, as well as Farnborough, Carshalton and Greenwich.

Former Hythe striker Alfie May made his professional debut as a late sub for Doncaster Rovers in their win against Barnet on Saturday.