Clive Cook says it’s up to his players to decide whether Hythe’s season goes to the wire or ends with Saturday’s visit of Whyteleafe to Reachfields.

Town were stunned 5-0 at home by Corinthian Casuals on Saturday and sit three places and four points behind the final Ryman League, Division 1 South play-off spot, with just four games remaining.

The match’s pivotal moment came just before half-time with the game goalless when Jay May won a free-kick in the Casuals half but reacted to the challenge with a head-butt which saw him given a straight red card.

The visitors then snatched the lead in added-time and doubled it a minute after half-time before Town lost Sam Adams after a clash of heads.

Cook said: “It was never a 5-0 in a million years. The sending-off turned the game, even their manager said that. We should have been four-up, we dominated that first-half, we took them apart but just didn’t score.

“Jay gets sent-off and then they go up and score in added-time when they hadn’t had a shot in the entire first half. They got a second with a deflected shot after half-time and it killed us.

“It looks like a smashing but it wasn’t like that. We lost two big players which finished us and in the end we were chasing shadows. I was glad when the final whistle went.”

Cook admitted he has not yet spoke to May about his dismissal, adding: “God knows why he did it. It was just a rush of blood, I guess. You don’t expect that of someone with his experience.

“I haven’t spoken to him, I wanted to let the dust settle. He’s a nice lad and it was out of character but I will talk to him to see why it happened.”

Despite the loss, Hythe remained in the promotion hunt, with fifth-placed Carshalton and seventh-placed Lewes only drawing and Hastings, in sixth, losing to Godalming.

Cook said: “It deflates you when you get the other results through in the dressing room at the end. You almost wish it was over already but we have to go again on Saturday.

“Nobody has taken it on and we could be only a point out of it by Saturday night. I sent a text to the players on Monday night, basically saying it’s down to them, do they want it to go to the wire or do they want it to finish on Saturday?

“It’s been a weird, frustrating season and we’ve not been consistent enough but there are more twists and turns to come yet.”

May begins a three-game ban while Kieron Campbell and Mitch Chapman serve the last of their three games on Saturday.