Manager Steve Watt feels Hythe Town haven’t had the credit they deserve for their sparkling form.

The Cannons have shot up Isthmian South East after seven wins in eight games and are only outside the play-offs on goal difference, in seventh place.

They came from a goal down at half-time to win 4-1 at Littlehampton on Saturday, scoring three times in as many minutes through Ethan Smith, Marvin Hamilton and Shad Ngandu before a late own goal.

Another win followed on Tuesday night, with Liam Smith on target early in a 1-0 home success against a Burgess Hill side who had ex-Ramsgate boss Matt Longhurst in charge for the first time.

The latest shut-out was their 11th clean sheet in 27 league games - some record.

“The players have been absolutely outstanding,” said Watt, whose side top the form guide.

“I don’t think this team get anywhere near the acknowledgement they deserve in terms of what the players have achieved recently and the way they’ve achieved it.

“Other teams get their praises sung but I’ve never heard this team spoken about in that regard, which they fully deserve.

“There’s no pressure on us but I know where the players want to end up and I know where I want to end up.

“The biggest turning point has been belief.

“It's something I’ve been on about all season.

“When you’ve got that belief, you turn losses into draws and draws into wins.

“We’ve had a couple of 90th-minute winners, against Corinthian and Sittingbourne, in the last couple of weeks.

“That’s not down to luck. It’s down to perseverance and belief that we’re good enough."

Not only do Hythe have the luxury of playing without pressure, they’re also dab hands at winning tight games.

That will help their chances of staying in the play-off picture, with Three Bridges the visitors to Reachfields this Saturday (3pm).

“I’ve said to the players a few weeks ago to embrace what we are,” said Watt.

“We’re a team who work and fight and claw our nails for any point we get. We win games 1-0, 2-1. Nothing’s given to us.

“We can relish the opportunity of being that type of team, knowing we’re not going to crumble under pressure because a game is tight.

"We don’t get nervous at 1-0 or 1-1 because we’re used to those situations.

“If we keep winning and stay in and around it, that’s going to stand us in good stead when the pressure is mounting on those other teams to get in the play-offs.

“Our run will end at some point and when it does we just go again. We can play freely, knowing how well these players have done."

"When we lost to Cray Valley on January 21, we were 14 points behind them. On Saturday, we went a point in front of them.

“I cannot speak highly enough of the way the players have approached all these games we’ve had, playing Saturday-Tuesday.

“When games come thick and fast like that, you either go on a great run and love it, or you start losing and can’t break the cycle.

“We’ve been winning and I just hope it hasn’t taken too much out of us.

“We’ll find out four or five games down the line because the effort they’ve put in has been absolutely phenomenal.”