Tim Dixon is facing a battle to calm the unrest at Hythe Town after losing two of his best players to a local rival.

Hythe were already struggling for goals before striker Shaun Welford left to sign for Ashford United.

Welford has also taken on the role of assistant manager following United’s decision to sack Paul Chambers and put former Hythe player Danny Lye in charge.

And goalkeeper Dan Eason is set to follow Welford to Homelands after Dixon gave the Nuts & Bolts permission to speak to his No.1.

Hythe have picked up just two of a possible 15 points in Ryman League Division 1 South.

They conceded an 88th-minute equaliser at home to Guernsey on Tuesday night and had Scott Punton sent off - their fifth red card of the season already.

With Dixon having just returned from a two-week family holiday, it’s not been a happy homecoming.

He said: "It all leaves us light and it’s something we need to address quickly. We’ve got to dig deep and the players have got to dig deep.

"There’s a lot of unrest – not within the changing-room – but when players are coming and going, it’s unsettling. We need to get the squad working together, pull together as a team and go again.

"The real test is going to be the next few weeks. It’s not easy having a bad start, it took a while to get out of it last season and we’ve got to get out of it a lot more sharpish this time.

"We’ve got tough games coming up and it’s not going to be easy."

Dixon may have to fight to stop more key players leaving Reachfields.

He said: "People will come in with seven-day approaches. One’s come in for one of our players already.

"Other clubs will look at our better players and think ‘maybe they’ll want to come and play for us if Hythe are struggling’. I’ve got to turn it around and make sure they stay at our club.

"It’s a massive challenge for me. It’s been a difficult start to the campaign with all sorts of non-footballing matters but it’s football that people are interested in and that’s when you’ve got to dig deep and prove yourself.

"There’s no pressure at the moment but that will come if results continue as they have done."

Read the full story in the Folkestone & Hythe Express.