Chatham Town Women “rattled” second-placed Hashtag United on Sunday and came close to bringing a point back to Kent.

Hashtag won the Southern Premier Division match 1-0 - that goal coming from the penalty spot - as Chats turned in a performance manager Keith Boanas was proud of.

Chatham are already relegated from the third tier and are now playing for pride - with just one game remaining at home on Sunday, May 5.

“It was a magnificent effort,” said Boanas. “We had quite a deep conversation before the game and it appeared to have resonated. I think we deserved at least a draw out of it.

“We had a couple of good chances, the penalty I would say was innocuous, probably just about right, but there was a similar one at the other end in the second half and I think he could have given that as well, instead of a free-kick right on the edge.

“We deserved a draw out of it for effort alone. We worked quite hard on stopping them playing and it all seemed to come together. People watching described it as a real solid performance.

“I am pretty sure they were frustrated because they made some quick changes and I could hear [their manager’s] voice in the dressing room, which was quite colourful.

“I think we rattled them, to be honest, but it’s too little, too late. If we had played like that in many other games we certainly wouldn’t be where we are which is the frustrating thing, and it goes to prove what they could have been capable of.

“We got our tactics right and they were implemented right on the pitch. That hasn’t always been the case where players have put into action what we’ve worked on.

“Everybody did their jobs and the players who came off the bench were excellent, it was a good squad performance.

“We were up against a side second in the league. They’d won two cups, one of them a national cup, they might have thought we were there for the taking but I couldn’t be anything but proud.”

Chatham have a weekend off before returning to action against Rugby Borough - but there’s no rest for Boanas, who is also acting as interim boss of the London City Lionesses’ under-21 side. They are away at Sunderland this weekend.

Boanas said: “I had the time to do it, it fitted into my schedule and it has only been for the last few weeks and the next couple.

“They have appreciated me helping out, it has been a different environment.”

Earlier this year the Chatham boss had been asked to stand in as interim for the Kent-based club’s first-team manager’s position after Italian Carolina Morace was sacked, but he chose to stay where he was.

“I turned it down because I made a commitment to Chatham,” he said.

“Some people would argue that I was stupid, but once I make a commitment I tend to stick to it.”