Chatham Town battle it out for silverware against a side who have proved to be tricky opposition already this season.

Chatham take on fellow Isthmian Premier Division side Hashtag United in the final of the Velocity League Cup at Aveley’s Parkside Stadium tonight.

A weekend win over Folkestone Invicta secured Chatham’s play-off place and, while Hashtag sit mid-table, they’ve given Kevin Hake’s side two decent games already this season.

Hake said: “Hashtag have had the measure of us this season as they beat us at home and we only managed to draw away so we will need to find a way to overcome them.

“It’s a chance for us to win a trophy and that doesn’t come along often, so we will be giving our best shot.”

Hake’s side beat Folkestone 2-0 at the Bauvill Stadium in front of another big crowd on Saturday to ensure they will be involved in a battle for promotion with three other teams finishing in the top five.

Focus quickly shifted to their cup final in Essex, however.

“We got the win against an in-form Folkestone side, which was the main aim,” Hake said.

“In any derby game you are not necessarily worried about the performance, it’s the result that counts.

“Keeping a clean sheet is always nice and the game overall set us up nicely for the League Cup Final.

“We managed to rotate the squad slightly, which is what we have done all season, to cope with the amount of games we have played.”

Harvey Bradbury put Chatham ahead shortly before the interval against a Folkestone side managed by ex-player Andy Drury. A second goal on the hour, scored by Simon Cooper, doubled the lead and that’s the way it finished in front of a crowd of 1,807.

Chatham head into the weekend sitting second and will be aiming to maintain that position to claim home advantage in the play-offs, with two regular league games to play.

Hake’s men are playing at the level for the first time in the club’s history and it’s another step forward for a club on the rise.

The manager-chairman said: “The win means we secured a place in the play-offs for the first time in the club’s history.

“It’s a great achievement and one we would have taken all day long at the start of the season but don’t have time to dwell on it as we quickly turn our attention to the Hashtag United game.”