More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
Chatham Town are back in action tonight against one of the many teams who will still be fancying their chances of promotion this season.
Like Chatham, midweek visitors Hashtag United sit just outside the Isthmian Premier Division play-off places.
Chatham’s 2-0 loss at Chichester City on Saturday saw them lose ground on the top five but they remain one of a number of clubs chasing those positions with just under half a season remaining.
Following their weekend loss, manager Kevin Hake said: “Unfortunately we came away from Chichester with no points but I thought the lads showed great character in playing with 10 men for the majority of the game after Miquel (Scarlett) got sent off for a very dubious second yellow.
“Sometimes throughout a season you have games that you feel like everything is against you and this was one of those days.
“We were low on numbers already due to suspensions and injuries and we unfortunately only added to this on Saturday.”
Scarlett was sent off for a second bookable offence just 19 minutes into the match. Chichester were already leading after scoring inside two minutes and they added a second in stoppage time at the end of the game.
Hake said: “In the face of adversity you really find out who is prepared to put everything on the line and leave everything out on the pitch.
“The lads put in a real shift and whilst the result didn’t go for us on the day I was immensely proud of the performance.
“Despite the loss we still find ourselves in seventh place just outside the playoffs.
Isthmian Premier Division table
“The league is incredibly close this year and it will be exciting to see where we all end up.
“One things for sure, there are probably 16 teams who feel they will be okay with a chance of promotion, but alas there are only two places come the end of the season!
“Tuesday sees us come up against Hashtag United for the first time this season. The three games we had last season were all good games and finished equal with a win each and a draw.
“They have been doing well of late so it’s poised to be another good game.”
Chatham will be hoping for good numbers to come through the gates again as they aim to get back to winning ways.
Hake said: “New Year’s Day saw us break our league record attracting over 3,000 and last year’s home game against Hashtag was over 2,000.
“The Chatham support is growing year on year which is great for the town and vital to any teams if they want to progress up through the leagues, not just for the obvious financial reason, but also to create an atmosphere for fans and players to share the matchday experience.”
Chatham, meanwhile, have added 25-year-old midfielder Lewis Chambers to their squad after previously helping former team Bowers & Pitsea to back-to-back promotions.
