More on KentOnline
Chatham Town hadn’t been getting the results their performances warranted but it all came together at the weekend.
A 4-2 away win at Chichester City on Saturday followed a midweek defeat at Whitehawk and a goalless home draw with Haywards Heath.
“It was nice to get the win away from home against a tough opponent,” said boss Kevin Hake.
“We knew from the home game that they set themselves up well and are a difficult team to beat.
“The lads from the first to the last whistle were superb and it was one of our best performances of the season to date.
“We’ve changed things up recently with the introduction of a few new faces and although performances have been good we haven’t had the results to match.
“Regardless of where we end up this season we certainly haven’t had much luck so fingers crossed we should get our fair share as the season closes.”
Chats won 2-1 at the Bauvill Stadium in a dramatic finish earlier in the season, after scoring two late goals, and are the only team to have done the double over Chichester this season.
Danny Kedwell struck the opener for Chats last Saturday - the 39-year-old player-assistant manager scoring his first goal of the season midway through the opening half.
Che Krabbendam netted the second three minutes before the break - claiming his first for the club after moving from Horsham in early March.
The hosts stayed in touch with a 53rd-minute goal but Jack Evans replied from the penalty spot and when Chichester got a second on 82 minutes, Ashley Nzala fired home a fourth for Chatham soon after to seal the points, another player claiming his first for the club. A saved penalty denied Chats a late fifth.
Chatham finished the weekend four points behind Isthmian South East leaders Ramsgate.
Hake said: “It was nice to see first goals for Ashley, Che and Keds as well as seeing Evo continue his great scoring run.
“The team are excited for the run-in. We have six league games and a semi-final in the Kent Cup to look forward to.
“We’ve had an unbelievable season and the support we’ve received both home and away has been unreal.
“We know there will be a packed Bauvill for our eagerly awaited game against (fourth-placed) Whitehawk on April 1 but we also know there will be a load of fans away at Burgess Hill this Saturday.
“People giving up their Saturdays to come and support us blows my mind when I think back to the days when we could have only dreamed of that level of support at home let alone away.”
Weekend opponents Burgess Hill are fifth from bottom in the table and lost 2-1 at relegation-threatened Faversham last Saturday.