The stakes could not be much higher for relegation-threatened Chatham this weekend.

Chats, who are just three places and four points above the drop zone, host second-bottom Barkingside at Maidstone Road on Saturday.

A win would leave Kevin Watson’s men breathing more easily going into their final two Ryman League, Division 1 North games of the season but defeat could prove calamitous.

Watson said: “We’re sixth from bottom, so there are five teams worse off than us at this stage. One of those has already gone down (Burnham) so there are five teams fighting to stay out of the two remaining places.

“All of those five teams probably think they can get out of it and be safe. It’s in our hands and it’s a massive game against Barkingside.

“It’s a must-win for them, isn’t it? It would be a good win for us and would put us in a good position, so we’ll have to wait and see. People are saying it’s a decider but it may not be. It depends on other results and we’ve still got two games left after that.”

But those two games are both against teams in the hunt for promotion. Chatham go to third-placed Brentwood next Saturday before leaders Needham Market visit on the final day of the season.

Watson said: “I’m not shying away from how important it is but we don’t want to create an environment where the adrenaline and nerves have an adverse effect on the

players. It will be like a boxing match in many respects. For all the adrenaline, there’s an element of playing to a game plan and keeping a cool head when everything around you is going a little bit wild.”

Jamie Taylor (groin) is fit for Saturday’s game, which could go a long way to extending Chatham’s nine-year spell in the Ryman League.