Terry Brown has backed his Margate side to raise their game for the visit of high-flying Whitehawk as they bid to launch a winning run at Hartsdown.

Gate ended a six-match winless Vanarama National League South run on home soil - which had yielded just two points and one goal - with a 4-1 success against fellow strugglers Havant & Waterlooville on Saturday.

Brown said: "Wouldn't it be lovely to get back-to-back home wins. We have a full squad which is unusual at this stage of the season and we have no excuses.

"Hopefully the goalscoring can continue. We have been struggling to find goalscoring form with any consistency.

"You wouldn't necessarily choose Whitehawk to try and do it, but for the most part we have done better against the top teams than against the bottom ones."

Gate sit fourth-bottom, effectively four points above the drop-zone, ahead of the visit of fourth-placed Hawks with the visit of sixth-placed Bath to follow on Tuesday.

Brown added: "There are always peculiar results in this division, just look at us beating Havant on Saturday and them going and beating (title-chasing) Oxford City on Tuesday.

"There is not a massive difference in quality between the sides at the top and the bottom, which is why I am keen to get away from the bottom now, because I think the teams down there like Basingstoke and Weston will drive on at some stage.

"We're in a run of home games but I won't even think about Tuesday until after Whitehawk is out of the way."

Gate overcame Ryman League Premier Division side Farnborough 2-1 in a behind-closed-doors friendly at the Rushmoor Community Stadium on Tuesday night.

Freddie Ladapo was denied when clean through in the first half but in-form Luke Moore changed the game after coming on at the break.

Moore freed Danny Green to dink the opening goal and beat four men before putting it on a plate for Jake Goodman to make it two, with the hosts pulling back an injury-time consolation from close range.

Brown said: "We had several players who had not had much game time lately and it gave us the chance to look at a keeper on trial to back-up Nikki Bull.

"It got some time on the pitch for Adam Cash, Danny Green, Sam Rents, Charlie Wassmer, Jamie Taylor and Lewis Taylor got 45 minutes after being out for eight weeks.

"We needed the game and it showed - it looked like a pre-season game, but it served its purpose. It was well worth it."