Margate manager Nikki Bull has vowed his players won't leave anything out on the pitch when they travel to Bishop's Stortford in Vanarama National League South on Saturday.

A run of nine successive defeats has sent the Gate plummeting from a place comfortably in the top half to 18th, just two places and two points clear of the relegation zone.

But boss Bull watched Stortford lose 2-0 at leaders Sutton United on Monday night and reckons he saw enough to give his players hope ahead of the game at the ProKit UK Stadium.

The two clubs below them - St Albans and Havant & Waterlooville - also play each other on Saturday and Bull explained: "I feel really positive. We trained on the grass for two hours on Tuesday and we'll have another session on Thursday.

"I think we need two wins from our final three games to be safe and we'll be going to Bishop's Stortford to win because, in our position, we can't do anything else."

Margate last tasted victory on on February 20 when they won 3-2 at Chelmsford, and Bull said both he and the players were grateful to supporters for staying behind them during that torrid run.

He added: "When you've lost eight on the trot and you're 3-0 down at home to Sutton and the fans are still singing your name you do feel emotional.

"There are some really good people at Margate and we owe it to them to keep going until the end. If we lose (on Saturday) we want to go down fighting."

Bull admits the sale of top scorer Freddie Ladapo to Crystal Palace last month has hit Gate hard, and he may again have to juggle his resources up front in an attempt to find a successful combination.

He added: "The lads who we've played up front have all worked really hard but they're not forwards so at the moment we're like a fisherman without any bait on the end of his hook."

Former Gate man Ladapo struck twice for Palace's development side as they beat Sheffield United 2-0 on Thursday.