Tonbridge Angels are punching above their weight in the Ryman League, Premier Division.

That’s the view of their manager Steve McKimm, whose side are a point behind leaders Dulwich with two games in hand.

They lost 3-2 at home to Burgess Hill last Saturday, on a day when a draw or a win would have sent them top.

But McKimm said: “The club’s got to take a reality check. The position we’re in at the minute, in my opinion, is far in advance of where we should be, going on what happened last season.

“You could say it was a missed opportunity, not going top and I understand people looking at it like that.

“But at the moment, I believe we’re punching above our weight.

“I’ll take it all day long and that’s not an excuse to buy us time in case we lose games.

“We’ve got to embrace it and enjoy it because last year we went through a lot of bad times.

“I wanted us to be top 10 by New Year’s Day and then push on for a top-five finish. But now every team wants to beat us and it’s the same for Dulwich and Bognor.

“People want to make it hard for us to beat them. That’s what happens when you’re top of the league and we’ve got to overcome it.”