Danny Ward says he hopes the end of Whitstable’s unbeaten record will stop his players believing their own hype and give them the “kick up the backside” they need to spark another winning run.

Saturday’s creditable 1-1 draw at ambitious Whyteleafe made it nine games without defeat in all competitions this season.

However, joint-boss Ward said he felt his players “thought they could expect to turn up and win” as they were beaten 3-2 in a tetchy game at Chipstead on Tuesday, which the hosts finished with nine men.

Ward said: “Maybe this is the kick up the backside they need. I could have subbed them all at half-time on Tuesday, they were that bad. We’ve been getting away with it, really, and it’s caught up with us.

“Maybe the players were reading the press and believing their own headlines. They need to take a look at themselves. We’ll be having a little talk on Thursday night.”

He added: “I hate losing but sometimes it’s not always the worst thing. Now we have to go again and try to start another run.”

The Oystermen visit Hythe in the FA Cup first qualifying round on Saturday and Ward hopes to welcome back Jake MacKenzie and Simon Pettit, while Ashley Ulph, Aaron James and Scott Heard could be back for Tuesday’s trip to Tooting & Mitcham back in Ryman League, Division 1 South.

Ward added: “We know a lot about Hythe and their manager Tim Dixon but we want to win. When you lose like we did on Tuesday, you just want another game as soon as possible.

“It’s a big game with £3,000 up for grabs and the boys shouldn’t need any motivating for it.”