Whitstable Town are preparing for bottom club Welling Town no differently than they did for table-topping Glebe last weekend.

The Southern Counties East Premier Division play-off chasers took a point off the leaders last weekend - and felt they did enough to take all three - but don’t want to spoil a good run of form away to the basement side this Saturday.

The Oystermen head into the weekend five games unbeaten - a run of form that’s coincided with the arrival of popular centre-half Ollie Gray from Faversham Town, returning back to the club and helping them to three clean sheets in that spell of good form.

Weekend hosts Town sit bottom of the table and lost 10-1 at Hollands & Blair last week.

But Gray warned: “I have been around long enough to realise when you play against a team that’s had a very bad result they’re going to want to come out and fight.

“We have to approach it like we’re playing Glebe, no ifs or buts.

“I am sure they will reflect on the result and we will be in the firing line for them. It’s a game we have to win, but we have to be right or they will beat us.

“You have to be right in the head for these games. We’re away from home, they will want to put things right. We have to approach it with the right mentality.”

Harvey Smith put Whitstable ahead against Glebe last Saturday midway through the second half, but the visitors hit back through Marcel McDonald’s deflected effort with just two minutes remaining.

Earlier in the match Whitstable’s Josh Williams had seen his penalty saved and James Jeffrey had an effort ruled out for offside after a discussion between the officials.

“It was a decent result but I came out of that game kind of disappointed with the draw,” Gray admitted.

“We missed a penalty and three or four chances to score, they had a couple of good chances and one at the end, but I think we stopped their main threats.

“We were good on the ball, the better team throughout, and it showed how good we can be playing against top of the league and we made them worry.”

Gray’s enjoying his time back at the club having played at The Belmont under Jim and Danny Ward. He’s since had spells for several other teams in the east of the county, including Hythe and Ramsgate and most recently the Lilywhites.

Explaining his move back, he said: “Marcel had put a seven-dayer in and I haven’t worked with him before but I have a few close mates at Whitstable, like Jake Mackenzie, and he has always said how much he enjoys it there and working with the management.

“I had a chat with Marcel, he said about their aspirations and why they wanted me, I felt I wanted a change and decided to go.

“I was in and out of the side at Faversham, they have had a big change with Sammy [Moore] going. I know Tommy [Warrilow] and get on really well with him, but I had a spell of injuries, came back for a couple of games but it didn’t quite feel right.

“Sometimes you need a fresh start and fresh surroundings.

“I have settled in well, we have been unbeaten since I’ve been there, some clean sheets are always good.

“The fans are brilliant here. A lot of the Oyster Boys from before are still around and it’s nice to have them. It’s good to see there is a massive increase in attendances since when I was there last time.

“As soon as I went to the first training session, they are very much a footballing side. He (Marcel) accepted there would be mistakes, and my confidence has gone up. I have relaxed, I can play how I want to play and settled well.

“I am a confidence player and once it’s up I feel I can push myself to keep improving, even at my age.

“There is still pressure, I like that pressure, but it doesn’t feel like there is huge pressure on your back.

“You can play how you want to, work as a team and we’ve had some good results. We are just outside the play-offs and believe we can get in there.”