Whitstable are yet to reach safety in Bostik South East despite stretching their unbeaten run to four games, insists manager Scott Porter.

Town settled for a 1-1 draw away to Whyteleafe on Saturday to rise to 12th in the league, 12 points clear of bottom-club Greenwich.

It continued an impressive turnaround for the club, having entered March without a win since Boxing Day.

However Porter said: “We’re still in a relegation fight. I’ve said to the boys you can win three games and move up, but you can also very quickly move back down there.

“We had three wins on the trot and then going to Whyteleafe was always going to be difficult.

“We really huffed and puffed, to be honest. We could have put more pressure on them and played the way we normally play but the 3G pitch does take its toll.

“To come away with a point was a good result. We probably would have taken that if offered it at the start of the day.

“It keeps up the good run and the spirit in the team.”

Three wins and a draw have entailed the injection of a long-awaited conviction in front of goal to complement the team’s defensive expertise.

Such has been the case that Whitstable have scored 10 and shipped just four in their last four outings.

Porter added: “We’ve become organised and a hard team to break down. A lack of scoring goals was a main negative but we are doing that now as well as not conceding many.

“The competition for places is really good now. Those who start know they need to give 100%
and work hard to stay in the team.

“John Walker came on for Stuart West, Ricky Freeman came on for Harry Stannard – that’s something we haven’t had in the past.”

The team’s recent resurgence serves as a constant reminder of how swiftly momentum
could swing back again between now and the end of the campaign.

With just five points separating them from 17th-placed Faversham, Whitstable remain keen to continue distancing themselves from the clubs beneath them.

“I don’t want to be looking over my shoulder, we want to keep looking forward,” Porter
added.

“Now the squad is competitive and at full strength, we want to push ourselves. Our main aim is to continue this good form and finish as high as possible.”

Whitstable host Cray Wanderers on Saturday, with the league leaders having lost just two games so far this
season.

Porter said: “Confidence is high. We’ve got to be at eights, nines and 10s in games like
that.”

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