Deal Town boss Steve King has called for his side to complete the push and all but secure their Isthmian League place for another season this weekend by beating the side that pushed them all the way to the SCEFL title last season Erith Town. 

The two meet at the Charles Ground this weekend and King told us, “Over the course of the time we have been pleased with how we have done as the objective was, when we got promoted, to stabilise and stay up.”

“And now barring an absolute disaster we should do that – we have certainly learned an awful lot with some difficult lessons to learn, learning every week and overall, we have to be pleased with how we have done.” 

Deal go into the weekend on 40 points in ninth in the League – nineteen points ahead of the relegation trap door – and three points and four places above Adam Woodward’s Dockers who have four games in hand. 

“We set 42 points as the possible staying up mark – that may even be 40 already which is what we have – but for me probably one, maybe two wins, will be job done and secure our place for next season.” 

Deal have only drawn one of their previous 30 League games this season and King said, “It’s something that we are pleased about as we have stuck by our principles of being an attacking team and wanting to entertain, but we have conceded way too many goals.”

“Ultimately, I’m not an attacking or defensive manager – it’s not that we set out to be really open and not draw games, we have just conceded way too many goals. What I am pleased by after being promoted is that we have kept a goal threat.”  

Deal’stotal of sixty-one League goals scored is only bettered by Sittingbourne and Ramsgate but the 64 they have conceded matches the division’s bottom five defences, though King did add, “I do think that our goals against total is a little bit distorted as we conceded eight against Sittingbourne in two games, seven against Ramsgate, five in one game against Burgess Hill, six against Beckenham, and another six against Ashford – so that’s 33 of the 64 in nine games!”

“In that context the defensive record may not look quite so bad – we have defended well in a number of games especially against teams in the lower part of the League. We have just been really punished by the top sides.” 

Looking ahead to the weekend, King admitted, “We seem to have played Erith so many times in the past few years… they are always tight games!”

“I think the last six of seven games we’ve played against each other have always been decided by the odd goal either way. Our home record against them has been good so we will be looking to continue that.”

“Earlier in the season we lost 2-1 up there to a ninety-fifth minute penalty which was frustrating. But fair play and credit to them as they are in the same boat as us – to come up from SCEFL and achieve what they have achieved is great and you could say that three points behind and with four games in hand, they are actually in a better position than us at the minute!” 

“I think for both sides to come out of SCEFL, with neither having massive budgets but keeping a lot of our squads from last year, I think that we have both done pretty well to be fair!”