Manager Steve King has hinted he will rotate Deal’s squad ahead of playing two matches in the space of three days. The Hoops visit fellow early high-fliers Rusthall this Saturday before travelling to K Sports on Monday.
Deal had a similarly quick turnaround over the August Bank Holiday weekend, on which they progressed in the FA Vase - only to lose 1-0 at Kennington in the Southern Counties East Premier Division two days later.
King said: “We are thinking about that this week. We probably got it wrong at Kennington when we went Saturday-Monday. We didn’t make a lot of changes. “In hindsight, that’s something we maybe should have looked at. “I’m a fan of keeping combinations but, with two games in 48 hours, I would imagine there will be some rotation.” It will be a testing period for Deal which starts away to Jimmy Anderson’s Rusthall who have collected 10 points from five league games, and sit fourth in the table just two points behind third-placed Deal.
King added: “We have got Rusthall and then K Sports on Monday so two away games in three days. Rusthall have had a brilliant start to the season. “Jimmy has done a great job. "At the start of the season, some people maybe would have expected us to win there but now - I’m not saying we are underdogs - but it will be a good test.