Crucial period coming up for Deal Town in the context of their season; FC Elmstead next up for the Hoops in the FA Vase

There is a vital period coming up for Deal Town in the context of their season.

Having earned their first Southern Counties East Premier Division clean sheet of the campaign in their 5-0 home win over Holmesdale, they will be out to avoid an FA Vase upset this Saturday at Division 1 FC Elmstead before they host Whitstable on Tuesday.

Matches away to Tunbridge Wells and Phoenix Sports follow soon after for the high-flying Hoops, sandwiched between a home fixture against Hollands & Blair.

But King, whose side lost 3-2 at K Sports last Monday, said: “We have won all our league games at home - four out of four - and scored 15 goals.

"Away from home, I know in the league we have won one and lost two, but we have won at Egham in the FA Cup and won away in the Vase at Alfold as well.

“We know we can do it home and away. We just now need to string three or four wins on the bounce together.

“But we have a tough run of games in the league after the Vase this week - we have Whitstable, Tunbridge Wells, Hollands & Blair and Phoenix after that.

“It’s going to be a testing period but, to win the game like we did on Saturday in front of another big crowd - we had nearly 400 there - it was a good weekend. It was needed after last week’s disappointment.”

With both teams tipped to challenge for promotion, Deal’s game against Whitstable is a vital one.

“The Whitstable one is probably our big local derby,” King said.

“A lot of the players know each other, a lot of the players have played together or against each other in the past. We’re two sides that other people are saying will probably be in and around it.

“But we have got the Vase on Saturday to look at first.

"The Vase is important for us as a club. It means a little bit extra because