Faversham Town manager Steve Watt’s Isthmian South East focus as side head to table-topping team Hastings United after 1-0 win in midweek derby match at Margate

Manager Steve Watt hasn’t been surprised by Hastings United’s flying start as his Faversham Town team prepare to visit The Pilot Field this weekend.

A hotly-awaited Isthmian South East match sees two sides with promotion ambitions come up against each other. Hastings, arguably, have been a surprise package at the summit this season. While they’re one of the bigger clubs at the level, they appointed a rookie manager in Ronnie Dolan in the summer.

But Dolan - who played alongside Faversham Town’s Matt Newman at Folkestone - has made a positive impression with the East Sussex side.

“They’ve had a fantastic start,” said Watt. “I’m not surprised.

“Hastings has always been a big club. Maybe, they’re not one people spoke about before the season [as title favourites] but I fully expected them to be in the play-offs.

“So, the fact they’re up there is no surprise to me. It will be about us going there and giving a good account of ourselves.

“I’m not a manager that massively focuses on the opposition. We need to be aware of what they’re about and how to stop them.

“But if we prepare right and play right, it will take a lot to stop our side.”

The Lilywhites’ cup interests for the campaign are virtually over - albeit they remain in the Velocity Cup, hosting Littlehampton on Tuesday - but that’s no bad thing as far as Watt is concerned.

Speaking ahead of Tuesday’s 1-0 derby win at Margate, Watt explained: “I do like the cup competitions.

“They’re a good distraction. If you do well in the cups, it’s fantastic for the club and the fans.

“But you can also suffer from that at the end of the season. We have a Velocity Cup match coming up but the league is our focus this season.

“It shouldn’t be different, really, but you know as a player a