We just have to put runs and wins together to climb up the table, says Hythe Town assistant manager Mark Lane

HYTHE TOWN assistant manager Mark Lane says the whole club is feeling proud after watching ex-striker Alfie May score his first professional goal for Doncaster Rovers last weekend.

May signed for the League Two leaders during the January transfer window for an undisclosed transfer fee and scored his first goal for his new club, coming off the bench to slot home an 80^th minute equaliser to earn a 1-1 draw at home to Luton Town.

“I think the whole club is proud and proud the way that Alfie’s taken off and it was really good,” said Lane.

“He’s had a few starts as substitute but to get on and score on Saturday was brilliant.

“We were having a quiz night at the football club with all the players and the supporters and we had it on television and everyone was up and clapping and cheering so from the club’s point of view, we’re really proud of him.”

Hythe Town have slipped down to seventh-place in the Ryman League Division One South table on 62 points and are two points adrift of the play-off zone going into their last 12 league games of the season.

“You’ll always miss people but you have to move on,” admitted Lane.

“Alfie May’s scored goals wherever he’s been.  We know it is a big miss but we just have to move on.  We’ve got players who can do the same similar sort of job.  There’s no way you want to stop Alfie going anywhere so all I can say to the lad, is good luck, he’s a great bloke and he deserves everything that he gets.”

Hythe Town host Sittingbourne at Reachfields Stadium tomorrow.  Nick Davis has done an excellent job with limited resources to guide Sittingbourne to 12^th place in the table with 49 points from their 36 league outings.

The Cannons went down to a 1-0 defeat away to Greenwich Borough on Tuesday night when Mohamed Eisa’s strike fourteen minutes from time settled the game in Eltham.

“It will be a tough game. They’ll be fired up for it. It’s a local derby, they’ve got a lot of youngsters, who I believe are doing really well for Tony (Cornwell) and Nick Davis down there and it will be a hard game,” said Lane ahead of tomorrow’s Kent derby.

“They’ll enjoy playing teams in the top seven, I’m sure. We’ve got to worry about ourselves and get our own house in order when we go and play them.”

Tooting & Mitcham United remain at the summit following their impressive 4-1 win at Cray Wanderers on Wednesday night.  Wands manager Tony Russell admitted his side were out of the promotion race as they’re in tenth-place in the table and are eight points adrift of the play-offs.

Dorking Wanderers are three points behind Tooting & Mitcham United on 77 points and the top two have 11 league games left.

Peter Adeniyi’s Carshalton Athletic are third on 67 points from 36 games, followed by Greenwich Borough (66 points from 34 games) and Hastings United’s five wins and five clean sheets on the bounce has taken them up to fifth-place on 64 points.

Outside the play-offs are surprise package Corinthian-Casuals (63 points from 34 games), Hythe Town (62 points from 34 games) and Lewes (61 points from 35 games).

Ray Turner’s Faversham Town are in ninth-place on 56 points, with 12 games left to play.

Lane said: “That’s one of the great things about this league, it’s a 46-game season so it’s a difficult season.  You’ve got to put runs and wins together.  The better you do that the easier it is to climb up the table.

“We were disappointed at Greenwich, we were disappointed last Saturday against Three Bridges (being held to a 1-1 home draw), but we’ve got to re-group and we have to go again.

“There’s 12 games left so we’ll see where we go from there.   We just have to worry about ourselves and just keep trying to win.”

Visit Hythe Town’s website: www.hythetownfc.co.uk

Hythe Town  v  Sittingbourne
Ryman League Division One South
Saturday 25^th February 2017
Kick Off 3:00pm
at Reachfields Stadium, off Fort Road, Hythe, Kent CT21 6JS