The Hoops return to league action on Saturday (3pm) with a home game against a Crowborough Athletic side who have made a surprisingly poor start to the season.
The Crows find second themselves second from bottom of the SCEL Premier Division table after gaining just three points from their opening six games and with the worst defensive record in the league. Crowborough have conceded 22 goals in those six matches, including a 8-0 hammering by Bearsted, and so Hoops manager Derek Hares will be hoping that Deal can give their so far disappointing “Goals For” record a boost against the Sussex club.
Hares believes that the Hoops confidence will have been given an important lift by last weekend’s FA Vase victory at Hollands & Blair, saying: “Winning any game gives you a bit of confidence. We were up against a strong physical side and we matched them.
“We’ve just got to get that consistency really, when we play well we can give anybody a game.”
Connor Coyne, who scored four times in Deal’s two matches with Crowborough last season, is expected to return to Hares’ squad after being unavailable last weekend but Alfie Foster remains “doubtful” because of a thigh injury.
