We want to have a good positive end to the season, says Chatham Town assistant manager Keith Levett

CHATHAM TOWN assistant manager Keith Levett says he will be looking to win half of their remaining ten league games of the season.

The Chats lost their eight-match unbeaten run last night when league leaders VCD Athletic came away from Maidstone Road with a 2-1 win.

Their Kent rivals from Crayford took the lead on the half-hour mark when Michael Power slid in and found the back of the net via the far post.

Lea Dawson crashed a right-footed volley into the top right-hand corner from 22-yards with nine minutes remaining, before Chatham attacker Ade Yusuff scored his fourteenth goal of the season with a 30-yard screamer, which flew into the top left-hand corner.

Tony Russell’s side moved five points clear at the top of the Ryman League Division One North with 84 points from 38 games, although second-placed Witham Town have three games in hand.

Chatham Town, meanwhile, slipped down a place to fourteenth in the table with 49 points from 36 games.

The Medway outfit welcome Soham Town Rangers to Maidstone Road tomorrow.

Their opponents are in seventh-place in the table, three points adrift of fifth-placed Heybridge Swifts.

“I think we can win at least half of our last remaining games,” said Levett.

“If we win half the remaining games, it’s been fairly a successful season. We’ve had a good cup run, a good run in the League Cup.

“We want to have a good positive end to the season because we had a middle period there where we lost our way slightly with performances and results and now we’ve picked it up and we want that to go forward so we’re looking for a positive end to the season if we can and win half our remaining games. We’ll say that’s been an ok season.”

Chatham Town make the trip to struggling Barkingside next Monday night, which will mean that the club would have played three games in a grueling five day period.

The Essex club are rooted in the bottom three with 31 points from 37 games and are level on points with the team immediately above them in the table, Ware.

Barkingside will vacate Oakside Stadium – which is adjacent to Barkingside tube station on the Central Line – at the end of the season and move in at nearby Ilford’s Cricklefield Stadium because landlords Redbridge have increased their rent.

“We have to manage it. We won’t use any excuses,” Levett said of his side’s grueling run of games.

“The boys will be ready and prepared and they know in their heads what’s coming.  We’ll have to rotate a little bit and we’ll be alright though.  We’ve got to be ready.

"We have to look to get three points on Saturday and get back to winning ways.”

Levett added: “Barkingside are one of those sides that are fighting and trying to scrap for every point so we don’t anticipate an easy game by any stretch of imagination.

“I know Aveley went down there the other week and lost 2-0 so we know it will be a tough game as all the games you expect to be.

“We think we’re managing games much better recently. We’ve got more game management and we’ve become more consistent with our performances although we lost last night. Performances are up near to where we want it to be.”

 Visit Chatham Town’s website: www.chathamtownfc.info

Chatham Town  v  Soham Town Rangers

Ryman League Division One North

Saturday 29^th March 2014

Kick Off 3:00pm

at Maidstone Road Sports Ground, Bournville Avenue, Chatham, Kent ME4 6LR