Deal are set to go top in the Southern Counties East Premier Division title race - and boss Steve King wants them to embrace being at the summit.

King’s team took another huge step towards becoming champions this season with a 4-2 weekend win over leaders Glebe, four days after a 3-0 victory against Fisher at the Charles Sports Ground.

Glebe still started the week three points clear at the top.

But Deal, who have still played the least number of league fixtures in the division, could hit the front with another win at home to basement boys Welling Town tonight before this Saturday’s game against Sutton Athletic and an Easter Monday trip to Whitstable.

On the prospect of going top at the business end of the campaign, King, whose side reached the Challenge Cup Semi-Final and FA Vase Quarter-Final, said: “That will be a nice boost.

“We haven’t led the table at all, really! I will give the very boring answer that we have our internal points target for the season and we’re getting closer to that.

“We’re favourites now. We cannot hide from that.

“We have to embrace that. But we will keep working towards our points target.

“If we get that, we know that we will win the league because of the results around us.”

A club-record crowd of 1,086 on Non-League Day saw Ashley Miller, Billy Munday, Aaron Millbank and man-of-the-match Alex Green get the Deal goals against Glebe.

Incredibly, it was the club’s first league attendance of more than 1,000 since 1965.

King reflected: “We were delighted.

“It pretty much went perfectly. The win was important from a league perspective and a promotion perspective.

“But equally, when you get more than 1,000 in, it’s important that you put on a performance. It was really pleasing that the 1,000 or so people that were there saw the best version of ourselves, an entertaining game and we got a win.

“All in all, it was an excellent day.”

As well as scoring himself, 20-year-old defender Green was also involved in helping his Hoops’ team-mates score.

King said: “I think Greeny was involved in all four goals in some way.

“There were four different scorers again, which was pleasing. Aaron Millbank scored a great goal and that was his 21st of the season.

“But Greeny has been outstanding since he signed and it’s nice that he’s adding goals to his game now.”

While Deal’s attendance for the game against Glebe caught the eye, King was arguably more pleased with the crowd for last midweek’s match against Fisher when Munday, Wes Hennessey and Rory Smith got their goals.

“Probably the best crowd we had last week was 514 against Fisher on Tuesday night,” he explained. “Saturday was always going to be a good crowd.

“But we were probably expecting 300 or 350 on Tuesday.

“Hopefully, we can get two more big crowds this week.

“Neither of them will bring big numbers with them - no disrespect to Welling and Sutton Athletic - but we can just keep growing the club and keep pushing forward.

“If you go back to the 1999/2000 season when Roy Smith and Tommy Sampson were in charge, the club were not getting the crowds we get.

“It gives us confidence for if we are playing Isthmian League football next season.”

Ironically, weekend visitors Sutton Athletic only hosted the Hoops two weeks ago, Deal defender Jack Penny converting a late penalty to claim a 2-1 victory.

Whitstable also still harbour hopes of promotion through the play-offs ahead of their derby with King’s team at The Belmont.

Despite not tasting defeat in the league since October, Deal’s boss said: “It will be one game at a time from us.

“We have got to go Saturday-to-Tuesday-to-Saturday-to-Monday, so it’s going to be a tough couple of weeks.

“But we’re playing for a massive prize and that’s a good incentive.”