Manager Steve King expects Stansfeld to give a thorough examination of Deal’s unbeaten home record this Saturday.

It promises to be an interesting spectacle at the Charles Sports Ground, with both teams in the upper echelons of the Southern Counties East Premier Division table.

Deal, 7-0 FA Vase First Round winners last weekend against Division 1 Tooting Bec, have played 10 home fixtures this season, posting eight wins and two draws with 32 goals scored.

But Stansfeld have made a strong start to life at Step 5 despite their 2-0 weekend loss to Whitstable. They bounced back on Tuesday at Tunbridge Wells, winning 2-1, and they sit second.

King said: “They are a very tough side to play against. I watched them in the Vase last season, any side that gets to the last 16 are a good side.

“You saw it with Kennington last year, they were used to winning games. It’s no surprise Stansfeld are challenging in their first season up.

“Kennington finished fifth but they are finding it a bit tougher this season.

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“Stansfeld’s challenge will be trying to string it together over 38 games. But I have seen them a couple of times and it will be a real test of our unbeaten home record.”

King’s Hoops dealt with lower-league opposition in emphatic fashion in the FA Vase in front of a crowd of 466.

“We are very pleased,” reflected King. “It was a professional job.

“We got an early goal and dominated the whole game. It was nice to get seven goals and a clean sheet, and it was in front of a good crowd again.

“We could actually have had more when you think it was 7-0 after 66 minutes! We had a lot of chances and we didn’t take some of them.

“But to start the second half the way we did was good.”

Midfielder Tom Chapman bagged a hat-trick, brother Ben Chapman got two, while strikers Aaron Millbank and Connor Coyne were on target.

On Tom Chapman’s performance, King said: “He was outstanding. They were three very good goals from him. It’s nice to see the goals being shared around.

“We have said it a lot, we want as many goal threats as possible. Billy Munday got a hat-trick the previous week and it was Tom’s turn.

“We are scoring a lot of goals, especially at home, and that’s always good for confidence.”

Both Chapmans have been in fine form this term.

“To be fair, they get on really well,” King said. “There’s not that sort of rivalry between them.

“I actually think they enjoy setting each other up. We are very lucky, they are both good players.

“They are very important to what we do as a football club and they are both great lads.”

Deal will visit fellow Premier Division high-fliers Phoenix Sports in the Second Round of the FA Vase, with Steve O’Boyle’s side recently having beaten the Hoops 3-0 in the league.

King said: “We were looking for a home draw and a non-SCEFL team. We didn’t get either.

“But with ties being 90 minutes and straight to penalties, you look at the ties and can see some surprise results. We lost at Phoenix a couple of weeks ago.

“It’s not the greatest draw we could have had. They are a top Step 5 side and we are away from home.

“But we have a good record in the competition and will be giving everything we can to get a result there.”

Fourth-placed Deal drew 1-1 at Bearsted in the league with Alfie Foster scoring and King said: “We have got a big couple of weeks coming up. The league is settling down now.

“You can see sides, even after some dodgy starts, they are around it.

“We’ve scored 12 goals in the cup but we need to translate that to league form.”

Midfielder Jack Hanson is out with a recurrence of a groin injury.

Deal visit Division 1 leaders Lydd in the Challenge Cup next Wednesday.