Manager Ray Turner wants Town to start ‘picking off’ the sides above them to rekindle their play-off challenge.

Town have been closer to the relegation zone than the top-five for much of the past two months and won just four of 17 games in all competitions in October, November and December, losing 10 times.

However, derby draws with Sittingbourne and Hythe have been followed by three league wins this month and victory against Horsham on Saturday (3pm) would see Town into the top-half.

While the gap to the play-offs is still 15 points, Town have three games in hand and Turner said: “If we can win against a good Horsham side, then we would go above
them.

“Hopefully, we can start picking teams above us off now. It’s a highly competitive, unpredictable league and we are not completely out of it.

“We tend to be stronger in the second half of the season and know what it’s like to be up there challenging. The teams that are up there now are slogging away but nobody has really pulled away.”

With Saturday’s game at Whyteleafe falling foul of the weather, for the second straight game, Faversham snatched the points with a stoppage-time winner at lowly Chatham on Monday. The goal came from Liam King who is back from Hythe.

Turner said: “We can play with an element of freedom now, some of our key players are coming back to form. We have good news in that Liam is back and also that Dan Carrington has not fractured his foot.

“We are not taking wins for granted and hopefully we will stay hungry and committed and then who knows?”

He added: “Monday was always going to be difficult. They were coming off the back of a 6-1 loss and the pitch was dreadful. We left it late again but that’s not a bad habit to get into as long as you’re winning.

“Liam’s a young player and he got a bit frustrated at his lack of football here a bit too soon. I believe Faversham is a good place for his development. He hadn’t settled down there and he wanted to come back.

“The players have welcomed him back and scoring the winner was not a bad way for him to return was it?”

Bola Dawodu has joined Whitstable on dual registration although Turner hopes to bring in Folkestone striker Carl Rook with Jordan Casey set to be sidelined for both Horsham and the trip to Molesey on Tuesday (7.45pm).