Hythe Town manager Tim Dixon is feeling the pressure ahead of Saturday’s crucial FA Cup preliminary round tie away to Lordswood.

Dixon’s side have slumped to 23rd in Ryman League Division 1 South after claiming just four points from his first six games in charge.

And he knows his players will have to dig deep to avoid being dumped out of the cup by Lordswood, who play one division below Hythe in the Southern Counties East League.

Dixon said: "It doesn’t matter who you play in the FA Cup. If you go into it not taking it seriously, you’ll get bitten on the backside. League status doesn’t come into it. It’s a one-off game and they’ve got nothing to lose.

"It’s a big test of character for us. We’re going through a bad spell and we’ve got to come out of it. It starts on Saturday.

"There is pressure because we’re second-bottom. It’s a test of everyone’s character – the players and the management. We don’t want to be where we are and we’ve got to get out of it. It’s still early days but it’s not been an ideal start.

"This was always going to take time but you can only use that excuse for so long. I pick the team and the 11 players I’ve got on the pitch are good enough for this level of football.

"There has been a lot of sloppy play. We’ve not been good enough all over the pitch, in vital areas and we’ve made bad decisions."

Full story in the Folkestone & Hythe Express.