Chatham manager Kevin Hake had to remind his players of the standards expected to represent the club - and got a response in midweek.

A frantic finish to their Isthmian Premier Division match at Horsham on Tuesday night led to a 2-2 draw and a well-earned point gained, leaving Hake much happier, having been frustarted at seeing his side lose 2-1 at home to Hastings last Saturday.

The midweek levels are the kind he expects to see this Saturday when leaders Horchurch visit the Bauvill Stadium in a top versus second clash which is sure to attract a bumper crowd.

Hake said: “To come away with the draw at Horsham is usually a decent result but the substandard performance against Hastings made me think otherwise.

“I want the standards to remain high regardless of who we are playing and last Saturday it wasn’t the case.

“The boys were told that in no uncertain terms before the Horsham game and fair play to them they reacted with a great performance.

“This forthcoming Saturday against league leaders Hornchurch I expect no different, irrespective of the result.

“To be a Chatham play you must be prepared to work hard and do your best to entertain. These are the minimum requirements to be a player at the club and are the foundations to which Chatham Town is built it.

“We won’t win every game but we will give it our all on and off the pitch to do so.”

Hake’s men will be keen to claw some points back from leaders Hornchurch who are eight points above Chats with three games in hand in the race for the Isthmian Premier title.

Reece Butler had put Chats ahead at Horsham but the hosts levelled midway through the second half with a James Hammond goal coming from a free-kick.

Hake’s men hoped they had snatched the points when Simon Cooper struck in the last minute but Horsham hit back immediately, winning a penalty as Alex Brefo was red-carded and dispatching the spot-kick to earn a share of the spoils.

It was a well-earned midweek point but that game followed Saturday’s 2-1 loss at home to Hastings. Two goals in the final eight minutes of the first half rocked the Chats.

Ben Allen got a goal back for the hosts with 57 minutes played but Hastings held out for the win.

“I felt the draw at Horsham was a fair result in the end,” Hake said.

“Obviously, when you take the lead in the 93rd minute you expect to see the game out.

“That wasn’t to be and we went down to 10 men again as a result of an unfortunate hand ball decision that went against us.”

Fans attending on Saturday are being encouraged to support local charity One Big Family - a voluntary group supporting the homeless and people in need.

Those attending are asked if they can donate tins of food, good clean clothing, hats, scarfs, sleeping bags, underwear, toiletries and anything else which can help the most vulnerable.