Chatham have had a turbulent week but manager Kevin Watson believes his side are in the right frame of mind for the start of the season this weekend.

Watson was on holiday last weekend when his side were thrashed 7-0 by Faversham. He returned to pick up the pieces and then saw three players collect injuries during Tuesday’s 4-2 win over Lordswood.

Chatham start their Ryman League Division 1 North campaign at Ware on Saturday. Watson acknowledged the severity of the Faversham debacle but looked to salvage some plus points.

He said: “I was away on holiday but it wasn’t much of a holiday when I heard the score. It was a concern because 7-0 is a scoreline where you know some players have chucked the towel in. That’s a definite no-no in terms of the way we approach things.

“It was a bit of a reality check for some players because that’s the standard we’ll be up against most weeks. As long as there’s a reaction, as long as people learn from it, those sort of games can be beneficial.

“There was certainly a positive reaction on Tuesday and we take some encouragement from that result.”

Chatham are likely to be without Alim Seesay (hamstring), Spencer Sachies (knee) and Kalvin Morath-Gibbs (ankle) for the trip to Hertfordshire. Liam Hickey and Brad Potter played on Tuesday but both players are some way off full fitness.