Chatham Town Women turned in another top performance on Sunday to end a relegation season on a high.

Two weeks after a 1-0 loss to Hashtag United, Chats were beaten 3-2 at home by Rugby Borough. Those two opponents finished the Southern Premier Division season behind champions Portsmouth in second and third respectively.

Frustratingly for Chats boss Keith Boanas, they were the kind of performances he needed to see against the teams lower down the table earlier in the campaign.

He said: “It was a similar performance to Hashtag. I asked for the same again and I asked for a couple of goals at least to finish it off and it was great to get both Holly [Turner] and Darcy [Wells] on the scoresheet.

“If there was any frustration from the match it was that we gave away three soft goals, and scored the best two goals of the game. There were individual decision-making errors again but overall the performance was right up there with probably the best of the season.

“We had some good patterns of play, some good movement and more than anything we had fight. They might have all gone on holiday in their heads but they certainly showed in the last few games that they haven’t done that.

“We lost but I guarantee those two performances against the lesser teams that we played earlier, we would have won those games, no disrespect to anyone. We would have won against Oxford, certainly Cheltenham and Cardiff, we would have won with those performances and approaches, so more frustration in that sense.

“The irony is that in the last few games we have more or less had a settled squad, which we didn’t have all season, by hook or by crook with injuries and other things, it’s meant we have had a settled squad to a point, that has made a difference, training has been more concentrated and the two weeks where we went and worked in the gym, everybody has created some kind of bonding, a different atmosphere, it is just frustrating that it has happened too late in that sense.”

It’s now a chance for Boanas to look towards the future and putting the wrongs right.

“It does mean there is hope for the future,” he said.

“Lots of meetings and chats have gone on about where the players going, it is like a three-way split, a third definite (want to stay), a third unknown and a handful definitely looking to go elsewhere.

“I am heavy on the recruitment trail, getting lots of interest, I have had quite a few responses to a social media post, mostly young players, but now the season is done a few more are making enquiries, including those from high-level clubs.”

With little movement between divisions, promotion will still be tough next season, with only one team going up. Boanas knows the work they do now will be vital to ensure they can be right at it from the off next term.

He said: “It is tough (with one up) and it means you have to hit the ground running which has to be our aim now, whether I stay or go, I have agreed to stay but made it clear to the club that if a higher level offer comes in that I can’t turn down then Kev (Hake, the chairman) would be the first to know but in the meantime the structure is already in place, with lots of friendlies set up.”

Charlton are set to send a first-team down to play Chatham and games with Ipswich and Watford are also being planned. For the players, they now have to work on their own fitness.

Boanas said: “We will do some work in the close season with my S&C coach as well, with the girls that are staying, they have asked for that, it means they are taking it seriously, which is what I want.

“The players I do keep have got to work much harder on that side of things, so we can get everyone to those levels their technical ability will come through even more.”

On his own position, Boanas said: “Me and my staff at the moment are all staying in place and we have a desire to want to do better for obvious reasons, the focus will be heavily on making sure we start the right way and then maintaining it, but you need the start. We don’t want to be fighting against adversity from the start of the season.

“I am happy with the friendlies we have in place, I know we will be working hard in pre-season, they won’t be any excuses.

“The only thing we would have to fight against is if there are any clubs in that division that pay a lot more money and can attract more players financially but I am quite confident in saying there won’t be a team in that division that has a better coaching staff, I am not saying we are head and shoulders above but on qualifications and experience, there is no way any team is going to have a better coaching staff.”