Deal Town’s management duo of Derek Hares and Steve King will be looking at ways of shoring up the team’s suddenly “leaky” defence when they travel to Bearsted on Saturday.

After conceding just 18 goals in their opening 15 league games of the season Deal have let in 12 in the last three against Beckenham (1-6), Rusthall (4-2) and Canterbury City (1-4).

Hares said: “Up until the last couple of weeks defensively we have been quite good but we have got a young side and sometimes things like that can happen, but we have got to learn from it.”

The Hoops achieved a league “double” over Bearsted last season, winning 3-1 at the Charles Ground and by the same score in the away fixture.

“The Bears” are one of the oldest clubs in Kent, having been formed in 1895, and for 103 years they played at Bearsted Green before moving to their present ground in Otham in 1998.

They are currently two points above Deal and so another victory for the Hoops at White Horse Lane would see them “leapfrog” the Bears into seventh place in the table heading into the New Year – 10 places above where they were at the same stage last season.