Deal and Rochester produced a Bank Holiday “goal fest” at the Charles Ground on Monday as the Hoops moved back into the top half of the table.

After watching Deal bang in six goals for the second time this season assistant manager Steve King said: “That was a pleasing performance considering we were carrying a few injuries and the boys’ legs were still a bit heavy after a really difficult game at Whitstable (on Saturday).

“We’ve got a lot of pace in the side and we tried to get the ball into wide areas today. We did that well and, to be honest, if we had been more clinical in front of goal it would have been ‘game over’ by half-time.”

As it was Deal went in with only a 2-1 advantage at the break after being two up inside the opening 22 minutes and missing a number of other good chances, including a penalty.

They went in front with just four minutes gone, Ben Chapman heading home Sam Wilson’s far-post cross and Jack Paxman doubled the lead 18 minutes later with another header, this time from an Andy Miller free-kick.

The Rochester backline had problems all game dealing with the pace down the flanks of Paxman, Chapman and Joe Reeves, but the Medway side also offered the occasional threat themselves going forward and Jordan Adelekan twice went close before Jai McKinlay pulled a goal with a snap 20-yard volley on 39 minutes.

And keeper Tony Coxall then kept Rochester in the game three minutes later when he dived low to his left to save Miller’s spot kick after Chapman had been brought down by Andy Pierce just inside the area.

However, that reprieve proved short-lived as two minutes into the second half Reeves smashed home a fierce cross-shot into the far corner , and two more Deal goals followed in the space of three minutes midway through the half from man-of-the-match Paxman and Miller.

Credit to Rochester, however, who kept battling away and Dan Nash rifled home a free-kick to make it 5-2 before Alfie Foster replied with a 20-yard “rocket “ at the other end.

McKinlay then completed the scoring with his second goal three minutes from time, with Steve King adding afterwards: “It was a bit disappointing to concede that sloppy goal near the end but you can’t really complain when you score six goals, and I would also like to mention our groundsman, Trevor Oku, who did a great job to make sure the game went ahead despite all the rain we had over the weekend.”

Deal: Tonkin, Paxman, D Smith, Scott (Hill 46), K Smith, Foster, Reeves (Coyne 70), Butcher, Wilson, Chapman, Miller (Walsh 67).