Deal Town return to SCEFL action this weekend after their heroic run to the Quarter Finals of the Isuzu FA Vase last weekend and boss Steve King is now fully focused on one thing and that is to take Deal into the Isthmian League. 

The Hoops still have fourteen games left and they start this weekend with a trip to lowly Sutton before a run of five home games out of six at the Charles Ground after bowing out of the Vase on penalties to Lincoln United in the competitions last eight. 

Speaking to KSN this week, King told us of his pride for his side as they prepare to return to League action. “Proud of them all and I think to get to the stage that we did and take 350 fans to the other end of the country was really pleasing, but just frustrating at the way things ended!” 

“The boys remain highly motivated regardless of what happened at Lincoln, we are all just a bit deflated at the way it happened. If you are beaten fair and square, you do not mind, but to only have ninety minutes in a Quarter Final with no extra time and no replay, after being comfortably the better side in the first half, and we have just come away a bit gutted and a bit empty really.

“I am one that hates losing, hates going out (of competitions) anyone who knows me, knows that I am a bit of a whinger and a moaner after a game, and I will have a go at my players looking to where things can be done better. But I really am struggling to find areas after Saturday and just feel a little bit flat!”  

“We’re trying to take the positives out of the situation and at least we now know our fixtures for the rest of the season, weather permitting of course, we know that we have a little mini season of 14 games ahead of us now and our aim is to get promoted and if we do, it’s a wonderfully successful season!

“We can refocus and we have got to try and get the necessary points to secure promotion at the end of the season,” the Deal boss went on, adding, “Being out of the Vase now could become a blessing if we go on and get promoted, possibly!

“If we get promoted by ten points then No, but if it is as we expect it to, the race goes to the wire, Glebe, Corinthian, Faversham, none of them are going away, we are honestly expecting to need all fourteen games to get the points and with everything now arranged, it could be a blessing in disguise, but I promise you, it doesn’t hide the disappointment!” 

“Our main aim at the Football Club is to progress and to do that we have to get promoted, we feel that we are in a good position to try and achieve that and now we have clarity in our minds.

“As much I would have loved to have been in the Vase Semi Finals whilst talking to you now, if we had got through, I would still be saying that our main focus is the League, but with a big Semi Final coming up it would have been hard to say that it would not become a distraction!” 

“We’ve got a high level of motivation and fire in our belly to do the job, four of our next five games are at home, and we’re going to try to keep churning out the points after only losing two games of football since October, and if we end up getting promoted, it’ll end up being a massively successful season and we’ll all be absolutely delighted!” 

“As a Club we think that we are ready to test ourselves at a higher level, on the pitch we think we have a squad capable of doing just that, off the pitch with our crowds, our support, our ground, we think we have the infrastructure to do that and as much as trophies are nice, progressing the Club and trying to push it to Step Four football that is our main aim.

“Someone told me the other day that Deal have not played at that level since 1964.”