1 day Ago By [email protected] (Thomas Reeves)
Tom Chapman hit the 20-goal mark for the season at the weekend - and Deal’s winger believes it’s the first time he’s reached the milestone in his career. Chapman helped the Hoops earn a third Isthmian South East win in seven days, bagging a brace to add to defender Jack Paxman’s early goal in the 3-0 home victory over Three Bridges. The top scorer had also been on target in last midweek’s impressive 4-2 triumph at play-off chasing Merstham.
“We were chatting the other day and he thinks it might be the first time he’s got 20 goals in a season in senior football,” said boss Steve King, who works alongside Chapman at Dover Grammar School for Boys. “At Ramsgate in his earlier years, he chipped in quite a bit with 10 or 15 goals. I’m very lucky I’m close with him personally and he works with me now.
“He has been absolutely fantastic. "He always has Step 4 teams chasing him and I think this season he almost wanted to prove to himself he could still do it at Step 4.” King revealed the squad spent time fine-tuning things after last month’s 2-1 home loss to AFC Croydon Athletic and have seen that work pay off.
“It was a really good win on Saturday,” he said. “Obviously, we have hit a little bit of form. We worked on a few things after the Croydon defeat.
"To get two really good away wins, and then to back it up against the league’s most form team when they play at their home, that was really good.” Paxman's goal against Three Bridges was his first this campaign. King said: “He normally chips in with a few.
"It was a great strike from 25 yards out, arrowed in. It was probably the best goal we’ve scored this season! “On the back of a good win against Merstham last midweek, it’s strange. After conceding early a lot when we were struggling a little bit, we scored early on Saturday.
” Club captain Kane Smith has also featured off the substitutes’ bench in the Hoops’ last two matches after a dual-registration stint at Canterbury City. “We’re sort of easing Kane back in,” King explained. “He has been getting minutes at Canterbury.
“No disrespect to Canterbury, but that’s not the same as Step 4 games. We’re thankful to DL (departing City boss Danny Lawrence) and Canterbury for helping us out.” While it might have been easy for mid-table Deal to allow the season to peter out, they seem to be doing anything but that.
King said: “There’s nothing worse than finishing the season poorly. "It leads to loads of questions about how many changes you might need to make in the summer and that sort of thing. “Other clubs might not have a lot to play for - but we don’t think like that.
“In the last week, we have played against, arguably, two of the most in-form sides in the league, and we have beaten them. “It might be slightly different for other clubs but, for us, we want to keep the majority of our side. I’m sure the majority will want to stay.
"We’re looking for another five wins.” Next up is this Saturday’s journey to relegation-bound Steyning Town Community, who were thumped 6-0 at Erith last weekend and will see their boss Gerry Murphy depart at the end of this campaign. But King, whose team edged to a midweek 2-0 victory against them in March, said: “They played well when they came down to us.
“I know we won, but we were a bit scrappy. It’s going to be a strange game. “They’re pretty much relegated - whether they are mathematically or not, I’m not sure because I haven’t really looked at the table - and their manager has announced he will leave at the end of this season.
“I know they had a bad result at the weekend but, on their own pitch, I’m sure they will want to perform in front of their own fans.” King has the majority of his squad available for the run-in, apart from young forward Jamie Kennedy. He came off in the first half against Three Bridges with a knee injury.
“With the amount of time we’ve got left, I doubt we will see him again this season but, apart from that, we’re looking okay,” he said..
