‘We’ll need to improve very quickly’ – Littlehampton boss warns players as relegation worries linger

Hand, reflecting on a 2-1 home loss to second-placed Ramsgate on Friday and a 2-0 defeat at Chichester on Monday, says the Marigolds look like they have the weight of the world on their shoulders.

Jordan Layton scored a late penalty against the Rams but there was no time for them to fight for a point.

They are seven points above the drop zone but need a couple of wins to make sure there is no disastrous end to their second Isthmian campaign.

Their run-in starts with home games against Herne Bay (7th) and Sittingbourne (3rd) on Saturday and Tuesday.

Hans told us: “Easter brought two disappointing results.

"Losing a derby always hurts but if we’re being honest we just didn’t quite do enough to get anything from either game.

"We’re playing like a team that’s got the weight of the world on our shoulders and we’ve got to snap out of that quickly. I don’t feel like we’re taking enough risks to score a goal.

"Chi are absolutely flying and I think they will go up, so it wasn’t a disgrace losing to them, but I expect a lot more from us.

"Saturday’s become our biggest game of the season. I think we need six points to be guaranteed safety and we’ll need to improve very quickly to get them.”