Kent Messenger Maidstone

McKimm keeps focus

Tonbridge

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Steve McKimm has banned talk of Tonbridge’s upcoming run of games against promotion rivals as they have a dangerous hurdle to overcome first in the form of a trip to Leatherhea­d tomorrow (Saturday).

Angels are in fourth place in the Ryman League, Premier Division, and boss McKimm insists the run of games which begins against secondplac­ed Havant on Tuesday (7.45pm) and then takes in Needham Market (third) and Leiston (fifth) will not define their season.

He said: “The next 10 days is important, of course, but it will not define our season.

“It will give us some idea of how the league might pan out, but we have got another eight games once those are out of the way and there will be plenty of twists and turns before the end of the season.”

Leatherhea­d grabbed a point at Longmead last month, allowing a 3-1 lead to slip as Angels went 4-3 up before snatching an equaliser to make it 4-4.

McKimm said: “We had them watched on Wednesday (a 2-0 win over AFC Sudbury) and they are very good going forward – we know, as they managed to score four at our place.

“They are a massive threat and every player will have to be on their game for us otherwise we could come unstuck.

“We have got some big games to come and everyone’s talking about the three games that follow it, but we have got to concentrat­e on Leatherhea­d first and then we can start to think about the next game on Sunday morning.”

Mitchell Nelson starts a two-match ban after his booking in the 3-0 win at Kingstonia­n last weekend but McKimm is hoping Alex Akrofi and James Folkes shake off knocks picked up at Kingsmeado­w.

After a goalless first half Luke Allen scored within seconds of the interval, Jack Parter made it two on the hour and Nathan Elder added a stoppage-time third.

McKimm said: “We were bitty in the first half and wanted a bit more control in the second half. The early goal settled us right down.”

It was a fourth-straight win and McKimm admitted: “We want to try to keep the momentum going. We have won eight, drawn one and lost two in the last 11 games and that’s not too bad.

“We’re not really looking at how teams above and below us are doing, ever since we were eighth we’ve just tried to catch the team one place ahead of us.

“If you start looking over your shoulder at who’s done what or got whatever games in hand, that’s when you start to come unstuck.

“We’ll keep taking it one at a time, our job now is to hunt down third, and then we’ll see where we end up.”

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