Chichester City boss on winning without playing well – and why Bognor Regis Town are now more of a threat

The latest example of City taking reward while being below-par came on Saturday when they beat Hendon 1-0 at Oaklands Park thanks to an injury-time penalty converted by Jimmy Wild. Until the late breakthrough, neither side looked like scoring.

Rutherford said City’s main aim was to pile up enough points to stay in the competitive Isthmian premier division after promotion last season – and if some of them came while displays were off-colour, he could accept it.

The win made it seven pre-Christmas points out of nine for Rutherford’s men, coming after a 3-2 win at Lewes and a 1-1 draw at home to Whitehawk.

"We were very good at Lewes – less so against Whitehawk, then against Hendon, we weren’t very good but got the result. We’re not playing that well at the moment so getting results when that’s the case is encouraging.

"It wasn’t a good game against Hendon. I don’t think there were any real chances for either side. We kept plugging away, got a penalty at the end and Jimmy took it well.

"We need to keep on getting points in the bag. It’s such a tough league with everyone beating everyone else. This win took us up to tenth, yet a defeat can take you down six places. Any team who wins, say, three in a row will be in or around the play-off places."

Bringing forward the Whitehawk game means City’s players have no game on Boxing Day, but they return to action at fifth-placed Carshalton on Saturday and go to Bognor, with their new managers Jamie Howell and Michael Birmingham, on New Year’s Day.

Rutherford, an ex-Bognor player, thinks the Rocks will now be a tougher proposition. “I think it was a no-brainer (to appoint Howell and Birmingham),” he said. "As long as they gel together I think it will be perfect for them.

“The players will always try harder for someone new coming in or they will lose their place. They have to play well if they want to stay there.”