Lovett turns Burgess Hill Town’s sights to top three finish after poor day at Croydon

Hill lost 3-0 at AFC Croydon Athletic on Saturday – three days after a 4-1 win at East Grinstead confirmed they will be in the play-offs.

Lovett admitted his side didn’t show up at Croydon but wants them to focus on getting the points they need to finish third and clinch Leylands Park as their play-off semi venue.

“Croydon were the better side; they’ve been great recently with the changes they’ve had and we just didn’t show up,” Lovett said.

"The first goal took us by surprise and we just didn’t get going after that. It was a bad day at the office but we can only look ahead now.

"It was one of those games where we could have been there all day and still not scored – unfortunately sometimes that happens.”

“We’re still focused on the regular season because nothing is done yet, we’re in the play-offs but we’d like a home tie of course.

"We’re focusing on the next four games and we aren’t looking at the play-offs yet because we obviously want to finish the season strong.

“We’d like at least two wins from the next four games to secure third place because Margate are on a good bit of form at the moment and they’re only six points behind.

"We’ve all got some hard games coming up. A home draw in the play-offs would be lovely and if we did get a home draw it would be a great advantage as you’ve got the home crowd there, you’re not travelling on the day and the crowd will create a great atmosphere for us – and I’m sure Margate will bring a few too if we play them.”

Hill host Deal on Saturday having won 5-3 away to them in January. Lovett said: “It was like a basketball match. It was entertaining for the neutral but not so great for the heart rate of the managers!

"Deal are a top side, one of the highest scorers in the league along with the top two. It’s a great achievement for a team that just came up this year. On the flip side they have conceded quite a few too.”