Steve Watt feels he’ll have failed his players if Hythe Town don’t make the Isthmian South East play-offs.

The in-form Cannons host Haywards Heath in their final game of the season this Saturday (3pm) hoping to secure a top-five finish.

They were among the pre-season relegation favourites, having narrowly stayed up last year and running with one of the lowest budgets in the league.

Money often talks but boss Watt was determined to prove otherwise after returning to Reachfields and felt he could build a play-off team.

He’s maintained that all season and on Saturday they moved into the top five with a game to go after coming from a goal down to win 2-1 at VCD.

Defender Jason Fregene - a player who nearly left the club - scored both goals as the Cannons secured a fifth straight win.

Beckenham and Cray Valley went back above the Cannons by winning their games in hand on Tuesday night but the play-off battle is going to the wire.

Hythe are seventh, level on points with sixth-placed Sheppey and a point behind Cray Valley, who occupy the final play-off spot.

Watt said: “People laughed when I said this was a play-off team but I didn’t come back to Hythe just to survive.

“If I thought that was the case, I wouldn’t have come back. I’d have stayed out of management.

“I know what it takes to get out of this league.

“It takes athleticism, it takes height, it takes being organised and having a bit of horribleness about you.

“It takes a bit of everything, which we’ve got.

“You just need consistency to go with it, which we’ve had in the second half of the season.

“Yes, the budget’s tight, but I felt I could put together a team capable of making the play-offs, so I’m not surprised we’re in the position we are.

“We’ve gone the long way round to get there but when the season finishes the table doesn’t lie.

“The boys have been fantastic to get themselves into this position with a game to go.

“What will be, will be, but if we don’t make it, as much as we’ve had a good season, personally I will feel as though I’ve failed my players.

“I promised these players I was building a play-off team when I signed them. I brought them here, saying we were going to make the play-offs.

“They’ve gone over and above to get us where we are.

“If we don’t make it, it won’t be down to them - it’ll be down to me.”

Regardless of last night’s results, Hythe just need to worry about beating a Haywards Heath side who are facing a relegation play-off.

There’s been no margin for error since losing to Ashford last month, so it’s nothing new to the Cannons.

“We’ve rattled off five wins and we need to make it six to have a chance,” said Watt.

“We feel like we’ve been playing play-off football for weeks because we’ve had to keep winning.

“One dropped point and we knew we were done, so Saturday will be no different. We haven’t been in that position where we could afford to draw here and there. We’ve had to win every game.”

Centre-back Fregene made it five goals in his last seven games with his match-winning double at VCD.

His haul also includes a winner against Chichester.

He’s been a vital part of the play-off push, having been on the verge of leaving earlier this season.

Watt said: “Jason’s been unbelievable for us.

“It’s funny because I was looking to move him on at one point.

“I didn’t want to let him go but I had to free up funds to sign Marvin Hamilton.

“We kept him registered and we were short for the next game so I asked him to come back and play.

“He was outstanding and he’s been the first name on the teamsheet ever since. All credit to him.

“You make decisions you think are best at the time. We needed Marvin’s experience and he’s been instrumental in what we’ve done but, luckily enough, someone else left and Jason ended up staying.”

If Hythe reach the play-offs, they’ll be away in the semi-finals on Tuesday night.