Manager Chris Woollcott is eyeing sorely-needed results in Canterbury City’s next two league matches.

City, who are on a seven-match losing run, host strugglers Welling Town this Saturday before visiting basement boys Tower Hamlets seven days later.

Canterbury end the calendar year with matches against promotion-chasing Chatham and fellow high-fliers Deal, who beat City 6-1 in the SCEFL Challenge Cup last time out, so Woollcott knows how important their next two games are.

“We go into every game with a plan on how to win the game,” said Woollcott, who has overseen several rebuilds at the club since his appointment in December 2019.

“We have got Welling Town and then Tower Hamlets.

“It’s, maybe, a bit early to say they are six-pointers but they are massive games.

“It’s not going to get any easier after that, so we have got to go into these games in the right mindset.

“If we can take points from these games, it takes the pressure off going into the games against the big boys.”

Woollcott has decided to give young players a chance after City were hit with financial problems in September.

They requested withdrawal from the Southern Counties East League before a donor came forward with funds to help them complete the season.

On their 2021/22 campaign so far, he explained: “We started okay.

“In September, we had a good little run.

"Obviously with all the financial issues around the club, there’s been lots of changes since.

“We played Tunbridge Wells in late September and again in October. I think we only had two players still with us by the second game.

“We went from having a healthy budget, maybe a mid-table budget, to having virtually no budget.

“We don’t have a home (City play at Faversham Town’s ground) or any money so it’s hard to attract players.

"We have had a few boys on loan from Chatham, Ramsgate and the Dover Athletic Academy.

“From our point-of-view, we need them to learn pretty quickly. But it’s a good opportunity for them.”

But City do have some older heads, too.

Woollcott said: “Danny Lawrence, he is a really good leader and a massive influence.

“We have kept hold of Adam Turton, as well, who is captain at the moment.

"I think he is only 24 but he has got really good leadership qualities.”

Turton does, however, have a three-match suspension to serve after he was sent off against Deal on October 23.

Full-back Tom Cousins impressed at the start of the season for Canterbury, in 15th, and he should be back for their encounter against fourth-bottom Welling who beat second-placed Glebe 2-1 on Tuesday night.

Woollcott explained: “Tom is one who came in from Ramsgate. He started well.

“We have changed our shape so he was playing a bit more defensively.

"He split his head open. But he was on the bench against Deal and he should be available this weekend.

“Hopefully he can get himself amongst the goals again.”

Woollcott also says a couple of players may be missing for the match at Salters Lane through Covid but he hopes to have a similar squad to that which played in their last match as he looks to build a more settled squad now.