Deal Town have a chance to make history in the FA Cup after another win in the competition last weekend - but big challenges await elsewhere first.

The Hoops have never been past the third qualifying round in the FA Cup before but last weekend’s 2-1 win over Egham Town took them to that stage for the first time since 1997. They’ll head to Chatham Town in the next round.

Manager Steve King didn’t have much time to take it all in as his men were back in action on Tuesday night with a 2-1 Isthmian South East loss at Ashford United. The two sides meet again in the FA Trophy second qualifying round this Saturday at the Charles Ground.

A midweek league game at Hassocks next Tuesday then comes before they get a chance to lock horns with higher-league Chats on September 27.

It’s exhausting work for the Deal boss - who has a day job, too, - but he’s not complaining.

He said: “It makes me laugh when top-level managers whinge about fixture congestion.

“They play a lot of games but don’t have to worry about getting people out of work at 3pm to make it to Hassocks!

“You normally have fixture congestion because you’re winning games and being successful, so it’s nothing I will ever complain about.

“It does bring its challenges, and luckily I have done this for a long time. It doesn’t get any easier, but you do draw on your past experiences to try and make the right call when it comes to rotating your squad and looking after your players.

“There probably isn’t one game that is more important than any other at the moment.

“The league games are really important, and two away midweek games are tough. The FA Trophy gives you the possible financial rewards and we’re at home on Saturday, and then obviously the third qualifying round of the FA Cup is huge.

“We haven’t got a massive injury list at the moment with just a few out. We have the bodies to be able to cope with the schedule, it’s just from the management point of view of trying to get the right people on the pitch for the right games to make sure we stay fresh and can counter the strengths of the opposition.”

Rory Smith levelled matters against Ashford in midweek, sandwiched between goals from the hosts’ Jefferson Aibangbee and Gary Lockyer, and now the two teams must go again.

“It’s weird to be playing the same team twice in four days,” said King.

“They started the season with some tough fixtures like ourselves and lost to Chatham in the FA Cup on Saturday.

“We played them three times last year and they were better than us, they beat us three times.

“It’s set up another interesting game now on Saturday where they come back to our place. We know a lot about each other.

“We then go to Hassocks next Tuesday and the biggest thing for us is actually getting there, trying to get everyone there at a reasonable time, hoping there are no traffic hold-ups with boys getting out of work.

“That is the biggest challenge before we even worry about the game.

“We need to be looking to pick up three points there in the league and it won’t be until the Wednesday morning that we can start to get our eyes on Chatham.”

Isthmian South East table;