Deal boss Derek Hares has praised the Southern Counties East League for thinking ahead in the coronavirus crisis.

League bosses had a second Covid-19 wave in mind when planning the 2020/21 campaign.

Midweek matches have been the norm in the opening two months with every club - bar Sheppey - already more than a quarter of the way through their fixtures.

Deal have played 11 of their 40 games heading into the second lockdown while four clubs - Beckenham, Bearsted, Lordswood and Tower Hamlets - have chalked off 13.

Hares said: “The one good thing for our league is we have played quite a lot of games already.

“If we only have to stop for a month we can still get the season done.

“The league have pre-empted what was going to happen and they deserve credit for that.

“They’ve obviously looked at it and thought it would be a good idea to get lots of games played early.

“Fingers crossed, the lockdown only last four weeks but there’s no guarantees. Who knows how long it will go on for?

“We’re disappointed to be stopping but football comes second.”

Deal’s seven-match unbeaten run ended in controversial fashion at second-placed Corinthian on Saturday.

Town, who stay 10th, were looking good for a point after Troy Howard cancelled out Emmanuel Oloyede’s opener at the start of the second half.

But a controversial 89th-minute penalty, awarded against Kane Smith, was converted by Oscar Housego.

Hares said: “It’s disappointing to lose but we put in a very good performance.

“We definitely deserved something from the game, at least a draw, and we probably deserved to win on the second half.

“I didn’t think it was a penalty - Kane slid in and won the ball and the guy’s gone over the top of him afterwards.

“That’s how I saw it, I think that’s how most people saw it, but the referee’s given the penalty.

“He wasn’t going to score from where he was, so he probably didn’t have to make the tackle but he did win the ball.

“After that, we’ve gone straight up the other end, put in a great cross from the right and the keeper has made an absolutely brilliant save from Billy Munday’s header.

“He’s headed it into the ground, it’s bounced up high and is going in the top corner and the keeper’s managed to tip it round the post. It’s as good a save as I’ve seen.

“Take nothing away from Corinthian, they’re a good side, but the performance we put in shows we’re not a million miles away.”

• Non-elite halt confirmed

Read more: The latest sports news in Kent