Manager Ryan Smith was in tears as Lydd Town celebrated a great escape - although their ultimate fate remains in the balance.

The Lydders finished three points clear of the Southern Counties East Premier Division relegation zone after beating Corinthian 2-1 at the Lindsey Field on Saturday.

They looked dead and buried in February, bottom of the table with just three wins in 24 games and seemingly cut adrift.

But an astonishing turnaround saw them win eight of their final 14 games to climb out of the bottom two.

They could still be relegated, however, pending a possible four-point deduction for unknowingly fielding Charlie Dickens while suspended after he was hit with a misconduct charge playing Sunday League football for Egerton.

Lydd’s Kent FA appeal has been brought forward to May 6, after which the SCEFL can rule on any punishment.

The fight goes on but Saturday was an occasion to savour as goals from Luke Burdon and Will Dempsey earned victory over Corinthian and, for now at least, Premier Division safety.

The winner was set up by long-throw specialist Curtis Hooper, who was plucked from Kent County League Division 2.

“Lydd Town have gone from having absolutely hope of saying up to getting out of the relegation zone,” said Smith.

“It was like Tyson Fury against Deontay Wilder - we were out cold and somehow we got up.

“It’s an unbelievable turnaround, I can’t deflect from that.

“It’s an absolute miracle, 100%, and I’m immensely proud of everyone. Tears came down my face on Saturday.

“The people that were close to me delivered when we needed it most.

“I take responsibility for the previous managerial appointments and previous signings but we got it right in the end.

“None of those fans and none of those players have done anything wrong to have this points deduction hanging over them. We didn’t do anything wrong.

“The players deserve so much credit for what they’ve achieved.”

Smith cites a 5-0 win at Glebe in mid-February as the turning point in Lydd’s season.

They drew 0-0 with eventual champions Faversham in their next match, leading to the return of key man Ronnie Dolan, and went on a terrific run despite not training at all.

“The Glebe away game changed a lot of things,” said Smith

“I gave a speech before the game and the players reacted to it.

“We won that game then Ronnie came to watch us against Faversham and he could see the energy, the smiling, the work rate and the commitment.

“He came back and that had a massive impact, along with simplifying things and going to 4-4-2.

“We went a bit younger and the players weren’t worried about money or anything else, they did it for myself and the group.

“It’s mental, what we’ve achieved.

“We were 4-4-2 every week, proper football, simple, forget tactics, it was all about graft and that brotherhood bond.

“We haven’t trained once. I’ve learned in this league that people turn up for money but when people turn up for their friends or a group of people, you get better results.

“People wanted to be there, they enjoyed being there, and that’s the difference.

“You need a bit of money but the volumes are too high.

“What you need is that blend of young players with the experience and for everyone to buy into it.”