Can you believe it? It’s almost November and the Hawks are yet to lose a league affair all season long. Shower the laud onto Shaun and the side, last Saturday’s victory over East Grinstead Town can be used a metaphor to portray this fresh, glossy, stylish Whitehawk team that turns its attention to a side languishing at the foot – gasping for air – as Faversham Town travel over from Kent.

But the boardroom of Faversham, as exciting as that sounds, made the difficult decision to relive the club of their joint-managers just under two weeks ago, opening the damned door for the frame of Simon Austin, the town’s latest hero. And he shall have to be to rescue a ship swiftly swelling with water, but time we must give him before the real judgement can be made.

Last time out

It’s actually in recent memory, for an absolute change. Back-to-back home games? How bizarre, but for momentum purposes it could prove pivotal ahead of a slippery run of fixtures. Last Saturday there was a particular ebb to the contest, primarily in an opening half that witnessed The Wasps crafting chances of an equal goal threat level to the Hawks.

Yet fears of a Burgess Hill Town repeat were extinguished when Harry Shooman – playing on despite a major familial scare during the week – headed home from a matter of yards out after Joel Daly made space for the initial strike against the woodwork.

And at the closing of this chapter, after a bubbly Mo Juwara had confirmed the three points would be staying with his new club by sweeping in a fine finish from just inside the box, there rose a sense of achievement. Sometimes Saunders’ side have had to ride the storm of luck on a few occasions, but through it all the results tell a very promising story.

The visitors

A single win in nine attempts but a fresh face in the dugout, Austin has been busy since his side’s 4-1 hammering at Burgess Hill last Saturday with five adroit additions in the last 16 hours. Destiny Oladipo, Jack Mayhew, Frankie Sawyer, Elliot Duncan and Ollie Lankshear have all signed on ahead of today’s fixture.

There’s goals in these boots – especially Duncan, who notched little under 20 league goals in 30 appearances for Glebe last season. So, yes: Faversham sit deep in the pit of despair, but are looking a reinforced, revitalised outfit as they make the lengthy trip to the Sussex coast.

The Lilywhites’ lone league win came on August’s Bank Holiday Monday over Ashford United on home turf, but have yet to win in the division in five matches. Nathan Wood is the club’s top scorer in the league with three to his name, whilst defender Danny Rumbol has two.

Previous encounters

Faversham are something of a bogey side to Whitehawk in recent seasons. Since the Hawks dropped into the Isthmian South East Division the sides have met on five occasions, with three draws and two Lilywhite wins the outcome.

Last season the sides met in Faversham at a similar time of the year, but it proved to be one of the worst performances under Ross Standen as his side succumbed to a dismal 1-0 defeat after Joe Denny rifled the hosts in front.

In the return fixture there was a similar banality to proceedings on a windy, chilly March evening that witnessed floodlight failure and another Javaun Splatt goal, only for it to be cancelled out by Harry Harding deep into the second half for the hex to carry on…