Hythe boss Sam Denly has made what he described as his toughest decision in management.

Denly decided to release Nathan Daly after bringing in Ollie Rowe to bolster his defence.

Rowe was excellent on his debut as the Cannons kept a clean sheet but Denly admitted Daly was unlucky to go.

He said: “It was a really hard call to make, probably the hardest I’ve had to make in management.

“Nathan’s a good player and a good lad but Ollie came in and it meant we had to let someone go. It’s a shame but it’s about balancing the books.

“We’ve got a budget to work towards. It was a harsh call to make but it was something we needed to do.

“I am still speaking to players but we’re at the stage now where the budget’s taken up so if players come in, some have got to go.

“We’ll see but it’s got to be the right player. I wouldn’t rule out bringing anyone in but it’s got to be the right fit for us.”

Hythe are four points outside the Bostik South East play-offs with 16 games remaining.

They host Sevenoaks on Saturday with games against VCD, Three Bridges and Phoenix – all just below them – to come in the next month.

Denly said: “We’ll be saying it’s a must-win because we need to go on a run.

“We’re only four points outside and there’s 40-odd points to play for so if we don’t, it’s not going to be panic stations but we want that run to start on Saturday.

“Sevenoaks are a good side and we lost 2-0 down there. I watched them against Herne Bay and we know what to expect. They’re a dangerous side and we need to make sure we’re at it.

“If we want to get back in the play-offs, we need to put a run of wins together. After Sevenoaks we’re playing a lot of teams in and around us so they’re massive games.

“You want to put some distance (between you and them) so that’s what we’ll be trying to do. There were quite a few draws on Saturday but teams aren’t dropping many points at the moment.”

Zach Fagan came off with a hamstring injury towards the end of Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Haywards Heath and is likely to miss the Sevenoaks game.