Sergio Torres is ready for a survival fight after returning from injury.

Torres and team-mates are preparing for what looks a hugely significant trip to bottom side Margate in the National League south.

They are aiming to halt a run of 14 league games without a win after the encouragement of a 0-0 draw at Wealdstone and a late 2-1 defeat at leaders Maidenhead.

Margate are in even worse shape having lost their last 16 in the league but have made a managerial change in the last 48 hours with Steven Watt arriving from Hastings to replace Nicky Bull.

Torres has described the match as “massive” and is delighted to be part of it after a gashed leg ruled him out for longer than expected.

He made his comeback at Maidenhead after missing eight games following the injury at Chelmsford on January 7.

The former Crawley Town favourite said: “This is a massive game. It’s still in our hands with 13 matches left and I really hope we do it.

“The club deserve to stay up, the owners deserve to stay up after the way they have invested in the club. And the fans deserve to stay up because they have been brilliant.

“It has been such a frustrating time for us – and for me personally.

“I was out for longer than I ever expected. I thought it would be three or four weeks but the problem was the gash was 2cm deep.

“I had six stitches but I then got an infection so it was a slow process. The leg was all red three days after the stitches went in.

“I was having to go in three or four times a week to see a nurse and constantly cleaning it. It was a long time and I was surprised when the manager put me in because I had only trained twice.

“But I’m really happy to be playing. He told me to tell him when I was tired but, because of the state of the game, I played the full 90 minutes.”

Hawks, like Eastbourne Borough three days later, went close to securing a great result at Maidenhead.

Torres said: “It was so frustrating to lose with three minutes to go. We shouldn’t concede from a free-kick like that when we are fighting for our lives.

“That’s the luck at the moment, But the clean sheet in the game before was encouraging.

“Now we are in a fight. It is completely different to previous seasons when we were in the play-offs.

“It has been a difficult season, having five different managers. Every one of them brings in their players.

“I don’t know how many players we have used but it has been a lot and it has been difficult to deal with.”

Torres is impressed with the efforts of latest manager Andy Woodman so far and would love to translate them into points.

He said: “Andy has got a lot of experience in the top division, working with Alan Pardew, and Jimmy Dack is a good coach.

“Training has been really good. The tempo has been brilliant.”

Woodman pulled out of two planned signings ahead of the Maidenhead game but remains pleased with his side’s efforts.

He said: “There are two players I was going to sign but they weren’t quite up to speed. They were both a good age and had good experience but they hadn’t been playing and I need people who can go in straight away.”

Woodman played down the Margate trip.

He said: “It won’t be decided on Saturday, it will be over 13 games.

“The players have targets which we have put in front of them from day one and it doesn’t matter in which games they hit them but, yes, we need wins.”