Steven King has challenged his Whitehawk strikers to bag 20 goals each this season.

And he believes if they do then the Hawks can realise their goal of reaching the Vanarama Conference south play-offs.

Danny Mills bagged his tenth of the campaign – including eight in the league – when he netted the second in a 2-0 win against Bognor in the Sussex Senior Cup in midweek.

Jake Robinson is currently on 11 for the campaign which includes seven in the league, two in the FA Cup and two in the FA Trophy.

Hawks boss King is happy with a return of 21 goals from his two main strikers this side of Christmas but he insists they cannot rest on their laurels.

Sam Gargan’s midweek strike is a reminder that he has other options and King is also still trying to bring another forward to the club after the departure of Matthew Barnes-Homer who has left following a loan spell at Macclesfield.

He said: “To have them in the 20s between them, for me that is a good return. But I think they can get 20-plus each for the season. That is their aim.

“It is important you have two or three strikers who are scoring lots of goals. Danny is good in the air and flicks things on for Jake. To be scoring the goals they have already is vital.

“I have got to be pleased. Jake is on better than one goal every two games and Danny is on one in two in the league.”

King’s worries are more at the other end of the pitch as seventh-placed Whitehawk prepare to host third-placed Gosport Borough tomorrow.

Both of his left-backs – Lee Hills and Pa Kajabi – will be ruled out for the rest of December, Paul Lorraine is out for the season and fellow centre-back Frantz Tchonang is still sidelined by a back problem.

Hills will be out for up to five weeks with a thigh injury which forced him off in the FA Trophy defeat at Basingstoke last Saturday while Kuajbi will be missing for up to three weeks after suffering a similar quad muscle injury in the warm-up prior to that game.

Frechman midfielder Sylvestre Guyonnet is expected to continue to deputise tomorrow although King is searching for a replacement and was due to cast an eye over a potential signing in training last night.

The Hawks boss believes tomorrow’s fixture is one which will capture the imagination of fans.

He said: “They haven’t lost in 12. The last team to beat them was us.

“I watched them at Ebbsfleet on Tuesday last week and I watched them against Boreham Wood the previous Saturday. They are a good side, they work their socks off and they have two good forwards who are willing and score goals.

“There are only three points between us. We are happy with where we are at the moment.

“I said I wanted to be in and around the play-offs at Christmas time and go from there. We are.

“We are three points off third and we have only lost one in seven so it is going well.”