Former Albion player Stuart Myall is on the verge of collecting his first winner's medal in senior football.

The Hastings Town midfielder, who made nearly 100 appearances for Brighton after coming through the ranks, is poised to win the eastern division title with the east Sussex club.

Eastbourne-based Myall, 27, took a step closer after Town beat Chatham to maintain their seven-point lead with three games remaining.

Hastings are unbeaten in 14 games, winning 13 of them, and on course to hit 100 points.

Victory at Dartford tomorrow will secure the crown for George Wakeling's team and Myall is looking forward to getting his hands on some silverware.

He said: "It's looking pretty good. For the last three or four weeks, we have known that if we keep winning it will happen eventually.

"I've got a few medals from schoolboy football, but I don't really count those. I have never been involved in a promotion battle before and I haven't won a cup final either.

"We have coasted through it to be honest. We keep winning and winning and haven't really had any hiccups. To sustain that for the whole season takes a big effort from everyone and we have only done it with 17 or 18 players.

"We have had a great team spirit and been lucky that quite a few of our players can play in different positions."

Myall, a member of the last Hastings team to have played in the premier division, believes they would survive if they went up.

He said : "I would say all of us can play in the league above. I wouldn't think we would be pushing for promotion or anything, but if we can get there and hold our own that would be great.

"I think George wants to bring in two or three players to make the squad stronger but all of us think we can do a job for him."

Myall and team-mate Duncan McArthur, another former Seagull, were at their best against the Kent side.

They were at the heart of most of Hastings' attacks, testing Chatham goalkeeper Kevin Fewel with long-range shots.

Indeed Myall, who stood in as captain after Tony Burt went off with a cut to his head that required six stitches, set-up the first goal for Chris Honey in the 35th minute.

The defender jinked inside the area from the left and hit a goalbound shot that Honey dived to head over the line.

The injury to Burt saw French striker Landry Zahana-Oni come on in midfield and Paul Ruddy drop in to the Town back three, but the switch failed to disturb their rhythm.

McArthur was irrepressible, even trying a lob from near the centre circle, but the talented midfielder picked up his 12th booking of the season in the 75th minute to mar his performance.

Striker Steve Restarick, on loan from Crawley, ensured another win for Hastings five minutes from time when he met a Honey cross from the left with a firm downward header at the near post.

Hastings' promotion celebrations were delayed with second-placed Grantham and Dorchester winning.

But one further point from their remaining three matches will ensure they go up. Three will clinch them the league crown.

Wakeling, who took over from Dean White in November 2000, thanked the Albion reserve team boss for laying the foundations of the team's success this season.

He said: "I inherited a good squad of players from Dean and I am grateful for that but I've done some tampering, as I'm sure he would have done, and improved the side.

"We finished sixth last season and I knew we could better that. If we go up, I think we are good enough to stay up.

"The younger players are improving. The discipline has got to get better and I feel there are areas in our side that won't take a lot of improving even with the players we have got."