Hornchurch have the chance to seal the Isthmian League Premier Division title in front of their own fans this weekend.

Urchins sit 10 points clear at the top of the table and welcome nearest rivals Chatham to Bridge Avenue on Saturday, having missed out on the chance to be crowned champions over the Easter weekend.

They went down 2-1 to Wingate & Finchley on Saturday, then saw their Bank Holiday Monday game at Canvey Island postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.

And boss Daryl McMahon gave an honest assessment of his side’s performance against play-off hopefuls Wingate as their wait continues.

Describing their showing as ‘edgy and nervous’, McMahon pointed to the nature of the business end of the season, suggesting such performances often come from promotion-chasing sides.

“I thought we looked a bit edgy. A bit nervous, to be honest, but I’ve been here before in terms of promotion teams,” he said during his post-match media duties.

“When you get to the crunch moments, sometimes it can get difficult, and we were just below our normal levels.”

McMahon also spoke of the quality Wingate showed on the day to come away with the victory, citing them as the best side the Urchins had faced this season.

“Credit to Wingate, who I thought were brilliant. They were excellent," he added.

"Probably the best team we’ve played against, if I’m honest. They had some really good players and were difficult to play against.

"They caught us on a day when we weren’t very good, and the result is the result.”

The visitors opened the scoring just 10 seconds into the game through Elliot Long, which forced McMahon to throw the gameplan out of the window almost immediately.

“It’s just poor defence from us. It’s the basics of defending. Not covering positions in the back four wasn’t right,” McMahon told the club’s media channel.

“It has been right all season and today was the one day we didn’t want it to happen, and it happened."

Long doubled Wingate's advantage early in the second half - in front of a crowd of 1,059 - and Ollie Muldoon's late reply was little consolation.

Muldoon was then dismissed before the final whistle and the fixture at Canvey Island has since been rearranged for April 16.

Urchins now need just a point against Chatham to secure a place in National League South for 2024-25.

“We just need to play how we’ve played all season. We haven’t got to do anything different,” said former Dagenham & Redbridge boss McMahon.

“There’s no real pressure on them from me. I think we need to get the performance right first and foremost and do the basics right, which we’ve done all season.

"I can never criticise the players, as they’ve been excellent, to be honest.

“Today’s the first time we’ve been a bit off. The occasion got to them, maybe, but now they’ve got a taste of it and they know what it feels like.”