WINCHESTER City head for Christchurch tonight sitting top of the Sydenhams Premier Division.

But manager Graham Kemp insists they will have to up their level of performance if they are going to stay there.

Although City made it seven points out of nine on Saturday with a 2-0 home win over AFC Portchester, Kemp felt the visitors deserved more.

Winchester seized a first-half lead when winger Tom Price crossed for Ben Osborne to finish at the near post.

City added another before the break when Adam Tomasso’s free kick from the halfway line picked out the unmarked Leigh Mills to head home.

Kemp said: “We played quite well in the first half, but we didn’t really perform in the second and Portchester will have felt aggrieved not to get something.

“I’m never going to criticise a win, but we will have to play better.

“That said, the three results we’ve had will turn out to be good ones in the long run. Drawing 0-0 with Moneyfields was no disgrace and beating Fawley 7-0 looks decent given their result (a 2-2 draw) at Newport IoW on Saturday.”

Kemp, right, tonight leads Winchester to his old club Christchurch, where he spent six successful years at the helm before moving to the Denplan City Ground in the summer.

Priory are also unbeaten under new boss Michael Cuffie despite a mass exodus of players, including Karl Yelland, Ben Osborne, Russell Cook and Dan Thompson who all followed Kemp to City.

Asked his thoughts on returning to his old stamping ground, Kemp said: “My interests are with Winchester now and I want three points.

“But there’ll be no dancing on the pitch from me if we win and, whatever the result, I’d like to think we can share a drink together afterwards.

“They’ve had a decent start, but I wouldn’t say they’re a ‘surprise package’ after they finished third last season.

“Yes, they’ve lost players, but every season I was there we lost players – people like Ben Dickenson, Adam Costello, Tom Jeffes, Michael Green and Stewart Kearn – to higher leagues and we managed to bring others through.

“Christchurch have a good youth policy and I’m hearing they’ve got more good youngsters coming through.

“It’ll be a noisy changing room down there if they beat us!”