Rick Andrews insists it is not luck that his Stowmarket Town side are striking late to win games, writes Alex Moss.

The Old Gold and Blacks have made a habit of scoring late on to claim victory from the jaws of defeat, with four of their last six wins in the Thurlow Nunn League Premier Division all coming courtesy of goals scored in the last five minutes.

Stow left it late again on Boxing Day to secure all the points, as Ace Howell’s 86th-minute equaliser was followed by a Josh Mayhew winner deep into added time to complete a comeback 4-3 win over Walsham-le-Willows at Greens Meadow.

Andrews’ men head into tomorrow’s home clash with mid-table FC Clacton (3pm) on a four-match winning run and in third place, five points clear of Brantham Athletic in fourth spot.

Late goals have certainly played their part in keeping Stow high up the table in their first season back in the Premier Division, but Andrews says his side’s playing style is behind being able to carve out chances right up until the final whistle.

“I’m a great believer in keeping your emotions in check,” the Stow boss said. “I never get too high or too low, and I try to get that into the boys.

“They started getting frustrated when we were 3-2 down and started playing balls which were going to their keeper.

“I said to them that you’ve got to keep playing football, pass it, pass it, and we created the space for Ace to go through and score the equaliser.

“You’ve just got to keep believing. It’s not luck that you keep scoring late goals, obviously you’d rather it not be that way and have a performance like Stanway away where you can relax for the rest of the game, but it’s the way we play and full credit to the boys.”

Andrews will be hoping to end what has been a memorable 2017 for the club on a high with victory against the Seasiders tomorrow afternoon, and he should be boosted by the return of recent signing Blake Saker.