Two points from their last five games has seen Hadleigh United slip into the bottom two of the Thurlow Nunn Premier Division.
It wasn’t an especially happy Festive period for Shane Wardley’s men, although again they showed their battling qualities with a 2-2 draw at Long Melford last weekend, after being two down.
But a succession of ‘if onlys’, that included narrow defeats to Kirkley & Pakefield and Whitton are no consolation right now for the Millfield outfit and they face a crucial five weeks where they play this weekend’s opponents Great Yarmouth (twice), Long Melford again and Framlingham – all teams currently in the bottom five alongside Hadleigh.
Not that Yarmouth will be any pushover. A resurgent Bloaters side, aided by a few new signings, have won their last four games, including a 2-0 win over Gorleston in front of 600 fans at the Wellesley on Boxing Day.
Bottom-placed Framlingham face another stiff test away at Wroxham. But Liam Abraham’s young side certainly won’t have thrown the towel in yet by any means and know a couple of wins could still see them start to pull clear.
One of the best fixtures of the weekend could well be at Walmer Road, where two of Suffolk’s in-form Thurlow Nunn teams, Kirkley & Pakefield and Walsham-le-Willows clash
Trevor Newman’s Walsham continue to impress and they picked up seven points in their last three games including a gritty 2-2 draw at high-flying Histon last weekend.
Kirkley are another side enjoying a good season. Currently in fourth place they are heading for one of their best seasons in recent years.
Indeed, Woodbridge were Kirkley’s victims on Boxing Day, but Jamie Scales’ Woodpeckers bounced back three days later with a win at Fram.
This weekend Woodbridge entertain Thetford and will be confident of another three points.
Long Melford missed a great chance to lift themselves away from the relegation zone, before squandering a 2-0 lead to Hadleigh last weekend. This weekend they travel to mid-table Newmarket Town, who have endured a mixed bag of results in recent weeks.
Two good wins over Christmas for Haverhill Rovers have lifted them into mid-table as they entertain Norwich United, while Whitton entertain Gorleston – with either side capable of jumping into the top half of the division with a win.
FC Clacton entertain Ely, while the top three, Godmanchester, Histon and Stowmarket are all in FA Vase action.
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