Brantham joint first-team boss Matt Carmichael would love nothing more than for his side to end the season with silverware.

Athletic face Thetford in the Thurlow Nunn League Cup final next month, and were boosted with victory over their final opponents in a league clash on Saturday.

It was the first time under Carmichael and Michael Brothers’ joint management, Brantham have beaten the Brecklanders.

“We have played them twice in the past few weeks, drawing at their place and winning at ours,” Carmichael said.

“We never beat them last season so, yes to get me and Michael’s first win over them was nice. A cloud lifted perhaps. We didn’t want to go into the cup final thinking they were our bogey side.

“I personally think we are a better team than them but we need to turn up.

“At times this season that has been our problem, dropping points to lesser sides but, apart from Stowmarket, having a decent record against most of the top teams.”

Brantham currently sit in fifth place in the Thurlow Nunn Premier Division, a fine effort for a club that has no-where near the budget many of the teams around them enjoy.

Tomorrow night they entertain Great Yamouth at the Brantham Leisure Centre.

“We have three sides in our division whose budgets are decent, they are away at the top of league,” Carmichael said.

“Money talks at all levels of football. We know that and fair play to those clubs, they are going for it and why not?

“We just need to improve ourselves and try to get among them.”

Brantham’s cup final with Thetford takes place on May 7 at Diss. But Carmichael says his team will prepare for the final with little fuss.

“A few people have said to me will we rest a few players? We have four games left, starting with Yarmouth,” he said.

“But what’s the point?

“You can still get hurt in training.

“If we were to win the final I think it would reflect rightly on our season. For 85 per cent of the time we have been really good. Only over Christmas and the New Year did we struggle.”