ury St Edmunds head coach, Ollie Smith, does not want this season to drift with his side stuck in mid-table of National League Two South.

The Haberden outfit have won seven of their first 11 fixtures, to be sitting in fifth spot, but they really need to bounce back from their last outing, a 27-20 defeat at Henley Hawks a fortnight ago, against visiting London Irish Wild Geese this afternoon (3pm).

Following this weekend, Bury take on three of the top four in their next three fixtures, against Old Redingensians (fourth), Chinnor (leaders) and Cinderford (second), so it is vital that they return to winning ways today against an improving London Irish outfit.

“We’ve had two weeks off, which has given the lads time to recharge their batteries,” explained Smith.

“League Two can be very monotonous, playing 30 Saturdays in a season, so it was good to have a little break, and I knew that a few of the boys went off for a break in Prague.

“They deserved this break, because they have put in a great effort over the first 11 rounds of the season, to come as far as they have as a team, gelling together.

“London Irish have come into some form in their last three matches, beating Wimbledon heavily (60-6), narrowly losing to Redruth (46-38 away) and then beating Taunton (45-38) at home.

“Their two wingers are also the top scorers in the league, so they are dangerous and it will be a challenging game.

“With the exception of the top two, Chinnor and Cinderford, and the two or three teams at the bottom, I feel that any team can beat anyone.

“At the moment, we are at the top of that pile, but two defeats and we could be near the bottom of it.

“We could still be challenging for promotion, which is where I want us to be, but we know that it is going to be tough and that we can’t afford any more slip-ups.

“That means every game is a Cup game. I don’t want us to just be sitting in mid-table during the second half of the season, feeling that we can’t get promoted and that we can’t be relegated.

“I don’t want us to end up being a mediocre team. I’d like us to be pushing on, rather than just waiting for the season to end,” added Smith.