FELIXSTOWE United manager Ian Watson is backing his players to put together another run to take them to the Touchline SIL Senior Division title.

One-time leaders Felixstowe have suffered a dip in form since winning seven matches in a row up to the start of February.

Since then they have picked up just one point out of nine and lost to Melton St Audry’s in the quarter-finals of the Bob Coleman Cup.

Felixstowe have slipped to second, one point behind new leaders Ipswich Valley Rangers, who won the title under the guise of Woodbridge Athletic last season.

The seaside club’s problems have coincided with Terry Rumens, who ran the side together with Watson, relinquishing his role.

Watson, who praised the work of experienced coach Neil Smy, said: “We were seven points clear just after Christmas and now we are a point behind, but we are perfectly capable of putting another good run together.

“There is no doubt that we have hit a rough patch of form over the past month.

“We had quite a few players at one point and we had been rotating the squad and it worked and then it stopped working.”

Danny George and Tye Webb have both left after doing well in the absence of Matt Morgan, last season’s leading scorer in the Senior Division, who was out for ten weeks with a broken wrist.

Watson added: “If Terry was still involved perhaps we would still be doing as well as we were.

“I will carry on until the end of the season on my own, and review it before next season, but I have already got some irons in the fire.”

Felixstowe tomorrow visit Grundisburgh, where Watson enjoyed some successful years as a player, before embarking on a run of games against sides lower in the table.

But he is not counting his chickens and said: “When you are in a run of form like we are you take each game as it comes.

“You see the run that some of the sides that are in the lower half of the table, like Capel Plough, have put together and all those sides are capable of taking points off the other sides in this league.”

Felixstowe have four midweek matches to fit in and they play Ipswich Valley Rangers in their penultimate match of the season.

“Although we have lost a couple of players we have still got a strong enough squad. We are normally good with our availability for midweek fixtures.

“Achilles have had a good run but I think Ipswich Valley Rangers are still favourites.

“They are the champions and have a strong squad.

“They have been picking up some good results and keeping clean sheets.”