JIMMY Marjoram is hoping to catch Woodbridge Athletic on a bad day as he bids to steer Ipswich Athletic into the quarter-finals of the Touchline Sports Cup.

Long-time leaders Woodbridge Athletic’s run of 10 consecutive victories in the Kingsley Healthcare SIL Senior Division came to an end thanks to a 4-1 defeat at second-placed Grundisburgh last Saturday.

And Marjoram, whose side have only lost twice in their last eight matches and currently occupy fourth place in the league, is optimistic of progressing despite being handed a tough draw.

“We drew Grundisburgh in the second round of the Suffolk Senior Cup, and having drawn Woodbridge Athletic away we think the Gods are not looking down on us.

“But at the end of the day if you are going to win anything you have to beat the best teams along the way.

“We have done well in the league away from home this season, and only lost by the odd goal to them,” said Marjoram, who has been involved with Athletic for more than 30 years and is these days joint manager with ex-Coplestonians boss Gary Bartlett.

Their side have won 3-0 at Wickham Market and 4-0 at Old Newton United in their last two matches, and with a strike force of Craig Jennings, Dean Tournay-Godfrey and Caleb Ebanks, Marjoram is confident that they can cause their hosts problems.

“We have got a decent squad together and we will give it our best shot and hope to catch them on a bad day like Grundisburgh did last week.

“Although we are short of numbers we are playing well, but whether that is good enough to beat them will come down to how we perform on the day.

“It is not an easy place to go – it is a big pitch and is very open – but hopefully the conditions will be suitable for both teams. They are a big side and we need our big players to be on song on the day.”

Ipswich Athletic have recently lost midfielder Luke Hillyard and central defender Mark Rodwell because of work and family commitments respectively, and Marjoram admitted: “They are a big loss to us – it is going to be hard for us to replace them, but we have irons in the fire who we hope to bring in for the final push this season.”