Leiston skipper Tom Bullard says the Blues have fire in their bellies and are determined to right the wrongs of the shock weekend defeat at home to Staines Town in the Ryman Premier.

Leiston skipper Tom Bullard says the Blues have fire in their bellies and are determined to right the wrongs of the shock weekend defeat at home to Staines Town in the Ryman Premier.

Leiston are fourth in the division after the loss and are back in action tonight, at home to sixth-bottom Harrow Borough who, coincidentally, are the Blues’ opponents this Saturday too.

The Blues have slipped up slightly recently, Glenn Driver’s side are without a win in three, and 10 points off leaders Bognor Regis.

That seems like a big deficit to overturn, but the Victory Road side have four games in hand on the west Sussex side, meaning there is still plenty to play for.

While the top-two are very much in reach in the long-term, short-term, the goal is to eradicate the memory of Saturday’s setback.

Bullard said: “We have got a great bunch of lads, the team spirit is quality and we have fire in our bellies to get back to winning ways.

“We had a good run of form before we lost at Wingate & Finchley (January 24) when we were poor, before drawing at home to Dulwich Hamlet, who are a good side to be fair.

“On Saturday we did not get going. I am not going to blame the pitch, but the conditions were a leveller and in such conditions, we struggle to play the free-flowing football that we like and our opponents can sit back and frustrate us.”

Leiston are the Ryman Premier’s leading scorers (77 goals) and failed to score for only the fourth league game this season.

It is clear that teams are beginning to get wise to Leiston’s threat and are keen to keep things tight at the back.

“Teams play 4-5-1 against us and try to stop us playing,” added Bullard.

“But we have got a good squad. The management team brought in the likes of Matt Blake, Byron Lawrence and Ollie Brown in the summer and have added to them during the season, with the likes of Jacob Marsden and Niko Muir.

“I am not surprised where we are and we have got more than enough to stay in the mix pushing for promotion.

“We have got to look at winning our games in hand. If we can do that, that can be the driving force to take us where we want to be.”