AFC Sudbury entertain Witham Town on Saturday afternoon at King’s Marsh in Bostik North, 3pm.

It’s a chance for the young Sudbury team to get back on home soil where their recent form has been good.

Mark Morsley’s side sit just one place off the play-offs in sixth place in the table, although a huge 16 points off fifth-placed Heybridge Swifts.

The home form has been good (four wins in their last five). But it’s on the road of late Sudbury have failed to pick up points – five defeats in their last six league games away.

Something the boss acknowledges.

“I have said many times that we are building something at the club and I truly believe we have come a long way in the past 16 months or so,” he said.

“However, one component we need is that we are able to play away from home with the confidence we have shown at the King’s Marsh Stadium.

“We just need to toughen up, to take the game to our opponents on our travels, as we have done so many times at home.

“After the Canvey Island win a couple of weeks ago at home, we were buoyant as we travelled to Grays Athletic.

“I wanted to build on that win as well as gain an element of revenge to the home defeat where a 2-0 lead was overturned into a 3-2 defeat.

“But for me it was apparent that we were not quite the same team in the first half because we didn’t attack in numbers and did not come close to dominating possession of the ball.

“Saying that, Callum Harrison did put us 1-0 up and it took a superb strike from the home team to level things up, but at half time I knew we were lucky to be level.

“The second half was strange as we were so much better, and I really could not see where Grays were going to score from and it was for us to win.

“However a mad five-minute period changed that. We lost possession in our box that allowed a goal then a poorly defended corner meant we were 3-1 down.”

Sudbury eventually lost 3-2

It has still been a good campaign for Sudbury who host a Witham team who are still battling for survival from Bostik North.

An unbeaten December seemed likely to ensure the Essex team’s survival, but just one win in nine of late has put them back in the mire, although they did pick up a point against Felixstowe & Walton last weekend.