NEEDHAM Market chairman David Bugg has stressed that it will be much harder for his club to make an impact in the Ridgeons League this season.Just pipped for the Premier Division title by Soham last term, Needham take a break from league tomorrow to play United Counties League Yaxley in the first qualifying round of the FA Cup.

NEEDHAM Market chairman David Bugg has stressed that it will be much harder for his club to make an impact in the Ridgeons League this season.

Just pipped for the Premier Division title by Soham last term, Needham take a break from league tomorrow to play United Counties League Yaxley in the first qualifying round of the FA Cup.

The league, and a passage up the football ladder, is the main priority for Needham, but Bugg said: “It will be a great deal harder this time.

“Good players have been attracted by the increasingly large budgets held by some of our rivals.

“We had one of the smallest budgets in our division last season, and this remains the case now. It shows how much we achieved in 2007/08.

“And if goalscoring midfielder Craig Parker had not been injured and missed the last weeks of the season I am convinced we would have won the league and reached the FA Vase final.”

Needham hope to have former Ipswich Town and Manchester City midfielder Kevin Horlock back against Yaxley after missing the last couple of games through injury. He is assistant to manager Danny Laws.

Yaxley lost to St Ives last week who Needham beat in the Vase last season to give the Bloomfields-based club an encouraging form guide.

Ben Chenery will not be facing Yaxley despite Needham still holding a registered contract for the former Cambridge United and Canvey Island defender.

Two days after signing a Needham contract after leaving Braintree, Chelmsford manager Jeff King took Chenery to the Essex club.

“I understand he is coaching at Chelmsford, which is he is perfectly entitled to do,” said Bugg. “But he cannot play while we hold his contract.”