AFC Sudbury boss Mark Morsley expects his side to be in for a tough challenge at Dereham tomorrow afternoon, in Bostik North.

The Norfolk side have staged a remarkable recovery from what looked like a desperate position earlier in the campaign.

Not only were they stuck solidly in the relegation zone after no wins in 11 from November through to January, but during that time they were trounced 2-8 at King’s Marsh.

Something Morsley is sure will not have gone unnoticed by the new management team at Aldiss Park, where a recovery has taken place.

Indeed, Dereham are now out of the relegation zone, have won their last two league games and are in the final of the Norfolk Senior Cup, where they play Thetford.

“I am expecting a very tough game at Dereham on Saturday,” Morsley said.

“They will firstly be looking for a bit of revenge after suffering a heavy defeat in the game at Sudbury and also they are a very different animal now.

“The change of management has clearly galvanized them as they have pulled themselves clear of the relegation zone when they looked nailed on for the drop earlier in the season.

“We will again be looking for the sort of performance we had at Basildon where we combined a solidness with a bit of flare in possession.

“Getting to be harder to beat in our away games is an ongoing part of our development that we plan will turn us into realistic promotion candidates next season.”

Dereham beat Bury Town 3-2 last time out, while AFC Sudbury were also victorious, with a 3-1 win against Witham.

The top five in Bostik North have really got away now, with sixth-placed Sudbury just one place off the play-offs, but a full 15 points off fifth-placed Heybridge.