Survival ‘will be a bigger achievement than getting in the play-offs’, admits Leiston boss Driver

Driver returned to Victory Road this campaign, after leaving the season before and after a successful period where the Blues reached the play-offs.

The team he returned to was a shadow of the one he left and they were struggling at the foot of the table after a difficult start to the season.

The one thing Driver did have on his side was time however.

And he's made it count.

Leiston have got themselves off the basement and now sit fourth bottom, with three defeats in 12 league games - the bottom two go down, with the third bottom in a pool for relegation with other third-bottom Step 3 sides - they won't all go down.

Fourth bottom is very much the safety net.

This weekend Leiston have a crucial clash away at St Ives who are sitting one place below the Blues and six points behind.

"It's a massive game for us on Saturday and we then go to Hitchin on Monday - huge games," Driver said.

"If we can beat St Ives that puts us nine ahead of them and that's alot of breathing space.

"We're doing alright. We're becoming harder to beat and we are not getting turned over by anyone now.

"If we can beat teams in and around us that's the key."

After the double away clashes at St Ives and Hitchin, Leiston have three of their next four games at home. Driver admits it will be a real achievement to keep the Blues up.

"We're still in a relegation fight, of course we are," he said.

"But when me and TK (Tony Kinsella) came back we didn't look to have a great chance of staying up. Now we have a real fighting chance.

"And if we do stay up it will be a bigger achievement for me than it was getting the team into the play-offs a couple of seasons back.

"I'm not sure the league is as strong this year as in previous years.

"It's still a tough league but anyone can beat anyone.

"Needham went and won at Tamworth and we sort of said, well so can we... And we did."