Progress is the key word at Touchline SIL Senior Division side Leiston St Margarets this season.

Back-to-back wins and clean sheets see the Saints sit in seventh position before tomorrow’s trip to Achilles (kick-off 2.30pm).

For manager Gary Lambert, the signs are positive after a difficult 2014/15 season which saw the club narrowly avoid relegation.

“We want to make progress this year,” said Lambert, whose side recorded wins over Ipswich Valley Rangers (3-0) and Stanton (2-0) in the last fortnight.

“We’ve been playing really well, Bramford aside (a 5-0 loss), and have perhaps deserved a little bit more.

“We kept our first back-to-back clean sheets since January 2012 recently, and the club is in much better shape this season.”

With the club’s Reserve team now competing, alongside the beginning of a Ladies team, Lambert is only looking at things positively.

“There’s a feel-good factor around the club,” he continued.

“We have an excellent balance of experience and youth now and everyone is stronger from last year.

“I learned a lot in my first season in charge, and I think the players did too. We had a lot of young lads who had never played Senior Division football so they had to learn the hard way.

“But I feel we are progressing now, and there’s a real togetherness mixed with a little bit of excitement – we just want to play all the time.”

While Lambert accepts that last season was a transitional period for the club, Saints did pick up two excellent draws against 2013/14 champions Achilles, and the boss sees no reason why his hungry side cannot get another result tomorrow.

“It’s another step up for us after the results we’ve had,” he continued.

“But we’re confident, and can draw confidence from last season’s results. I’ve said to the boys that progress is key, and I think we could finish in the top six this year.”