Needham Market head into the weekend looking to get back to winning ways... With a bit more patience required.

So says Marketmen boss Richard Wilkins who watched his side lose their first Southern League Central Premier Division clash of the season on Saturday – 0-2 to Barwell.

After two terrific opening league victories, 4-0 against Bedworth and 8-1 against Hitchin, it was ‘After the Lord Mayor’s Show’ for Wilkins’ side against an organised Barwell.

“I think it is safe to say we could have done with a game on Tuesday this week after the Barwell match,” Wilkins said.

“We were disjointed and we need to be better.

“It was all rather strange. Whereas in the first two games everything we did went right for us, against Barwell everything we did went wrong.

“A cross went into the near post and our strikers were at the back post, that sort of thing.

“But we’ve made a decent start, we just need a bit of patience.

“You are not going to win 8-1 or 4-0 each week, so we don’t need to chase and we were perhaps guilty of that last week.”

Needham travel to St Ives this weekend and then entertain near-neighbours Leiston on Bank Holiday Monday in what is sure to be an exciting Suffolk derby.

Two big games for Needham.

“St Ives and Leiston have both started well and like us are on six points,” Wilkins said.

“Neither game will be easy and it is difficult to tell how it is going to pan out. The league is a mixture of clubs from different divisions. I must admit I don’t know much about many of the teams we face.”

JJ Wilson is out of action with a knee injury sustained against Barwell, but Wilkins has Dan Morphew back after he missed last weekend.

“Losing JJ is not good news for us and I could do with getting someone else in the building,” Wilkins said.

Meanwhile, Woodbridge and Hadleigh go head to head in the FA Cup this weekend at Notcutts Park. The ‘Peckers beat Clapton in the last round on penalties.