Whitton United boss Paul Bugg insisted his side’s growing self-belief and team spirit will secure promotion to the Thurlow Nunn League Premier.

Darcy De’ath thundered in a header 10 minutes before half-time to give the First Division leaders a slender 1-0 victory over Haverhill Borough at the King George V Playing Field on Saturday.

It meant they opened up a six-point gap at the top of the table, with Bugg pointing to his side’s togetherness as the main reason for their resurgence.

“It was not a pretty performance but we grounded it out,” he said.

“The key was discipline. We got bodies behind the ball and I’ve said it time and time again; the spirit we have got now compared to last year is second to none.

“It drives the boys forward. It was the most pleasing thing about the performance. The players were buzzing in the dressing room. They are all pulling in the same direction.

“They all want the same thing. We want out of the league and with our new players and the key ones from last year hopefully we can go one stage further.”

The two sides will meet again for the semi-finals of the Suffolk FA Senior Cup on December 7.

United, last season’s beaten finalists, will be at home.

And Haverhill Borough boss Ben Cowley believes his side can catch United cold to exact quickfire revenge.

“We started the game too slow on Saturday and will need to have a quicker start and tempo in the cup,” he said.

“We have learnt a lot and will not wait until the last 20 minutes to get going again this time.

“It could have easily been a draw. It was a very tight game and we had a great chance to get a point at the end but scuffed it.

“But we will come back fighting and have another go at them.”

See the action from Saturday’s game here