AFC Sudbury manager Marc Abbott sees league and cup meetings with Leiston as key in their quest for Southern League Premier Central survival
AFC Sudbury manager Marc Abbott is looking to use two meetings against Leiston across league and cup in the next week as a springboard to securing their survival.
A second 3-0 away defeat in the Pitching In Southern League Premier Central on the bounce – in what he had targeted as a key chance to pick up three points – at Bromsgrove Sporting on Saturday saw their hosts move six points above the drop zone as they were held in the middle of it. The gap for Abbott’s side to safety is two points and two places to Barwell who they hold a game in hand over.
Play-off chasing Leiston are the visitors to The MEL Group Stadium on Saturday (3pm) with the same opponents then standing in the way of Sudbury booking a first appearance in the Suffolk Premier Cup Final in 21 years on Tuesday. The pair go up against each other in a semi-final tie at The Martello Ground (7.45pm), home of Felixstowe & Walton United FC.
And despite only three points being on offer to them, Abbott feels both games can have a bearing on their bid for survival.
“Firstly, we know what a good side Leiston are. They’re a possession-based team with some real threats across the front line,” he said.
“We know that’s going to be two tough games.
“I think us at home, I’ve said it since last season, but I think we’re a very good side at home and I think that we’re going to have to be at our best to get anything, but internally I think we can cause Leiston problems. I think it should be a really good game.
“Then moving on to Tuesday, it’s a semi-final, we want to get to a final. That was our aim this year.
“We’ll 100 per cent respect the competition, as I imagine Leiston will. Both teams will want to get to a final this year.”
On whether he could see both games featuring the same line-ups, or whether squad rotation will be the key, he said: “I think a lot hinges on Saturday, in terms of player load and player recovery, I think that’s going to be vitally important.
“We’ll be approaching it (Tuesday) as we do league games.
“I think for us, we want to gather some momentum. We gathered some momentum at this stage last season and it kept us up.
“I don’t think we’re far off getting on a bit of a run. I think it’s very small details.
“We feel as though both games can be a real contributing factor for us gathering some momentum.”
Saturday’s game in Worcestershire saw Bromsgrove’s Jamie Meddows add to his 20th-minute point-blank opener with a guided left-footed finish in the first minute of added time in the first half.
The Rouslers eventually added a third five minutes from time from Theo Robinson when he lobbed James Bradbrook.
Following on from the midweek 3-0 defeat at Stratford Town, Abbott was once again left to lament his side, who had struck the post from an early Ollie Peters free kick, not being good enough in both penalty boxes.
Having brought on three players at half-time, with captain Jake Turner, Ben Isaacson and Matty Miles replaced by Liam Pearce, Marcel Lewis and Callum Page, he also gave an admission that he ‘got the team wrong’ for the fixture.
Abbott did confirm there were no injury issues in the squad ahead of the pair of games against Leiston and that recent signing Lewis is eligible to play in Tuesday’s cup semi-final.
Meanwhile, it has been announced the Endeavour Automotive Suffolk Premier Cup Final will once again miss out on being played at a professional stadium, due to it needing to be in April. But Ipswich Town and Colchester United will host five Suffolk finals during May.
