PREVIEW: Harleston Town vs Woodbridge Town

Josh Folkes in action (Photo: Max Woodward)

The Recreation Ground is the next stop for Woodbridge Town as they hit the road this weekend to face Harleston Town. This is a rearranged fixture from earlier in the season after that game was postponed due to a frozen pitch. With six games left to play, the Peckers have their eyes firmly set on a top ten finish as they look to overtake Walsham on Saturday.

It was a very frustrating night for Woodbridge last time out, as they fell to a 1-2 defeat against Haverhill Rovers on Tuesday. Having lost to the Rovers 8-3 last month, the lads showed a much stronger display to challenge the promotion hopefuls, and were unfortunate to not take anything away from the match. Harleston on the other hand have enjoyed a decent run of late, winning three of their last four games. 

The meeting between the two sides back in October is arguably game of the season for the Peckers, as three goals in the last ten minutes saw Woodbridge overturn a 1-3 deficit to win 4-3 - I’m sure many fans will remember Kubi Kussan’s last minute winner on that day. Harleston Town will be frustrated that they didn’t take anything away from the Homestyle UK Ground, and will want to right their wrongs against Woodbridge this weekend.

Tuesday night saw Mark Ray on the scoresheet once again, and he will hope to continue his scoring form on Saturday. Webb and Field are both threats for the Peckers, alongside Ash Blow who sits on twelve goals for the season. Harleston were fired to victory last time out by a Ryan Hawkins brace, a player that could cause Woodbridge problems this Saturday. Spencer Cawcutt and Joshua Durham sit joint-top scorers for the Magpies this season with eight goals each.

Mark Ray has netted twice since he returned to the Peckers (Photo: Max Woodward)

Looking at the table, a win for Harleston would put them ten points clear of 10th in the Thurlow Nunn Premier Division - almost sealing them a top ten finish. The Peckers have a similar goal, and three points for Woodbridge on Saturday could fire them ahead of Walsham Le Willows and only four points behind the Magpies. 

After a mixed season, finishing in the top ten would be a strong showing from the lads, and that feels very achievable with six games to play. Your support has been brilliant all season; it does not go unnoticed and the team massively appreciate it. If you can’t make the trip to Harleston, we look forward to welcoming you all on Tuesday as the Peckers take on Heacham. Let’s get behind Chris, Liam and the side for the final few games and, as always, UP THE PECKERS!

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