HEYBRIDGE: Swifts gear up for test against leaders

HEYBRIDGE Swifts boss Wayne Bond says his team face their biggest test of the season this Saturday when they host Ryman League Division One North runaway leaders Lowestoft Town.

"It's a real test of the current campaign, but I don't need to motivate my players because they'll be up for it and want to show how they can compete against a side that in reality is a Ryman Premier outfit, " explained Bond.

"They are a good, quality, footballing side with obviously the finances to back them up so good luck to them.

"But they are beatable and on the day it's up to my players to play the way I know they can and give it a real go."

Bond, who expects to have both Luke Hammond and Ricky Griggs back in contention for a place in the starting line-up, hopes that local people will go along to Scraley Road for the match.

"It should be a cracking game and we want the points so we can maintain our recent rise up the league," Bond added. "We have to be on our toes from the start because there's no good going a couple of goals behind and then trying to chase the game – that doesn't work against a side of this nature."

The Suffolk side have only lost one of the 21 league games and have a nine point lead at the top and four games in hand over their nearest rivals.

Bond was upset at his side's 2-1 defeat at second placed Thamesmead last Saturday "because we were all over them and should have won with the chances we had, notably early on."

The turning point was the 28th minute sending off of Fiston Manuella for violent conduct – his second red card at Swifts – after a melee following a foul on Leon Antoine.

"I've no disagreement with the sending off and it effectively cost us all three points, but the home player clearly should have gone too," explained Bond. "The match referee lacked consistency in his decision making and that's also disappointing for both sides."

Bond was also upset by the sending off in the dying moments of the game of Danny Barber adding: "Danny only put his hand up to protect himself from what was a physical attack by the opposing player yet he gets a red card – it was a ridiculous decision.

"It was not a dirty game by any means but hard and physical as you expect at this level.

"I was more upset at us losing three important points.

"We need to get back to winning ways again and I know the players I now have are more than capable of doing just that.

"I think come the end of next month we'll have a fair idea of how our season is panning out."