Ilford manager Allan Fenn is hoping to put pressure on the clubs near the top of the Essex Senior League table by beating Tower Hamlets tonight (Friday) and moving up to sixth place.

The Foxes travel to Mile End Stadium looking to pick up all three points, which would see them leapfrog Sawbridgeworth Town.

Barking are flying high at the top of the pile, but Fenn is keen for Ilford to finish higher than fifth this season.

“We’re slowly climbing the table. The gap which was about 12 points between us and the chasing pack is down,” he said. “We want to win every game we play, like every team, and we are on a good run of form.

“Since the start of December we haven’t lost a home match, so we have a lot to play for in the final six weeks of the season.

“We want to try and finish as high as possible. Last year we were fifth and we want to beat that. Everybody is confident we can achieve that and we have to play the teams above us as well, including Clapton.

“We are looking forward to the Friday night match and it is a real chance to close the gap even further and put some pressure on.”

Before Ilford can look to chase down second-placed Clapton, they must focus on inconsistent Tower Hamlets.

The Foxes face their rivals this evening, before doing battle with the same opposition again on Wednesday.

Ilford will look to earn two more league wins over the next seven days, which would take them to 69 points.

Another dilemma for Fenn is managing the fitness of his squad after Foxes faced Eton Manor in the League Challenge Cup on Wednesday.

The Ilford boss, who watched his side win 5-4 on penalties in the cup after drawing 1-1 at the end of the 90 minutes, was confident his players could deal with playing twice in 48 hours.

Fenn is also set to come up against an old face tonight with Ajay Ashnike turning out for Tower Hamlets now after leaving the Foxes last month.

He added: “We will be up against Ajay, who left us recently, and I imagine he will start. They can be very good on their day and also very bad, so they are quite an inconsistent side.

“It is how we respond after playing Eton Manor and how we feel physically and mentally. But I am confident the boys will be up for the game, so we are looking to win and extend our run.”

George Sessions
Ilford Recorder