Fenn: Playing at Cricklefields won’t matter

Ilford chief Allan Fenn says he is treating Saturday’s Essex Senior League tie with Stansted as a stand alone fixture.

The Foxes host the Airportmen this weekend looking to complete a double having won 3-0 at Hargrave Park last October.

Fenn believes that while both teams are still fully focussed on this campaign eyes have already started to focus on the following season.

“They’ve got some decent players. Their manager Paul Attfield done well at Royston Town and took a lot of that squad with him to Stansted,” said the Foxes boss.

“They’re a good, organised, strong side. Like ourselves, they’ll be looking at next year after rebuilding this year. Home advantage won’t matter, it will be like a one-off cup final.”

The Cricklefields club head into this weekend’s game after a narrow 1-0 loss to title chasing Bowers & Pitsea in the midweek.

And Fenn says his men cannot wait to return to the field of play to put right any wrongs in that match,

“The boys are buzzing. They want to put the Bowers game behind them. We had a similar thing last week with a gutting loss to Haringey Borough before beating Southend Manor,” said the Ilford gaffer.

“Hopefully it will be the same on Saturday. The time we played them but it could have been a lot more but they’ve been rebuilding.

“We’re both going for fifth in the table. There’s a few in the race for that. If we go undefeated we have a great chance.”