Courtesy of a significant game just down the road, Ransomes Sports travel to Trimley Red Devils this weekend (May 4th) for their final league game of the season (KO 2.30 pm) minus an unprecedented 15 first team squad players - a sobering reminder of the success of ITFC this campaign.
That said, Ransomes Sports have had a remarkable season. If you consider after only four weeks of the season starting, they were rudderless; without a manager, coach and physio but worse still, without a team. The best case scenario looked bleak. Three new people were tasked with managing the team, and they had the ability to bring in experienced players to help steady and galvanise the side. As such, Ransomes now look on course to finish the season in an encouraging, if not somewhat unexpected, fifth place - outstanding.
For Trimley Red Devils, these are heady days. Everybody has suspected they were underperforming in previous seasons, but nobody perhaps quite expected the lift-off that has happened this season. It is not just that they sit fourth in the table with a chance of the runners-up spot, but they are also the only team to defeat champions Henley Athletic this campaign. Add to this that they have a Suffolk Senior Cup final to contest later this month, and, as such, there is a sense of paradigms shifting.
Both teams will therefore go into the close season with a sense of achievement, and thinking about the future, and continue to go in the right direction. Whatever the outcome of this particular match, the reality is that both teams will continue to focus on the progress they have made this season.