Match Preview

Ransomes Sports entertain Haughley Utd this weekend (April 6th) in the SIL Senior Division for their final home fixture of the current campaign KO 3.15 pm.
Haughley will be a really big test of Ransomes credentials and the home side will need to find a way to make it difficult for the visitors. Staying in the game will be imperative for Ransomes, and their efficiency and defensive discipline will be fully tested by a rejuvenated Haughley outfit.
I'm looking at Haughley ahead of this game, and they will really fancy this. When the two sides met at the beginning of December, Haughley had recorded only two league wins all season and were perilously close to the bottom of the table. Since the 1-1 draw on that day, four months ago, Haughley have been in searing form, losing just once in ten league matches. That has stood them in good stead for their rise to mid-table, but if you look at where Ransomes are in the table, it means that they have been in decent form as well - five wins out of their last six league games played.
If Ransomes can continue their own improvement and see off such an in-form team, it will be another huge marker laid down after everything they have gone through this season. It has been something of a transformation, and the team they had at the beginning of the season to the team they have right now, it's night and day.
Each time Ransomes have won back-to-back league games this season, it has coincided with them extending that winning streak even further. There were six consecutive wins between October and November 2023, and a further four consecutive wins between February and March 2024. Given that Leiston St. Margarets were defeated last time out, Ransomes will be hoping that last week's interruption of no game will not hamper their chances to rediscover that winning consistency.
Haughley's last two visits to Sidegate Avenue have resulted in two wins for Ransomes and an aggregate score of 9-1 in their favour. The visitor's record against Ransomes over the last few seasons has been poor. Since Ransomes returned to the Senior Division, Haughley have lost four of the five meeting, although they did claim a vitally important point in their most recent fixture.
It is going to be a tough afternoon, and a challenge for both teams, but there is equal opportunity for either side to win this match. Neither side have been immune to the kind of lapse that has taken matters out of their hands, and both teams will need to mitigate against this. They will need to compete on equal terms in midfield, but in the end, it will ultimately boil down to the attack and which team will be more clinical on the day.
Is there anything either side can do to tip the balance in their favour? Get along to Sidegate Avenue this weekend to find out.