Dennis vows to bury Peacehaven

Hailsham are currently seven points clear of The Tye with only five games remaining, but a run of six successive defeats has left confidence fragile and safety precarious.

If Peacehaven can claim all three points at the Beaconsfield on Saturday, then the improving Piddinghoe Avenue side will feel confident of clawing their way out of trouble, but Dennis is determined to ram the final nail firmly in Peacehaven's coffin.

'We're looking to bury them,' said Dennis, after his team's much improved display in the 2-0 defeat to champions-elect Burgess Hill last Saturday.

'There's no way we should be in this position. It was only four weeks ago that we were looking to move into the top three.

'It just shows how strange the league is that we're only a few wins away from the top places. If Burgess Hill go up this season to the Doc Martens League then it's going to be a free-for-all next season as regards chasing the County League title.

'But first we've got to make sure we're in the division. Saturday's game now takes on immense importance.

'Peacehaven will be fighting for their lives so we're under no illusions as to how hard it will be.

'I think both teams have been struggling in front of goal - I think we've scored only one or two in the last six games which says everything about why we've dropped down so far.

'It's not as if we're not spending time on shooting drills in training because we are.

'However, I still don't think we'll go down. It will take a mad sequence of results even if we lose on Saturday, but we can't take any chances - we've got to end the uncertainty.'

At the start of the season Hailsham lost six consecutive games, the sixth being Burgess Hill, before they beat Peacehaven. An identical sequence will be complete if Town manage to claim a win double over Peacehaven on Saturday, but Tye boss Mick Maskell is confident his side can still turn it around.

'We've been playing well since Christmas and have recently starting winning games at last,' said Mick.

'Hopefully it hasn't come too late in the day, but we'll be fighting for everything until it's mathematically impossible for us to stay up.

'We've missed a goalscorer this season but I'm hoping Jon Lockhart will make himself available for us on Saturday.

'He's hardly played all season but if a player of Jon's quality is available then I'll probably start with him. A half fit Locky is better than most strikers in this league.'

See page 47 for last Saturday's report of Peacehaven's 1-0 defeat at home to local rivals Shoreham.