DROITWICH Spa joint-boss Wayne Oliver believes their next two league fixtures could be the difference between fighting for promotion and playing catch up for the rest of the season following cup success.
The Saltmen began the defence of their Presidents Cup on Saturday at local rivals Feckenham where they walked away with a 1-0 victory courtesy of James Lemon’s second half goal and will now entertain Barnt Green Spartak in the next round at a date yet to be confirmed.
Lemon also saw a late penalty saved by Josh Goddard.
Spa now return to Midland League Division Two action on Saturday when they travel to sixth placed Knowle before making the journey to fourth placed Redditch Borough next Tuesday (October 11).
With two tough away trips on the cards, joint-boss Oliver says they could prove crucial in determining where the Saltmen’s futures lie.
He said: “Our next two games will decide if we are going to be up at the top end of the table or playing catch up for the rest of the campaign.
“Knowle and Redditch away are mega tough games because I just don’t what I’m going to get from this Droitwich side at the moment – inconsistency is a real problem.
“After the 5-0 county cup win over Fairfield, I played an unchanged side on Saturday but we was not performing at the levels of the week before – it’s something we really need to sort out.”
Defender Jamie Smith (back) is expected to miss the game at Knowle while midfielder maestro Max Crisp (hamstring) faces a late fitness test.