East Harling put promotion credentials to the test against Hadley & Ottaway Anglian Combination Division One leaders Yelverton

Stacey Lawrence says East Harling’s clash with Hadley & Ottaway Anglian Combination Division One leaders Yelverton will tell him whether his side have a shot at promotion, writes Alex Moss.

A 3-0 win at home to Stalham Town, coupled with Yelverton’s 3-2 defeat to Fakenham Town Reserves on Saturday, saw Lawrence’s side cut the gap on top spot to two points.

And ahead of hosting the table-toppers at the Memorial Field tomorrow (2.30pm), the Harling boss admits the encounter could be crucial for their promotion hopes.

“It’s absolutely massive,” Lawrence said. “I haven’t been looking at the table for a while, so I didn’t realise how well we are doing.

“We’re fourth and we’ve got to play the leaders on Saturday. We had a very good win last weekend against the second best form team in the division.

“We haven’t actually lost in the league since November, so we’re on a really good run at the moment.

“No one expected us to be where we are. We got promoted last season and everyone was saying just stay up this season.

“I thought in my head we could do a bit better than that, and maybe finish sixth or seventh, and be in the top half.

“Games don’t get much bigger for us than Saturday.

“How we do in that will tell us if we’ve got a shot at promotion.”

The top two are expected to earn promotion to the Premier Division at the end of the season, with third place potentially joining them depending on movement higher up the pyramid.

The race for promotion in Division One is hotly-contested, with the current top five separated by just five points. Yelverton lead second-placed Mundford by a point, with Bungay Town and Harling both a point further back, while fifth-placed Aylsham trail the leaders by three points.

l Long Stratton will face UEA in the final of the Mummery Cup on May 2, after goals from James Bemrose (two) and Charlie Deakin helped them beat Mundford 3-0 on Saturday. Stratton (2nd) host ninth-placed Beccles Town in the Premier Division tomorrow (2.30pm).

l Elsewhere in the Premier Division, Tom Dade was on target for Scole United in their 1-1 draw at Hellesdon last weekend.

Scole (7th) visit Mattishall, the team directly below them in the table, tomorrow (2.30pm).