Seb Hayes has warned his red-hot Holbeach United side to expect a stern test from unpredictable Kirby Muxloe on Saturday.
The Tigers go into Saturday’s ChromaSport UCL Premier Division clash at Carter’s Park (3pm) on a run of six wins on the spin.
Contrast that to Kirby Muxloe, who have been something of an all or nothing side this season – winning five and losing five of their ten league games so far.
Two of those defeats have come in their last pair of away games at Daventry Town and Leicester Nirvana, so the Tigers will hope to keep that trend going.
Hayes, however, reckons the Leicestershire side will be a tough nut to crack and is taking nothing for granted.
“This won’t be an easy game,” said the Tigers chief. “When Kirby Muxloe click, they can beat anyone.
“If you look at the Leicestershire sides, both they and Nirvana have really upped their game this season.
“Don’t get me wrong, if we play at 100 per cent I’d expect us to beat them.
“But if we’re at 95 per cent or less, we’ll be right up against it.
“People may find it boring as I say the same kind of thing quite often, but if we don’t do the basics right then we’ll not win the game.
“We’ve been doing that well throughout most of our six-game run and I’m very hopeful we’ll extend it to seven.
“It only takes the kind of performance we produced against Huntingdon Town in the FA Vase to ruin things, though.
“We’ve got a good run of games in the league now and it could really shape our season.
“The leading pack haven’t got too far ahead and we’re certainly in the mix at this point.”
Hayes admits that he may need to dip into the transfer market ahead of Saturday’s game, with striker Charley Sanders handed a lengthy ban following his post-match red card against Grantham Town in the FA Cup last month.
Sanders, who began his ban on October 2, is suspended until November 26 – meaning he’ll miss a minimum of 13 games.
Joe Smith is also suspended for Saturday’s showdown, but skipper Nick Jackson and the influential Matt Warfield return to the fold.
The Tigers also welcome Lincolnshire rivals Boston Town to Carter’s Park for a league clash on Wednesday night (7.45pm).
Nine-goal Striker Will Bird misses that clash due to an untimely holiday.
