Rayment: Tulips are now the team to fear in Evo-Stik League

Pat Rayment reckons that the prospect of playing his Spalding United side will be giving rival Evo-Stik League First Division South teams “nightmares” at the moment.

The in-form Tulips visit struggling Market Drayton Town on Saturday (3pm) and will be hot favourites to extend their incredible run of eight wins from their last nine league games.

Now just 11 points behind leaders Sutton Coldfield Town with four games in hand, Rayment is adamant that Spalding can win the title.

He’s warned his fourth-placed charges not to underestimate relegation threatened Market Drayton, but insists that confidence is sky high at the Sir Halley Stewart Playing Field.

“If we don’t take our foot of the gas, nobody in the league can stop us,” said Rayment. “We must be a nightmare for opposition sides at the moment.

“We’ve put ourselves out there as the team to beat and I stand by that. This team is capable of going on and winning the league, I believe that.

“But we can’t get complacent. Every team in this league is capable of beating each other.

“Every game is important and Market Drayton are fighting for their lives at the bottom.

“Being where we are is very satisfying, though. After such a poor pre-season we’ve made changes for the better.

“Players were moved on and systems have been changed – and the players have responded superbly.”

Rayment is only sweating over the fitness of Luke Thurlbourne ahead of the trip to north Shropshire.

He could have new signing Lee Clarke, who has been playing for Yaxley in recent weeks, in the squad too. Midfielder Clarke, a former Northern Ireland under-21 international and Peterborough United player, completed his move to the Tulips on Thursday night.

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