City of Peterborough player-coach Gareth Andrew has labelled Sunday’s National Conference East clash with Indian Gymkhana at Bretton Gate (1pm) ‘a must-win match’.
It’s a battle between the only two teams in the division without a win and three points would lift the city side off the bottom of the table.
And City will go into the match with plenty of confidence after pushing title favourites Holcombe all the way before succumbing to a 4-3 defeat last weekend.
Andrew said; “We played very well against a very good side and, although it was gutting to lose again, we can take plenty of positives from the match.
“If we show a similar work ethic and play just as aggressively we will have a good chance of victory this Sunday. We certainly need to win and I’d go as far as saying it’s a must-win game for us.
“If we can pick three points up from this one and then three points from our trip to Oxted the week after we could be confident of staying in this division.
“Like us Indian Gymkhana have conceded plenty of goals this season so if we can keep things tight at the back ourselves we should be able to score the goals to get us the three points.”
Andrew and Marcus Howard fired City into a 2-0 lead after just seven minutes at Holcombe before the home side stirred themselves.
Short-corner specialist Gareth Carr cracked home a hat-trick of set-pieces as Holcombe eased 4-2 ahead, but an own goal gave City some hope in the final stages.
Andrew added: “Many of us probably felt we could get a hammering, but we fought so hard we had a very good side worried. Play like that every week and we will not get relegated.”
City have a full strength squad available this Sunday and bring in regular second-team players Ross Ambler, Paul Hillsdon, Josh Rowbottom and Pete Ellis as support.
The bottom team will be relegated with the next-to-bottom side entering a play-off.
Roundup: Old men beaten up by rampant kids
City of Peterborough’s old folk were shown no mercy by the club’s youngsters in the Bretton Gate derby.
City eighths smashed City Vets 7-1 in an East Division Six North West (South) League clash as, perhaps unsurprisingly, fitness and pace proved crucial in the latter stages orf the match.
The Vets actually drew level with a Kevin Ledbrook penalty in the early stages of the second-half, but that was the spark that set the kids on fire.
Tom Astle (3), man-of-the-match Minesh Patel (2) and Ben More (2) scored the goals for the eighths who are two from two in league action.
Wisbech are five from five in the Premier B Division although they had to come from behind to topple bottom club Colchester 4-3. Goals from Gary Freear, James Mansfield, Dan Martell and Sam Blunt enabled Wisbech to fight back from 3-1 down.
City of Peterborough fourths are unbeaten in Division Two North after goals from Mile Yeoman Aggi MIlner, Chris Pepper and Danny Needham secured a 4-0 win over Cambridge University thirds.
City seconds beat oppostion from the same club 4-1 in the Premier A Division, but goalkeeper Jon Short was still their man-of-the-match, while the thirds were duffed 5-1 by another University side.
Spalding Ladies continued their perfect start to the East Division Two North West campaign with a 3-0 win over Cambridge City thirds. Karen Timby scored two of the goals.
Grace Hammond scored four as March crushed Newmarket 9-0 in Cambs Division Two, but Wisbech lost their unbeaten record in East Division One North. They went down 4-1 at Dereham.
Fixtures:
Men
Saturday
East League
Premier A Division - West Herts v City of Peterborough 2nds.
Premier B Division - City of Peterborough 3rds v Wisbech, Long Sutton v Cambridge University 2nds.
Division One - St Ives v March.
Division Two North - Norwich Dragons v Bourne Deeping, Dereham 2nds v Spalding, University of East Anglia v City of Peterborough 4ths.
Division Three North West - Wisbech 2nds v Alford, Cambridge South 2nds v Wisbech 3rds, City of Peterborough 5ths v Cambridge Nomads 2nds.
Division Four North West - Spalding 2nds v St Neots 2nds, March v Horncastle, Spalding 3rds v Long Sutton 2nds, Bourne Deeping 2nds v March 3rds, City of Peterborough 7ths v City of Peterborough 6ths.
Division Five North West - Newmarket 2nds v Bourne Deeping 4ths, Bourne 3rds v Louth, Cambs Nomads 3rds v Wisbech 4ths.
Division Six North West (North) - Spalding 4ths v Long Sutton 3rds, Boston 2nds v Spalding 5ths, Long Sutton 4ths v Leadneham.
Division Six North West (South) - City of Peterborough Vets v St Neots 3rds, St Neots 4ths v City of Peterborough 8ths.
Ladies
East League
Division One North - Ipswich 2nds v Long Sutton, Wisbech v Bury St Edmunds.
Division Two North West - Cambridge City 2nds v Spalding, Shefford & Sandy v Bourne Deeping, City of Peterborough v City of Peterborough 2nds.
Cambs League
Premier Division - Wisbech 2nds v Oundle, Cambridge South v Spalding 2nds.
Division One - City of Peterborough 3rds v St Ives 3rds.
Division Two - Wisbech 3rds v Bourne Deeping 3rds, City of Peterborough 4ths v Newmarket 3rds, Spalding 3rds v March.
Sunday
Men
Natiional League Conference East - City of Peterborough v Indian Gymkhana.
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