AFTER winning the Metaltec SIL championship for the previous three seasons, East Bergholt find themselves in danger of dropping down to junior football.

By Elvin King

AFTER winning the Metaltec SIL championship for the previous three seasons, East Bergholt find themselves in danger of dropping down to junior football.

They have won just four times in 18 league games this season, and face a stiff task tomorrow when they visit leaders and Suffolk Senior Cup finalists Grundisburgh.

The man with the task of ensuring Bergholt's safety is printer Glynn Hague, who took over as manager in mid-season.

The former Nottingham Forest Academy coach lives in the village, and is enjoying the task of putting Bergholt back on track.

They lost manager Tony Hall and most of the first team during the close season and have had to rely mainly on youngsters.

“We have some talented boys on the books,” said Hague, 45. “My aim is to retain senior status and we have the talent to do that.

“But it will mean a great deal of hard work as all the other clubs in the wrong half of the table will also be giving everything to avoid a bottom-two finish.

“We have games in hand, but we have to win them to make them count.

“We are not scoring enough goals, but I am insisting on us continuing to keep the ball on the ground and to knock it about.

“Playing against Grundisburgh we have nothing to lose, but I don't expect there to be any complacency in the Grundisburgh camp after their Senior Cup semi-final win last Saturday.

“I used to work with their joint manager Kevin Cunningham at Ipswich Wanderers and I know he will keep his players focused.”

Hague was coach at Ridgeons League Wanderers for three-and-a-half years, working first with Jason Dozzell and then this season with John Clarkson.

“I did not see eye to eye with John and moved on to originally do some coaching for Bergholt,” said Hague.

“They later asked me to become manager, and I am loving every minute of it.”

A central midfielder, Hague played for Northern Premier League clubs in Sheffield and Nottingham until he broke his leg at the age of 36.

He then spent five years working at the Nottingham Forest Academy when Paul Hart was running it, and among the boys that came through at the time was current Derby player Giles Barnes.

Hague met his wife Kerry on holiday and she comes from Colchester, which led to him moving this way.

Elsewhere in the SIL, Achilles will be looking to build on last week's win when they entertain Felixstowe United, and if results go their way they could move out of the bottom two.