Dan Bateman is keen to halt Wokingham and Emmbrook’s losing run when they host AFC Aldermaston this evening.
The Sumas have lost back-to-back league games, 4-2 against Wallingford Town and a last-gasp 3-2 loss at Woodley United on Saturday, but have a chance to bounce back in the Subsidiary Cup.
Wokingham twice fell behind against Woodley, equalising through Ellis Day and Josh Harris, only to lose to a last minute Teddy Thomas strike.
And while Bateman admits Saturday’s Hellenic Division One East clash against Abingdon Town is their biggest game of the week, he hopes to put things right at Larges Lane tonight (7.45pm).
“Ultimately we want to get back to winning ways,” the Sumas boss told The Wokingham Paper.
“It’s never nice to lose a couple on the bounce and you certainly don’t want to lose three on the bounce.
“We’ll be making sure we try to get a positive result and against Aldermaston and then Abingdon is a chance to get some points on the board.”
Also in Group B, Holyport’s 4-2 win at Woodley on Monday evening leaves Sumas needing to avoid defeat against Aldermaston to keep any realistic hopes of qualification alive.
Holyport currently top the group with 10 points from four games, Aldermaston have six from four, Sumas four from three and Woodley prop up the pile with just three points from five matches played. Wokingham still have to host all three sides in their group starting with Aldermaston this evening and Bateman says the group is finely poised.
“The group that we’re in particularly, there’s four teams with very little between them,” he said.
“We’ve played Aldermaston, Holyport and Woodley now and there’s nothing between the four sides.
“There’s not anybody that can tell me that one side in that group is better than the other because they’re not. It’s about performances on the day.
“It will be up to us to get the result on Tuesday and then I think that would put us in a good position.
“But ultimately it’s the cup and the league is where we want to get some points.”
