Fakenham Town's manage-ment team are growing increasingly confident of avoiding the Ridgeons League wooden spoon by climbing above Long Melford and Cornard United at the foot of Division One.

Fakenham Town's manage-ment team are growing increasingly confident of avoiding the Ridgeons League wooden spoon by climbing above Long Melford and Cornard United at the foot of Division One.

Saturday's home success over Saffron Walden was their third league win of the season and put them level on points with Long Melford (13 from 28 games) and two behind Cornard, who have played two games more.

On Saturday, Mark King and Stuart Woodhouse take the Ghosts to fourth from bottom March before Easter Monday's tough home game with Diss which kicks off at 11am.

The Tangerines, under former Fakenham management duo Paul Tong and Kevin Boon, are in the promotion mix, third in the table.

Woodhouse said he and King had noted a marked improvement in Fakenham's play in recent weeks, with the last four games producing two wins, a draw and an unlucky defeat.

“The lads are really appreciative of the encouragement they are receiving from the crowd. Supporters have seen they can make a difference.”

He and King are planning for next season - there will be no relegations this campaign from Division One. “Hopefully there are several local players who want to come to the club,” said Woodhouse.

Fakenham Town 1, Saffron Walden 0

A first-half strike by Ben Darby sealed the win over a club which had previously lost only six league games and could make the top three.

The Ghosts were under early pressure when the bar came to their rescue. But they battled back and Darby scored with a low left-foot shot into the corner of the net after turning his marker.

Fakenham heeded the call to stay tight in the opening quarter of the second period, and again concentrated on not conceding from set pieces, which had been a weak part of the game early season. Woodhouse said work on that aspect was now paying dividends.

Fakenham survived when Saffron Walden's centre forward had an effort cleared off the line to their centre-half only two yards from goal, whose shot went straight at keeper Daniel Stockdale's chest.

With half an hour to go, Julian Delicata came on and provided a new outlet down the left, smacking a fine shot against the bar from 30 yards.

“Mark and I were really pleased with the result because it was a battling performance against a side which could still make it into the Premier Division,” said Woodhouse.

He hopes that Andrew Morgan will overcome a nasty knock on the ankle to be fit for the weekend.

Squad: Stockdale, Fenwick, Raisbury, Morgan, Woodhouse, Critten, Bamford, Whitred, Bryant, Darby, Haynes, Delicata, Connolly, King.