CHELMSFORD City's players are eager for each game to arrive as they head into this Saturday's home Blue Square Bet South game against Hayes & Yeading United full of spirit (3:00pm kick-off at Melbourne).

Glenn Pennyfather's men took two wins from the previous week's matches against Truro City (2-1) and Dorchester Town (4-0) to put themselves in a potentially strong position behind the top two of Salisbury City and Welling United if they take advantage of the rest of their games in hand.

Last time they met Hayes, however, it ended in an uncharacteristic 3-0 defeat, and Pennyfather is keen to put things right in the reverse fixture. "It was a tough game when we went there, and it will be again," he explained before the meeting with the seventh-placed Middlesex outfit.

"There were extenuating circumstances last time because we had five or six players out injured, meaning we had to play people who perhaps weren't ready, and others turned up just before kick-off due to traffic. That said, Hayes fully deserved the victory, but we'd like to play them again on different terms."

The Clarets are in fifth position, having played between one and four games less than the rest of the teams in the top half. They also received news this week that Farnborough, another team pushing for the top positions, have had four points deducted by the league for their use of an ineligible player.

Glenn added: "If the players aren't excited now, then they're never going to be! We've won four out of five - the only loss being to a 93rd-minute rocket shot at Maidenhead - and we're looking forward to every game.

"We're working on weekends at the moment as it's Saturday-Monday again, and we're targeting six points."