ROUND-UP: East Thurrock United manager John Coventry has called on his players to get back into the Ryman Premier play-off hunt with a win at struggling Lewes tomorrow.

Rocks’ game against Bognor Regis Town was postponed last weekend and Coventry said it was nice for his players to have a weekend off, after a busy new year schedule.

“They have been playing every Saturday and Tuesday for a while now so for them to have last weekend was a treat for them,” he said. “But now we need to get back into the swing of it and get a decent result at Lewes.”

The Rooks have struggled this term, sitting 19th in the Ryman Premier Division, and come into the game on the back of a 3-0 loss at Kingstonian on Monday.

But Coventry says they pose a threat at home.

“They have only lost three at home so they are a tough team to beat. We just need to be patient and we will get our chances.”

Great Wakering Rovers host Ware in Ryman One North with manager Dan Trenkel not taking anything for granted after a positive midweek result.

Rovers won 6-1 at basement club Burnham Ramblers on Tuesday to move 19 points clear of the relegation zone.

And Trenkel says staying up remains the club’s primary objective this term.

“At this moment in time we still only want to stay up,” he said. “Barkingside are 14 behind us with five games in hand so anything is possible.

“There are nine or 10 teams fighting for their lives and you have Cray Wanderers throwing pots of money at players to try to stay up.

“We just have to keep plugging away until mathematically we are safe and then we can try pushing on.”

Eljay Worrell (work) and Billy Radley (suspended) are out of the game against 11th-placed Ware although Leon Smith, newly signed from Redbridge, and Nick Skelton (hernia injury) will be available.

And Trenkel was full of praise for the defender’s commitment.

“He has been out for a month,” he said, “but Nick will put off the operation until the summer and look to play until then with the aid of a cortisone injection and some painkillers. He is a massive player for us so it will be nice to have him back around the team.”

Back in the Ryman Premier, Canvey Island are looking to build on a 1-1 draw at Met Police when they host Tonbridge Angels.

The Gulls have only taken two points from the last 18 available to them.

Angels, relegated from the Conference South last season, are languishing in 17th in the Ryman Premier League and have lost four of the last five games.

Harrison Chatting is out, while Mike Jones, Kevin Dobinson and Taylor Tombides are all struggling.