RYMAN ONE NORTH: Great Wakering Rovers manager Dan Trenkel believes his side need five more points to ensure their Ryman One North status for another season.

Trenkel has targeted 47 points as the magical number that will keep last season’s Essex Senior League champions in the league, and they have a chance to climb to within two points of that tonight.

Rovers visit 15th-placed Waltham Abbey off the back of Saturday’s fine 1-1 draw with Wroxham.

Although Trenkel said his team should have gone home from Norfolk with all three points.

“It was a good point for us at Wroxham but I honestly think we should’ve had all three,” he said. “We had three great chances in the first half and had more clear-cut chances in the second half too. Defensively we looked really solid again and it was an unfortunate own goal that broke a 320-minute spell of not conceding.

“With other teams losing it now means we are in with a shout of leapfrogging the two teams directly above us (Cheshunt and Maldon & Tiptree) if we can take advantage of our games in hand.

“Waltham Abbey are a very good side and I can’t understand why they are in 15th place at the moment. They play passing football, have a front two (Jason Hallett and James Peagram) that are as good as any in the division and have some very technically gifted players in midfield as well.”

Rovers have a great chance to finish their season on a high, with their next six games against teams in the bottom half of the table.

And Trenkel says this is the time to push on.

“I think the block of next five games (after Waltham Abbey) is massive for us,” he continued.

“I do think that 47 points will be enough and I’m hoping we can get to that total sooner rather than later.

“We’ve got Maldon and Cheshunt in our sights and if we can finish above those two sides, with the finances they have at their disposal, it would be a massive achievement as we’ve got no right to be there with the size of our expenses budget.”

Billy Radley will miss the game against Waltham Abbey tonight as he serves the last of his two match suspension. Joe Skeels is also unavailable due to work, while Tom Ranger and John-Joe Slater have slight muscle injuries.