A 1-0 defeat at Julius Martin Lane on October 15 proved to be the catalyst for Urchins to hit form and lose just one of their next 22 league games

Jimmy McFarlane hopes his Hornchurch players can maintain their impressive form in Ryman North when Soham Town Rangers visit Bridge Avenue tomorrow (Saturday) after getting a warning at Great Wakering Rovers.

Urchins earned a comprehensive 5-2 win at Burroughs Park last weekend, but were poor during the first half and only claimed the points following a big improvement after the break.

Last Saturday’s triumph means it is one defeat in 22 league games for Hornchurch and that run started after they lost 1-0 at Soham Town back on October 15.

McFarlane’s team were also edged out by the Cambridgeshire outfit by the odd goal last season, so Urchins know they cannot be complacent tomorrow.

He said: “The last two times we have played Soham Town we have lost 1-0 on both occasions, but even though I keep repeating myself, we just need to keep doing what we are doing.

“At this stage of the season you don’t get any easy games because teams down the bottom are fighting for their lives, but mid-table sides are still pushing to move up the league.

“I think last Saturday was a lesson for us because for 45 minutes you would have thought Great Wakering were the play-off team, but we improved and got the result, so we just need to keep doing that.”

After seeing Hornchurch put five past Great Wakering last weekend, you could forgive neutrals for expecting plenty more goals at Bridge Avenue this weekend.

But McFarlane would be content with a dull encounter with Urchins finishing as winners as he looks to put pressure on leaders Maldon & Tiptree.

“I’ll take a clean sheet now. People may say we should score four or five goals, but I’ll be more than happy with a 1-0 victory,” he added.

“You don’t get four points for scoring three or four goals, so I’ll take any type of win on Saturday. It is all about results at this stage of the season, rather than performances.”

Urchins top goalscorer Leon McKenzie missed their 3-2 defeat to Dulwich Hamlet in the quarter-finals of the Ryman League Cup on Tuesday, but will return tomorrow to face Soham.

Rob Budd made his Hornchurch debut against the Londoners and McFarlane has signed the experienced goalkeeper until the end of the campaign.

He added: “Rob is a friend of Sam Mott’s and has been training with us for a while. Sam has had a bit of pain in his knee, so we decided to rest him on Tuesday.

“We’re going to keep Rob with us for the rest of the run-in and it’s handy to have him there if we need him. The big thing is we know what we are getting.

“When you bring somebody in on loan, you never quite know how they’ll be. With Rob, he’s got a promotion from this league before with Thamesmead Town and has a great CV, so I’m pleased we have him as a back-up option.”