Lowestoft Town FC manager Jamie Godbold has called on his players to approach the next match “with confidence” as they look to continue their unbeaten run at home in the league.

After a 1-1 draw with Rushall Olympic in the Pitching In Southern Premier Division Central League at Crown Meadow last Saturday, The Trawlerboys beat Needham Market 2-1 in the 2019-20 Turners Hyundai Suffolk Premier Cup Final second leg on Tuesday night.

But it was The Marketmen that lifted the trophy on the night, after a 4-3 victory on aggregate over the two-legged final.

The run of home matches at Crown Meadow continues tomorrow as Lowestoft entertain Stratford Town in a ninth versus tenth clash.

However, both Lowestoft and Stratford effectively find themselves in joint fourth as they are among seven teams locked on nine points after six league games in a keenly contested start to the season.

Ahead of tomorrow’s match with the Warwickshire-based side, Blues boss Jamie Godbold said: “While Tuesday fells like a loss it is important to remember we beat a team in the top two.

“Of course we are gutted that we could not give our supporters a trophy to cheer about.

“But we have to take the positives from that game, as we beat a really good side, and that bodes well going into Saturday.

“We can add Jake Reed to that squad, and so we must go into the game with confidence.

“We know that the teams that have to come to us will have to be at their best to beat us, which is a nice position to be in,

“We are in good form, and apart from the FA Cup defeat, we are unbeaten at home having played some very good sides who we have picked up points against.”

Defender Adam Tann was on the scoresheet for the second successive match, converting after Rossi Jarvis’ fantastic free kick had hit the bar in the fifth minute of last Saturday’s match against Rushall Olympic.

But the Pics hit back with an 87th minute equaliser, despite going down to ten men in the 77th minute.

Reflecting on the match, Godbold said: “To be in such a good position going into the last 10 minutes it was disappointing to draw.

“But I can’t fault the lads efforts and performances on Saturday, or Tuesday.

“I thought in the first half on Saturday they had a couple of chances early on where they launched the ball into the box from long throws, but for the most part we dealt with it really well.

“They are a big, strong team who will be there or thereabouts at the end of the season and we defended really well, right up until the last couple of minutes.

“Being 1-0 up with 12 minutes left, we didn’t manage to kill the game off when they had a man sent off and so it is always tough to take with a late equaliser.

“But I think overall it shows how far we have come.

“We have drawn more games this season already than we did for the majority of last season and games like that last season we may have lost.

“Before the game, we would have been really pleased with a point so it shows how disappointed we were to only pick up a point in the end.”

A Jacek Zielonka penalty and a superb Louis McIntosh free kick had given Lowestoft a 2-0 interval lead in Suffolk Premier Cup Final second leg on Tuesday, but Marsden’s 48th minute goal sealed the win on aggregate for Needham Market.

Godbold said: “On Tuesday, the positive is the fact that we won the game against a very good side, but it was just not enough over the two legs.

“We came out of the traps really well in the first half as we wanted to impose ourselves on the game.

“A penalty from Jacek and a brilliant free kick from Louis Mc put us in control but that man Marsden punished us again with another quality strike.

“We kept going, kept plugging away and ran ourselves into the ground as we were well supported by those in attendance, but it was just not enough.”

With Adam Tann going off injured at half time last Saturday, the defender missed the midweek final and is likely to miss out again on Saturday.

Colin Oppong came off with a dead leg on Tuesday night, but hopefully he will be fit tomorrow.

Jack Wilkinson and Travis Cole remain on the sidelines with their injuries, while Luis Tibbles will also be assessed after picking up an ankle injury last Saturday that meant Warren Burwood came in and “did really well” in goal according to Godbold.

With no midweek match next week, Godbold said: “It has come at a good time as it gives us the chance to rest a few.”