COMING SOON TO THE RYMAN LEAGUE - LEISTON FC

The Eastern Counties League Title was all but decided on Tuesday night when top of the table Leiston won 1-0 at home to third placed Wroxham. The only side which can mathematically still win the championship is second placed Dereham Town. "Mathematically" really is the key word here as they can only equal Leiston's current points total of 90 and would have to turn around a goal difference of 26 goals in their last six league games.

All Leiston need is a point from one of their remaining seven games starting with a trip to Wivenhoe Town's Broad Lane ground on Saturday. Bearing in mind the blue's (as they are known) only league defeat was against Wisbech Town on the opening day of the season way back on the 7th August it's now just a case of when and not if for the Suffolk side.

Eastern Counties League Premier Division (Current Top Two)

               P  W  D L GF GA  GD PTS PP
Leiston        35 28 6 1 93 28 +65 90  111
Dereham Town   36 21 9 6 75 36 +39 72  90

The club have successfully carried some improvements to their Victory Road ground and have been inspected by the FA and Ryman League resulting in an an E grading which is good enough for promotion from step 5 to step 4 of the pyramid.

With Lowestoft Town (winners of league on first occasion at Step 4) and this season Needham Market (currently 2nd) joining the Ryman North over the past couple of season's there is no doubt Leiston will be considered one of the favourites for the title if they do end up in the division next season.

Leiston, as stated, is in Suffolk just between the two brilliant seaside town's of Southwold and Aldeburgh. The latter boasts one of the best and highly recommended fish and chip shops going.

Mark Morsley's side has had a season to remember with a glory run in the FA Cup starting with a 2-0 victory on the 14th August at United Counites League side Northampton Spencer they went on to beat Cogenhoe United (3-0), St Neots Town * (3-2), Folkestone Invicta (2-1 after 1-1 draw) and North Greenford United before being drawn at home against Blue Square South Dartford in the Fourth Qualifying Round. The blues drew 0-0 in front of 832 before being narrowly beaten at Princes Park 3-2 in front of 1,074. This is not the first time in their recent history the club have tasted FA Cup glory as in 2008 they qualified for the first round and drew 0-0 with Fleetwood Town at Victory Road before losing the replay 2-0.

* Leiston are one of tonly two clubs to have defeated the UCL big spenders this season. The other occasions have been their title rivals Kings Lynn Town, once in the league and once in the FA Vase.

In the Vase they got to the Quarter Final where they lost to Coalville Town who won through to the final with victory over both legs of their semi-final with Kings Lynn Town.

A few facts about Leiston FC and Leiston -

1) Their last away league defeat was on the final day of last season (1st May 2010) against Debenham LC. They have since played 17 times on the road winning twelve and drawing five. Their remaining away games this season come at Wivenhoe Town (already mentioned), Wisbech Town on Tuesday 12th April and their local derby against Kirkley and Pakefield on Easter Bank Holiday Monday. The Fenman could be the only side to complete the double over Leiston with a victory at Fenland Stadium next Tuesday.

2) Leiston's average league crowd this season stands at 150 with their highest being 233 against Woodbridge Town on August 24th and their lowest being 78 against Walsham-Le-Willows on the 7th December. Only Kirkley and Pakefield (156), Dereham Town (162) and Wisbech Town (240) are above them in the average crowd table.

3) Manager Mark Morsley has lots of experience at Ryman League level having been in charge of AFC Sudbury when they defeated Enfield Town in the play-off semi-final at Goldsdown Road at the end of the 2006/07 season. He has also been in charge at Needham Market where last season he was general manager working alongside Danny Laws at the Marketmen won the title. He took over from Carl Chenery in the close season.

4) Central defender David Head who scored in the 2006/07 play off victory at Goldsdown Road is one of many ex AFC Sudbury players in the Victory Road squad.

5) During the second world war the Kings Regiment were stationed at Leiston who included amongst their ranks most of the Liverpool FC squad who played some matches at the ground.

6) Leiston have been members of the Eastern Counties League since 2001 when promotion from the Suffolk and Ipswich League was achieved. They spent three season in Divsion One before promotion to the Premier Division in 2003/04 after finishing in third place. Harwich and Parkeston and Cambridge City Reserves claimed second and first place that season. Finishes of 10th, 9th, 5th, 9th, 7th and 3rd positions followed in the Premier Division before this season's ultra successful campaign.

7) Leiston's 93 league goal haul in their 35 matches so far eclipses the 83 (in 38 league games) Needham Market scored in 2009/10. They may still beat Lowestoft Town's hugely impressive total of 114 goals in 40 games in 2008/09 season. The Trawlerboy's goal's per games ratio finished at 3.6 with Leiston's currently at 2.66 with seven games to go.

8) Leiston boasts the oldest purpose built Cinema in the county of Suffolk.

9) There is no train station in the town. It was shut down in the 1960's. The station is still in tact and the line is still used to service the nearby Sizewell nuclear power station. The nearest station is in nearby Saxmundham (roughly 4 miles) which can be reached from London by changing at Ipswich.

10) Leiston FC have well over a 100 years of history having been formed in 1880.

11) Pubs in Leiston area include The Engineers Arms, The Crown, The Royal Standard, The Eels Foot Inn and The Vulcan Arms on the coast in nearby Sizewell.