SHANE Manning has urged his Harwich and Dovercourt Rugby Club players to keep the heat on leaders Colchester at the top of the table.

Harwich are second in the Eastern Counties Greene King division two south table, heading into their final game of the calendar year, this weekend.

They host lowly Thorpeness at Wick Lane, who have only one league win to their name all season and lie second from bottom in the table.

Head coach Manning believes it is vital his side maintain their form, to give themselves a fighting chance of overhauling their six-point deficit on the leaders.

Manning said: “Every game from now on will be exactly the same for us, in terms of importance.

“I won’t take any notice of Thorpeness’s league position – if I did then the players might too and we could come off second best.

“We’re expecting our opponents to play out of their skins but we have to concentrate on what we do.

“We’re hoping that Colchester will slip up but it’s unlikely that they will.

“The pressure is on us a bit because we have to win every single game.

“We have to keep winning until we play them in March.”

Manning says he is pleased with the way his young side have performed, so far this season.

Harwich have lost only once all season in division two south.

“We’ve struggled over previous seasons but the team is a lot younger now and they’re being given a chance,” added Manning.

“The complacency isn’t there, mainly because they’re still getting used to that winning feeling.

“And the good thing is that young players have a lot less commitments than older players, in terms of work and family.

“We’ve changed the structure of how we want to play and the boys have really bought into it.

“What we’re practising they’re producing on game day.

“We have senior guys in there to glue everything together but the structure suits the younger guys.

“When we played our Plate final recently, there were only three guys over the age of 30.”

Harwich and Dovercourt’s clash with Thorpeness takes place at Wick Lane tomorrow, kick-off 2pm.