SWINDON Supermarine boss Lee Spalding hopes his side’s ability to grind out victory against Highworth Town in the Wiltshire Senior Cup will act as a catalyst for them to get back to winning ways in Southern League Premier Division South.

Marine wasted several first-half chances at the Save on Tyres Stadium on Wednesday, which highlighted their recent struggles in front of goal, but two well-taken chances put Spalding’s troops in the draw for the next round with a 2-1 success.

The Webbswood Stadium side had only scored two goals in five games previously, but their relatively resolute defence has kept them in games and Spalding feels that it is only a matter of time until his players turn things around.

“We went 1-0 down (against Highworth) and it would have been easy for the lads to get disappointed, what with the recent run we have been on where we’ve lost four on the bounce, but I thought we kept going well and showed some real character,” said Spalding.

“We’ve got good players here and it’s just a case of gaining that momentum, getting a win and going into Saturday looking forward to it and hopefully getting three points on the board. It would give everyone a bit of confidence and momentum.”

Spalding cited the run that Marine went on before their recent downturn in form, highlighting the fact that his players are capable of beating good teams, but once a few results went against them, they struggled to turn things around.

He said: “Football is such a confidence game and a lot of it is momentum, so if we get a little run going, I’m really confident that with the group we’ve got and with what we’re going to add to the team, I am confident we will get wins and get ourselves up the league.”

Marine welcome Harrow Borough to the Webbswood in the league on Saturday and Spalding believes that if his team show their second-half form from midweek, they have a good chance of picking up all three points.

They will be without Dan Williamson for the foreseeable future, though, as the defender dislocated his shoulder in midweek.

Spalding said: “I’ve got the lowdown on them and I know where they’re vulnerable, so it’s down to us to make sure we take advantage of that.

“When we play forward in the right areas, I think we have goals in us. I think we have a great chance of getting a result on Saturday.”