SWINDON Supermarine manager Lee Spalding is looking forward to letting his players off the leash again on Saturday as they get set to return to action after an enforced break.

Marine host Gosport Borough in Southern League Premier Division South – their first fixture since winning 2-1 at Frome Town on November 20.

Spalding’s side had last weekend off as the FA Trophy took centre stage, but their hopes of a swift return to action on Tuesday night were scuppered by the wet weather as they saw their scheduled trip to Poole Town postponed.

With his side still only one point above the relegation zone, Spalding says the Marine players are hungry to play again as they look to climb the table.

“It was a good win at Frome, so to not have a game for 11 days after that is very frustrating,” said Spalding.

“What it has done is give us a chance to get together as a group and make sure we are working hard towards the game against Gosport.

“It has allowed us to work on stuff and build on what we did against Frome with a view to how we will set up on Saturday and, hopefully, how we will win the game.

“All the players are fresh and hungry to play. They are looking forward to getting back out there.

“Three points is what we need at the moment and it’ll be great to have back-to-back wins and something to kick on from.”

Gosport are only four points above Marine in the standings at present, so Spalding knows how vital a win at the Webbswood Stadium this weekend could be.

“Defensively, we are going to be very organised, and going forward, we need to carry a real threat,” said Spalding.

“It’s a great opportunity as we are at home against a side who are only four points ahead of us.

“If we lose, we start losing ground on the teams ahead of us, so it is important we go into it with a positive attitude looking to get three points.

“We need to be attacking and make sure we have a real go at them.”

Brad Gray is out with a groin injury, while Josh Parsons is not yet fit enough to return for Marine, having got recent game time for Hellenic League side Shrivenham on his own injury comeback.