“THIS game is as big as it gets for us”.

Swindon captain Marc Williamson did not mince his words when questioned over the importance of their weekend fixture against league leaders Marshfield.

With just five WEPL Wiltshire games remaining, Swindon trail Marshfield by 43 points in second and know victory is essential if they are to overhaul their rivals and secure promotion.

When the two sides met at the County Ground earlier this season, Williamson’s side suffered a batting collapse as they were skittled out for 85 before Marshfield surpassed the total inside 15 overs.

But having only lost once since then, Williamson insists his team are full of confidence now and an upturn in their bowling fortunes has given the Swindon skipper genuine belief that the Saturday’s visitors might be able to pull off something special.

He said: “It’s very much a case of us needing to win to have any chance of going up this year.

“Marshfield have been the best team in the league this season and are deservedly top, so we have to win to put some pressure on them.

“We’re not short on confidence at the moment.

“Everyone throughout the team has been performing. We’ve been batting well and our bowling has really picked up.

“We’ve been putting teams under pressure and we’ve been able to get on top.”

Despite a highly impressive away record of five wins from six matches, claiming another precious victory is unlikely to come easily for Williamson’s men as Marshfield’s record at The Broadleys remains at 100 per cent from their half-dozen outings.

The Swindon skipper says the pre-match message is likely to consist of instructing his players to go about their business in the usual fashion while reminding them to play with a smile on their faces.

Williamson said: “It will be a case of me trying to take the pressure off the guys.

“It is a big game for us, but we just need to go in and play the same as we have done over the past few weeks.

“If we make sure everyone is relaxed and we play our natural game, when we do that, we’re as good as anyone.”

Elsewhere, Royal Wootton Bassett host Warminster and Purton are at home to Westbury & District.