FC CLACTON boss Kieron Shelley says he and his players are itching to get back in action this weekend – to try and build on their opening victory of the season.

The Seasiders picked up their first win after pipping fellow strugglers Swaffham Town 1-0 at the Rush Green Bowl on Saturday.

It moved them to within three points of the Norfolk side heading into their next assignment at Haverhill Rovers.

And Shelley says the match cannot come soon enough.

“Things are happening for us and the whole squad is itching to play again,” he said.

“If we could have got on a coach and driven to Haverhill straight after Saturday’s game we would have done!

“We’re desperate to get back out there and it can’t come soon enough.

“I said before Saturday’s game that I’d like to have ten points on the board by Christmas.

“Now we’ve got four and we’ve still got six games before the end of the year, including some against sides in the pack just above us.

“To be written off so early in the season by some people is an insult.

“I don’t feel like we’re a bottom of the table team and I feel we’re better than that.

“There’s a long way to go and at least we’ve given ourselves a chance.”

In addition to the points, Shelley was delighted with the clean sheet.

And he wants his side to become equally hard to beat in the coming weeks.

“We’re a big club in a big, growing town and we should be higher in the table causing all sorts of trouble for the teams above,” he said.

“Clacton should be the last place teams want to visit and I hope that becomes the case.

“All the teams we play know we’re going to be hard to play and beat because we’ve got a great squad and real togetherness.

“You could see on my players’ faces what it meant to them.

“Before this season, they weren’t used to losing – either at this level, a higher level, or from reserve and under-18 football.

“Now we’ve stopped the rot and we’re so eager to play again, with even more bite and belief than before.”