Ilford 2 Redbridge 1

Manager Kevin Lucas is adamant Ilford will not be relegated this season, after seeing his team end a miserable run of 20 league games without a victory last night.

The Foxes, who had not picked up maximum points since the opening day of the season, finally gave the Cricklefield crowd something to crow about with victory over their local rivals.

Goals from Usama Hamdan either side of 16-year-old Charlie Portway’s strike proved enough for Lucas’ side on a windy night.

The win moved Ilford off the bottom of the Ryman One North table – a point ahead of Redbridge and two clear of Ware.

And Lucas admits the psychological boost Wednesday night’s 2-1 triumph has given his players should spur them on to safety.

“It’s a real monkey off our back,” he said.

“The longer the run goes on the worse it gets. It felt great to finally get over the line. “How long it’s gone on for is ridiculous, but finally the players could tuck into their post-match sandwiches rather than choke on them.

“Had Redbridge won they would have been five points clear of us, so it was such an important result.

“I don’t think we will go down. Redbridge are getting better and Ware are pulling in players, but we are now clear of them and capable of picking up more points.

“And you won’t have both teams go on a nutty run. If you were battling against one team, then a win for them puts pressure on you, but that isn’t the case this season.”