HAVERHILL Rovers scrap to avoid relegation was boosted without a ball being kicked this week with the news that potentially no club could go down this season from the Ridgeons League Premier Division.
With Whitton United having already resigned from the league this season and Tiptree United and Lowestoft Town both now looking to move to different leagues for next term, Rovers appear likely to be spared the drop as the three vacancies created would
be filled by teams promoted from Division One.
Tiptree want to move to the Essex Senior League at the end of this season, while Lowestoft, together with promotion rivals Leiston Town, have formally applied to play Step Four football next term - should they earn the right to.
Despite the likelihood of no team being relegated, Rovers manager Peter Betts knows his team must still try to climb the table.
He said: "We need to keep fighting until the end of the season because you never know what might happen.
"We can't rely on that. We know it's there but we have to keep scrapping for points until the end of the season."
On the down side for Rovers this week, the knee injury picked up by Neil Cogger in last Wednesday's 4-0 reverse at CRC has ruled him out for the season.
Betts said: "It's not career threatening, but he's going to have a scan and we expect him to be out for the remainder of the season.
"It's a massive blow for us, he's the best player at the club but people showed on Saturday we can fill that void, maybe not as well, but there are people out there that can do a job."
Betts was full of praise for his players after their performance at Lowestoft Town took them to within 90 seconds of becoming the first team to win there this season.
He was also pleased new tactics and positional changes came off, such as playing Marcus Hunt in midfield, Stuart Kingham at right back and Shaun Banham alone up front.
Rovers have several injury concerns for Saturday's visit to relegation threatened Wisbech Town, although Sam Green and Ryan Kent are available again.
Cogger, Joe Harvey, Dan Marshall (both ankle) and Jamie Challis (unavailable) are definitely out, while injury doubts remain over top scorer Martin Westcott (hamstring), James Walker (hamstring), Gareth Thomas (ankle) and Andy Hughes (achilles.)
One boost for Rovers is the news that Richard Heller will be available for the team after the Kings Lynn Reserves match on March 28, when he returns from Loughborough University.