A renwed rearguard action is the secret to Wroxham’s recent upturn in form, according to manager Jordan Southgate.

The Yachtsmen are unbeaten in eight games and have won their last four, including a 2-0 Boxing Day win over Stowmarket Town that earned them the Pitching In Isthmian League North Performance of the Month award for December. 

Victory over high-flying Stowmarket is not the only notch on Wroxham’s belt, with their unbeaten run stretching back to November 12 and wins against Gorleston and Witham Town following in January. 

The Yachtsmen have conceded just three times in that period and Southgate revealed frank conversations about their defensive approach have helped drive a new stinginess at the back. 

“Getting promoted was brilliant and we found it a little bit tough when we first came into the league,” he said. 

“We found the step up enjoyable. Every team is a lot better than what we were up against at step five, it’s a lot more professional.  

“We evaluated our game and realised we don’t need to be so exposed, we needed to make ourselves harder to beat and we know we’ve got quality football players who can hurt teams.  

“We pride ourselves on being hard to beat and five clean sheets in the last eight games has shown that. 

“We sat down as a group and said if we stop conceding goals, those losses turn into draws, which turn into wins. It really is that simple.  

“It’s harder to do and implement that but we worked hard in training and before we know it we’re eight games unbeaten and have won four on the spin. It’s crazy what confidence can do for a group.” 

Late strikes from Brad Spooner and Shaun Taylor earned the victory over Stowmarket to continue Wroxham’s march up the table and end the Old Gold and Blacks’ unbeaten run that stretched back to August.

“Boxing Day is either the best day to have a match if you win or the worst if you lose,” said Southgate.

“We knew Stowmarket hadn’t lost since August, they were on an unbelievable run and are a really good side. We set out a game plan, the lads executed it and we fully deserved to win the game. 

“I was delighted with the performance from everyone at the club and it gave everyone at the club the Christmas present they deserved.” 

Wroxham now sit 12th in the Pitching In Isthmian League North, comfortably clear of the relegation zone that they occupied as recently as last month, but Southgate insisted his sights are still set on avoiding relegation in their first season at this level.

“The target is still to stay up and until we know that’s guaranteed, our target won’t change,” he said. 

“If the run ends, we’ll start another one. We don’t get too high with the highs, or too low with the lows. We know our target and we just keep rolling with it.”

Ladbrokes, with the support of its owner Entain, has launched a multi-million-pound investment programme, Pitching In, designed to support and promote grassroots sports. For more details see: https://entaingroup.com/sustainability/pitching-in/