IT’S a quick turnaround for Portland United as they host Team Solent tonight in the Sydenhams Wessex Premier Division (7.45pm).

The Blues are on a 15-game unbeaten run in the league which stretches back to mid-October, and manager Gary Bailey says his team are remaining grounded.

He said: “When you’re on a good run you want the games to come thick and fast because you just want to keep playing. The lads are looking forward to it, but we know it’ll be a stern test because Solent are a really good side.

“The run is something that we are aware of but we don’t bang on about it. Talking about it just heaps on the pressure. We just take each game as it comes and if we do the things we’ve been doing and prepare properly then we can’t do any more. It all about maintaining our standards.

“Records are for looking back on at the end of the season, the more you talk about them the more incentive teams have to knock you off your perch and that’s not what we want to invite on to ourselves.”

Despite the side feeling confident, Bailey did agree with the idea of managing “over-confidence” within the camp in order to keep the squad grounded on such a run.

He said: “That’s probably more of a problem than getting them up for games. It’s a case of making sure that we send the same messages out. We don’t get too low if we lose or too high if we win, it’s about keeping that even keel and treating every game exactly the same.

“By doing that we can steer away from any over confidence creeping in.”

Portland have also been confirmed as the Sydenham Football League’s club of the month, an award which Bailey described as “testament to the hard work of the players, the committee and those behind the scenes”.

Ahead of tonight’s game Bailey confirmed that Jordan Mullis is set to continue in goal, while Lewis Clarke misses out (hamstring) and Tom Richardson is to have a late fitness test on his knee.