OPTIMIST Will Croker still sees a route into the top two for Bournemouth and says back-to-back wins over Lydney and Cleve would hugely boost his team's cause.

Lions closed to 15 points the gap on second-placed Old Redcliffians last weekend despite dropping a place to eighth in National Three South West.

The Chapel Gate side host Lydney tomorrow (2pm) and visit another bottom-half side in Cleve seven days later, before taking on table-toppers Dings Crusaders at the end of the month.

And head coach Croker wants to see his team kick on from their notable draw at Brixham last time out.

He told the Daily Echo: "There is a cluster of us on the same number of points and if we can put together a couple of back-to-back wins we are very quickly going to be up to third or fourth, which is more where we want to be.

"We are then moving to within striking distance. In an ideal world, Dings would go undefeated for the rest of the season, battering everything before them, apart from us.

"That, potentially, gives us the chance to close the gap."

Lions: Hancox, Everett-Bolter, Gleadowe, Chislett, Roberts, Boyd, Hardcastle, Spikings, Manning, Firetto, Treloar, Kenneally, Hennings, Bennett, Rees. Replacements: Edwards, Richardson, Yeats.