AFTER temperatures plummeted and the icy conditions affected the midweek football action for the town's top two football teams, both Lowestoft and Kirkley and Pakefield will be looking to bounce back tomorrow from narrow defeats in their previous matches.

AFTER temperatures plummeted and the icy conditions affected the midweek football action for the town's top two football teams, both Lowestoft and Kirkley and Pakefield will be looking to bounce back tomorrow from narrow defeats in their previous matches.

Lowestoft entertain third-placed Dereham at the Crown Meadow. Intent on following up their 3-1 defeat at second-placed Leiston last Saturday with a home win, Micky Chapman's men 'aim to bounce back tomorrow'.

Still top of the table, Lowestoft are eight points ahead of Carl Chenery's men, who have five games in hand.

But, with the points already on the board, Lowestoft's joint boss Micky Chapman yesterday threw down the gauntlet to their north Suffolk rivals.

'Leiston still have 26 games left, but their players were celebrating on Saturday like they had already won the league and were champions because they'd beaten us,' he said.

'I've never known a side to win the league or a cup competition in January - so it's a bit premature of them to be celebrating,' Chapman added.

A philosophical Chapman said that there were only three points at stake last week.

With Jamie Stokeld and Ross King now suspended for the next three matches, following their sendings-off against Ely, although Chapman is pleased with the squad's 'strength in depth', The Journal can reveal that Lowestoft are in negotiations with a new defender.

'We're looking at the whole picture, but there's still a long way to go,' Chapman said. 'We've long term injuries, suspensions and with the Vase coming up, we can't go into that game with two players (Jamie Stokeld and Damian Hilton) cup-tied and Neil Plaskett, Carl Poppy and Matty Potter all returning from injury.'

Over the bascule bridge, Nick Shorten's Kirkley and Pakefield side have been out of action for two weeks now due to the weather. The KP Royals' last match was the keenly-contested local derby against Lowestoft on December 27 - and with two away matches in the next five days, at Haverhill tomorrow and next Wednesday at King's Lynn Reserves, they will be hoping to return to winning action soon.

Still handily placed in sixth position in the Ridgeons League, the KP Royals will be looking to take their good form from 2008 into their first match of the New Year tomorrow.