WALTHAM Forest head into this week's vital relegation battle with Witham Town in buoyant mood after new manager Olewale Ojelabi kicked off his regime with a stunning 2-0 win over title challengers Aveley.

The Stags belied their lowly league position with a stirring performance against a team who, before the game, had only lost one game all season and were undefeated at home, with the league title well within their sights.

But a Gary Richfond goal and a seventh of the campaign for Joel Palmer guided the side to a morale-boosting win and, more importantly, they have scrambled out of the drop zone, going a long way to alleviating the pressure on a struggling team.

Forest will now be keen for a repeat performance at Cricklefields against a Witham outfit who lie two points behind the local side with just 13 points to their name.

Despite the weekend's heroics, the Stags still face a stiff task to escape the relegation mire, as they still trail Chatham Town in 20th by eight points – a position that, in their minds, will represent safety.

Meanwhile, Waltham Abbey take on fellow promotion hopefuls Northwood on Saturday desperate to bring a halt to their worrying four-game losing streak.

After threatening to push for a genuine title shot for much of the season, defeats against top dogs East Thurrock, Enfield Town, Chatham Town and a demoralising 4-0 loss to Cheshunt last week has seen the Abbots slip out of contention.

The side have managed just one goal in that time, and they will be hoping star strikers Billy Holland and Harry Elmes can rekindle their partnership in attack and fire the team back into the title race.

Elsewhere, Leyton are preparing for a league clash with Concord Rangers, keen to record their first win in eleven games.

Last week's 2-0 defeat to local rivals Ilford was their eleventh of the season, and unless things take a drastic upward turn, the Lilywhites' faint hopes of a play-off berth will be extinguished. Leyton are stuck in mid-table after their dire run, and a promotion bid looks to have fallen out of their reach, despite their early promise.