“We are in great shape going into the play-offs,” says interim Ghosts boss

Neil Jarvis is backing his Fakenham Town players to bounce back from the disappointment of missing out on the Thurlow Nunn Premier Division title.Despite winning their final game of the season 2-1 against Dereham on Easter Monday, the Ghosts were pipped to top spot by Brantham Athletic, who ran riot to beat an inexperienced Hadleigh United outfit 6-0.Fakenham had started the afternoon three goals better off than Brantham – but ended it two goals behind as the league was decided by the narrowest of margins.The Ghosts will now host Walsham le Willows in the play-off semi-final on Saturday, with the winners meeting either Downham Town or Ely City in the final.It was heartbreaking for everyone connected with the club, especially the management team of Jarvis and Stephen Harvey.Interim boss Jarvis said: “There’s nothing I can say to the players at present that will pick them up, but before the season started if I’d said to them they’d be in the play-offs, they’d have snapped my hand off.”They were hoping to win the game and the title against Dereham, but it didn’t happen. “We’re in a rich vein of form, so we will use this performance, carry it into Saturday and see where it takes us again. “We’ve won nine on the spin and are 10 unbeaten. We are in great shape going into the play-offs.”Jarvis added: “We’ll rest and recuperate this week, have a little light training session, work on a few things and go again.”It’s about preparing properly. If we are anywhere close to the performance we gave against Dereham, then it’s going to be a hell of a game here again. “It’s about being brave again, having that confidence to go and perform in front of perhaps another big crowd and go from there.”The Ghosts are expecting another bumper crowd on Saturday after 752 fans flocked to the Daly Group Stadium. “The fans were magnificent and a huge thanks to them all,” said Jarvis.”They were fantastic and roared us on. When it was 2-0, we could have got a third and a fourth and who knows where it would have taken us, but massive credit to the fans for their total support. “We’ve had one or two big FA Vase games, but I think this has got to top it all.”I mean, for young lads, there were 17, 18 and 19-year-old lads out there and they’ve just embraced the occasion, which is what we wanted.”We told the players to go and enjoy themselves and we’ll do the same in the play-offs.”King’s Lynn Town loanee Fin Whiteley struck the Magpies’ bar with a fierce shot before Jake Watts netted the rebound to put Fakenham in front after 28 minutes. Louis Henman- Mason fired inches wide for the Ghosts in the 42nd minute as the home side went in search of a second.Dereham goalkeeper Ben Selft tipped Watts’ effort over the woodwork as the home side upped the pressure in the second half.From the resulting corner, Dylan Coslett climbed highest to double Fakenham’s advantage.The Ghosts were still at the summit until Brantham registered two goals in quick succession in their one-sided clash against Hadleigh. Lewis Sturman curled a free-kick just wide of the post while Fin Whiteley was denied by a brilliant save from Self after finding himself one-on-one with the visiting goalkeeper.The Ghosts needed one more goal to regain top spot, but when Jamie North pulled a goal back for the Magpies with 12 minutes remaining, they were left with too much to do.Reflecting on the win, Jarvis added: “I thought to a man, we were outstanding.”We could have maybe had another two or three goals had our decision-making been a little better.”We were up against a decent Dereham outfit with a lot of experience on the pitch, but I thought we were outstanding.”I thought every player against Dereham was seven, eight, nine out of ten.”