Sandals on a thread

Faced with the prospect of possibly having to win their eight remaining games to stave off relegation, Sandals South Coast's coach Aaron Lawrence is adamant his team will still be in the Premier League next season.

Sitting 10 points deep in the drop zone, Sandals started their quest to stay alive by beating Harbour View 1-0 last Thursday.

"The objective now is to win the remaining games and be part of the Premiership next year. We have no doubt that we can do that. Sandals never say die until the end of the road. We [are] going to take it game by game. We started it off with Harbour View, we have Cavalier Wednesday and MoBay Sunday," said a hopeful Lawrence.

However, he admitted his strikers will have to do what they haven't been able to all season, convert chances.

"The main problem that we have been having all season is in the striking department. We are missing chances. Before the transfer window, we didn't have any players that played in this league before. When you are at this level, you need players who have been at this level and know how to score goals."

Claudius Blackburn, who played Premier League for relegated Maverley, was acquired in the January transfer window to help end the goal drought. He found the back of the net against Harbour View. Lawrence is hoping to build on this momentum.

Lawrence said that the team from Westmoreland had the financial means to acquire more experienced players in the transfer window, but the team's position in the tables rendered that possibility futile.

"When the January transfer window came around, a lot of players who we were trying to get in, they wanted to stay at their clubs to fight for championship. We are fighting to stave off relegation so they didn't want to come," Lawrence said.

"I think, at times, this league is about luck. When you are lucky, things will go your way. All season our team has been playing well."

Sandals, however, will need more than luck. Of their remaining eight games, five will be against top-six teams.