LITTLE Oakley are going in search of a derby double at the Royal Oak.

The visitors take on Harwich and Parkeston in a Kent Blaxill Essex and Suffolk Border League premier division clash on Saturday.

Bragging rights for the rest of the season are up for grabs and the Shrimpers will be looking to avenge their 1-0 defeat at Little Oakley on the opening day of the season.

With Little Oakley sitting third in the table, eighth-placed Harwich have it all to do.

But a derby match shows no respect for positons in the table.

Harwich and Parkeston chairman Tony Armstrong said: “We are not firing on all cylinders yet this season.

“We have had a great variation of players so far and don’t field the same team each week.

“Part of our success last season was our consistency.

“We had largely the same side out and we were able to play the same tactics each week.

“This season this hasn’t been the case and that consistency has gone.

“We haven’t yet found a settled balance for the team.

“It is very worrying going into the game against Oakley.

“They are playing really well at the moment and I think we will be going into the match as underdogs.

“Hopefully a lot of people will turn up to support both sides.

“In the same fixture last season we had over 300 spectators turn up for the match.

“May the best team win.”

Little Oakley joint-manager Paul Sadler also believes that the form book goes out of the window.

Sadler said: “Certainly league tables are nothing to look at going in to these types of games.

“Local derbies are tight games and we haven’t being doing great ourselves recently.

“We had the upper hand at the start of the season but since then they’ve signed on a few new players.

“But it would be nice to go into Christmas doing the double over them.

“Last season they did the double over us, so if we could do that to them it will show we are going in the right direction.

“We have got a full side available and on the day I think it will go down to who wants it more.”