BILLERICAY Town manager Craig Edwards admits form could count for little ahead of a hectic Christmas period, and two huge derby clashes.

Town take on Grays Athletic at New Lodge tonight, before making the short journey to Canvey Island on Boxing Day.

However, Billericay are the team to beat, with only two defeats in their last 17 league matches following a 2-0 victory over Bognor Regis Town on Saturday.

But Edwards has urged his side to stay on their toes ahead of a Christmas period that has been known to throw up some unusual results.

“Form can go out the window a little bit in games like this, as in all derbies and this is an important little spell for us,” he said. “Teams that are going through difficult spells, like Grays, can pull themselves out in games like this.

“It is easier to go on a bad run of form than it is to go on a good run of results. This will be a testing week for us and we need to keep our eye on the ball. This is a busy time and a funny time as well as results can be surprising at this time.

“We were slow starters but we have come on very nicely and anyone who has watched our last half a dozen games will see how hard we are working as individuals and a team, and that is paying off.

“The group is very well drilled and we are seeing the benefits of that on the pitch. I have said it before but I don’t think we will lose many games this season. We need to sharpen up our finishing, but we are still winning games so if we can sort that out we will be an even better side.”

Town sit third in the division but could climb to the top of the pile with three points tonight, although any more rain is likely to put the match in doubt.

Large patches of sand covered the pitch on Saturday, with many players losing their footing but Edwards says he wants the game to go ahead, and continue setting the pace in the upper echelons at the table.

“The pitch took a hammering on Saturday but if we see no more rain ahead of tonight I think it will be OK. But if we see another downpour then we might be in trouble. We have played more games than everyone else for a while now and no-one has caught us yet. Tonbridge have four games in hand but they have to win those games and a lot of the teams challenging are playing one another anyway.

“We were 66/1 at the start of the season with the bookies and now we are down to 16/1 and are sixth favourites.”