Gorleston boss Stewart Larter admits his players may have to swap style for substance to gain the upper hand in the Thurlow Nunn Premier Division title race.

The favourites to lift the championship are well placed after their first nine games and have only tasted one defeat this season. That was in the FA Cup to big-spending United Counties League Premier Division Spalding.

However, a run of three draws in their last five league fixtures have seen the Greens become sandwiched in the middle of a group of clubs that are battling for early-season supremacy and Larter believes now is the time to start learning how to win ugly.

Larter, ahead of his outfit's home clash against eighth-placed Godmanchester Rovers this afternoon, said: 'As a manager you're always looking at where you could have done better. That was the case against Norwich United.

'We got into a 4-2 lead, got pegged back to 4-4, and showed great character to win it 5-4 in the end. For me, not being picky, to score four goals away at Felixstowe & Walton United and only get a point was disappointing. Against Hadleigh, we got ourselves in a winning position but couldn't turn that into three points either.

'We're sitting prettyish but had we have got an extra four points from those games we'd have been setting very pretty. It's going to be a very close league and we've only lost one game (in the FA Cup) so far. I think we'd have taken that at this stage.

'The trouble is, with the way we play, we try and always go and look for the next goal. But when we're 2-1 up, maybe the lads just need to be very professional, not be very good to watch for however long it is, be it 10 minutes, and do the job that's needed to get us over the line.

'Godmanchester are well organised, carry a threat, and we're expecting a tough game. It's a very tight league so far. Not looking too far ahead at our fixtures we've got a number of difficult games coming up. None of them are easy. We're going to have eight games in October and even the two cup games against Swaffham in the League Cup and Great Yarmouth Town in the FA Vase are very difficult.'

The Greens sit third just one point behind league leaders Brightlingsea Regent having played a game less.

Elsewhere today, Diss Town host Felixstowe & Walton United, Kirkley & Pakefield entertain Wivenhoe Town and fourth-placed Norwich United travel to Stanway Rovers.

The Tangerines look set to come up against their former player Dan Thrower and Richard Daniels concedes his team will miss their departed troop.

The Diss manager Daniels wrote in a blog on his club's website: 'Dan has decided to rejoin Felixstowe, he is a big loss, as he has started to settle in and play well. We wish him all the best and we move on.

'So we move on to today, without Dan Thrower, but that door closes and another one opens. This is where we hopefully see players like Charlie Webb take their chance. He has been patient, which we thank him for, now let's hope his patience proves valuable.'

In the First Division still managerless Downham Town host Halstead Town, Great Yarmouth Town welcome welcome third-placed Braintree Town Reserves while Swaffham Town, second, are at Saffron Walden Town.