Improving Gorleston's development is more than a month ahead of where Ricci Butler expected it to be.

The Greens' boss took over the Thurlow Nunn League Premier Division club in the summer after leaving lower-level Great Yarmouth Town and has not been shy in admitting his new side is a work in progress. Yet their impressive evolution has surprised even the man at the helm with just one defeat in nine matches following a 5-0 thumping at Whitton United lifting Gorleston up to seventh in the table.

Butler, whose troops beat London Tigers 6-3 after-extra-time in a FA Vase thriller on Saturday, said: 'They were trying to execute the tactics and play with the ethos that I wanted to see straight from the start of the season.

'That Whitton game (September 19) was a real kick in the teeth as we'd been doing really well even though we hadn't been getting the results we perhaps fully deserved.

'It was a write-off. After the match we had a real group dressing down and since then we've had loads of compliments from teams we've played against about how we play such good football.

'On Saturday some of the supporters were talking about how well we passed and kept the ball rather than the result.

'It took the first eight or nine games, a lot of hard work, and a lot of chopping and changing to really instill in the boys how we want them to play.

'If I'm honest, I didn't expect it to start happening regularly before Christmas but it has.

'I thought it would be a bit more drawn out and we'd have to focus on other things but the boys have really taken everything on board so now is the time to start pushing on and making sure this unbeaten run goes on a lot longer.'

Gorleston head to Brantham Athletic today and know that a victory, as long as other results go their way, could propel them to fifth in the standings.

Champions and league leaders Norwich United have stunned nobody by their sensational start to a campaign which continues this afternoon at Ipswich Wanderers.

Elsewhere, struggling Fakenham Town welcome Mildenhall Town, Kirkley & Pakefield entertain Hadleigh United and Swaffham Town host Stanway Rovers.

Dereham Town Reserves open their doors to Woodbridge Town in the First Division while a host of other teams compete in the Eastern Counties set-up's second-tier knockout cup.

Diss Town host Halstead Town, Downham Town welcome Yarmouth and King's Lynn Town Reserves travel to Stowmarket Town.

United Counties League Premier Division Wisbech Town are without a fixture.