SOUTHEND Saxons face a crucial clash at home to Guildford in National Three London & SE tomorrow.

After being hit by a 10 point deduction, Saxons are in deep trouble in the relegation zone.

But Tom Ashton is desperate for Southend to boost their survival hopes with a much needed victory against ninth placed Guildford this weekend.

“We find ourselves in a hole at the moment but only we can dig ourselves out of it so it’s vital we get the win on Saturday,” said Ashton.

“I’m sure we will be facing a tough test at home because they’re a side who are also down near the bottom of the table.

“They will be throwing everything they have at us to also try and climb out of trouble but we have to make sure we can deal with that.”

Third from bottom Southend are currently 10 points from safety.

And they head into Saturday’s clash on the back of a 31-18 defeat at Colchester which still frustrates Ashton.

“The game against Colchester was made even more frustrating due to the start we made to the game,” said Ashton.

“We were on top for the first 10 to 15 minutes and completely in charge of the game but then fell foul to the referee’s whistle and handed momentum to them.

“From that moment we were facing an uphill battle.”

That meant Ashton’s try - which was his second in two games - counted for very little.

But he has mixed views about lining up at full-back.

“Full back is not my preferred choice of position as it is sometimes hard to impose yourself from the back,” said Ashton.

“However, I am happy to play anywhere if asked to help the team.”