CLAINES Lane will host a floodlit evening game for the first time as Worcester Raiders look to keep their promotion hopes alive against Wednesfield on Wednesday night in the West Midlands (Regional) League (7.45pm).

Raiders will be aiming to make it three league wins in a row and assistant manager Chris Corners admits there is an added excitement about the occasion.

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“There is something a bit different about playing under the lights,” he said.

“There’s a better feeling I think, a bit more excitement about it.

“A few more people might turn up to come and watch and that will also add something extra.

“We have actually done well in floodlit games this season and hopefully that will continue.

“I think the players will enjoy it a bit more as well.”

This will be the first evening game at Claines Lane following the floodlights being installed in late September.

The ongoing redevelopment works at the ground have seen Raiders play most of their games away but the team now enter a stretch of four home matches on the trot.

“It makes a massive difference to the players being at home,” Cornes added.

“Waking up on a Saturday knowing you’re having to travel is difficult enough but when we have been doing that most weeks it makes it even more so.

“But it’s great knowing now that the majority of our games will be at home and it’s a massive boost for the players to have that stability back.

“We win these four games and it will boost us up the table and then things will start to get interesting.”

Raiders are sitting in 11th place in the Premier Division still 12 points off the top four promotion spots but Cornes believes nothing is out of the question especially with a number of games in hand on the teams above.

“A lot of these games coming up are against teams around us in the league so some will have that six-pointer effect,” he said.

“It’s a crucial period for us but focus is on Wednesday night first.

“They (Wednesfield) have had some really good results this season and ended our good run at the start of the season when they beat us 1-0 in September.

“At the start of the season there was talk amongst some about consolidation but that’s not what me and Karl (Gormley, manager) are about.

“We have put ourselves in a good position. We just take every game as it comes and then the ultimate goal is to win every game.

“Who knows what could happen but we’re going to give it a good go.”