SOUTH Park midfielder Mat Ward is predicting a tough test for his side when they face local rivals Whyteleafe today (Saturday).
The two Surrey sides meet at Whitehall Lane in the first of several local derbies in Ryman League Division One South, with the clash pitting two promoted sides against each other early on in the season.
And Ward, who scored in South Park's 3-1 win against Walton Casuals on Tuesday night, believes it will be a good barometer of where the two sides are.
"It is good that there are more local teams in the league," he said.
"It is good for local rivalry and it should help with crowds, which is good for non-league football.
"They have come up like us and they have some good players. It should be a good challenge and a good test for us to show where we are."
And with two wins from their opening two matches, Ward says Park will go into the game full of confidence.
"We are playing well and we are feeling confident," he said.
"It is a good start so far, but we have to back it up and hopefully we can do that against Whyteleafe."
