NEWCASTLE City captain Ben Patterson wants to avoid any type of "post Christmas slump".
The Sabres are eyeing off a top-four spot and finals appearance in the Newcastle District Cricket Association first-grade competition, having most recently played semis in 2010-11.
Destiny appears largely in City's own hands, sitting fourth on the ladder with 34 points - nine behind third and eight clear of a chasing pack following last weekend's results.
Four rounds, all two-dayers, remain in the regular season with the Sabres facing challengers at every turn.
Starting with Hamilton-Wickham (22) at Passmore Oval on Saturday, followed by Charlestown (26) at home and finishing away to University (26) and Cardiff-Boolaroo (20).
"I'd love to win all four," Patterson told the Newcastle Herald.
"But the way the ladder is, from what I last saw, if we win two we're umming and ahing and net run rate might come into it. If we win three we should be pretty safe in the four."
It's been quite a while between play-off drinks for City.
They finished fifth and fell one point shy in 2020-21, having just claimed their maiden T20 Summer Bash crown.
Prior to that, the Sabres won a Tom Locker Cup title in 2010-11 but lost a SCG Country Cup final the same season.
The club's last premiership was 1975-76, marking the longest drought in the NDCA top grade.
City went down to reigning champions Stockton by 19 runs on Saturday, but Patterson was still pleased with the performance and doesn't feel any major shift in momentum.
"I've heard we've traditionally had a post Christmas slump and we may not have snapped that this year but [so far] it's better than previous years," he said.
"We weren't far off Stockton and young Eli Smith swung the house down, nearly swung the game back to us completely."
UK trio Oli Carter, Ollie Jarvis and Toby Fynn have been an important part of City's armoury this campaign, which has included five wins from nine outings.
Patterson says "classy" Carter, the competition's leading run scorer at the Christmas break, will likely return home prior to semis but Jarvis and Fynn should be available for the duration of 2022-23.
"It's pretty sad we miss out on having Oli Carter, but the other two are playing pretty big roles so we take consolation from that," he said.
Jet Mason is poised to return for Hamwicks.
Elsewhere in round 10, Wests welcome back NSW Country leg-spinner Aaron Bills when they host leaders Wallsend in a top-four battle at Harker Oval.
Bush Blues trio Nick Foster, Logan Weston and Jeff Goninan are all named for Stockton's clash against Uni at Lynn Oval. Charlestown meet CBs, Belmont visit Waratah and Merewether travel to Toronto.
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