Sporting Bengal manager Imrul Gazi is happy his side are starting to show their potential in the Essex Senior League after a 3-1 victory over Hackney Wick.

Bengal had been 1-0 down in the second half, before goals from Steven Carvell and two from Oscar Mendes helped secure the points at Mile End Stadium.

And Gazi was full of praise for his team after turning the game on its head.

“I think to show the character we did on Saturday to come back from 1-0 down, we never gave up,” he said.

“I’m very pleased with the endeavour, with the character the kids showed. More importantly I’m just happy we are showing what we are capable of.”

Bengal have been without key players from much of this season and Gazi believes the return of some experienced faces has made the difference in recent weeks.

He added: “With the results earlier on we went through a bad patch, it genuinely was due to the fact we were short of a few experienced players. They’ve come back into the fold the last three or four games and it’s showing.

“That mix of experience and youth that we have now, mixed with the technical ability that we have in midfield with Steve Carvell and Ashaan Siddik means were in a good place at the moment.”

Sporting Bengal face fierce rivals Tower Hamlets at Mile End Stadium in a derby this weekend, with just six points currently separating the teams.