THE VIEW FROM THE DUGOUT
with
ROB
SMITH
I would like to welcome Jon Brady and his
Brackley team to Keys Park this evening.
Brackley were many people’s favourites to win
the league this season and it is no surprise at
all that they are challenging for a Play-off
position. They are a team full of talent and beat
us narrowly at their place earlier in the
campaign, and on the back of a superb 5-0 win
at Bradford we know this is going to be a very
difficult evening.
We have now won three games on the spin and
the pleasing thing for me is that we have
defended very well in all three games. Last
Saturday was a little frustrating as we should
have finished Workington off by half time, but
missed several very good chances, and we all
know that at 1-0 there is always a chance for
the opposition to get back in the game. The
goals came late, but the scoreline did not
flatter us, in reality it could have been more.
Saturday at Stockport was a massive fixture for
us. It was a difficult place to go as they had not
lost at home for three months before the game.
We set up in a certain way to frustrate them
and I was always confident we could catch
them on the break. Although they had a lot of
possession in the second half, we created four
very good chances and they did not have a
shot on target. Everybody put in a real shift,
and that includes the supporters who were
simply awesome on the day, it really helped the
team drive on to get the win. It was a great
place to play at and it’s difficult to imagine that
a few years ago there was a five division gap
between the sides!
A few weeks ago many teams and Managers
in the league had written us off as Play-off
contenders, indeed I know some people in our
own club doubted us, but the squad have
come together and bounced back and we are
now back in a position where we have a real
chance of getting into the Play-offs, which
would simply be an unbelievable achievement,
given that it is our first season at this level and
given the stature of some of the clubs in and
around us.
On the player front I am delighted that Marvin
Johnson has joined us on loan from
Kidderminster Harriers, you will all see that he
is a real talent, still learning the game but an
exciting player for us. Also, it is great to see
Kris back in training, sporting his new look!! It
is just a case of him getting some fitness back
before we can look at involving him. It’s
fantastic news that he is on the road back.
We still have a lot to do, but we will battle to
the end and with your support I am sure we
can achieve our goal.
Enjoy the game
ROB
thePitmen
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