It’s Hednesford for the hat-trick
After two successive very impressive wins on the road at City of Liverpool and Trafford last week, we return to action at Buckmaster Avenue this weekend with a visit from the side that probably started as many people’s title favourites – Hednesford Town.
Title favourites they may have been in August – title contenders they are proving far from being in November. But with the unmistakable quality they have in their side, it’s only a matter of time you would think before it starts to show. We just have to hope that’s not this Saturday.
It’s hard to comprehend how a side with such deep resources as Hednesford have on one hand been exhilarating in the cup and yet so up and down in the league. And to their frustration it’s been a lot more down than up.
They’ve won just one of their last six league games and suffered defeats by the odd goal in their last two at Congleton on Tuesday and at home to Atherton Collieries. Hanley came within a whisker of getting three points at Keys Park as well.
And yet in the FA Cup they were nothing short of magnificent. In an incredible run which started at the extra preliminary round stage, they came through six rounds, scored 26 goals and on three occasions progressed after a replay. And all of this despite the fact that they weren’t drawn at home until the fourth qualifying round. It’s fair to say that the Pitmen have given their fans a terrific run for their money.
For us this Saturday, we will need to be right on it from the off and speaking at training, assistant manager Paul Wright, standing in for Bakes was relishing the challenge.
“It’s a game we’re really looking forward to. In many ways it might have been better for us if they’d still been in the cup but ultimately, it’s a great opportunity for us to go head-to-head against a team that is expected to go well.
“We’ll respect them as strong opposition, but this is far from being the Hednesford show. Just as much as we’ll be training hard to prepare for the threats they will definitely pose, they’ll also be looking at us knowing we’re a decent side.”
Wrighty was certainly oozing positivity when I spoke to him, and we’ll need to channel all of that and more to complete a hat-trick of wins in Lyme Valley on Saturday.
Get down and support the boys – it should be a cracking game.
Come on Castle!