With no football last weekend due to the weather, we spoke to the Assistant Manager Aaron Large to discuss the impact of match postponements and how the squad adapt whilst looking ahead to Saturday's clash.

With last month on record as one of the worst Januarys since records began and with no let up in February, the whole of step 5 football and beyond has been hit with postponed matches.

One of the key considerations for the coaching squad is how best to deal with this, especially with everything to play for in a very tight UCL Premier Division North.
Large explained. "It’s always a difficult one because the lads just want to play football. But we’ve trained consistently away from the ground to keep everyone together. The boys had last Saturday off and they’ve committed to two sessions this week, with the hope that Saturday’s game will be on".

The role of the coaching squad is wide and varied and a free Saturday is by no means a week off for them, with so many considerations and things to arrange. "Yeah, there’s still loads of football to be played at some point and plenty to play for, so it’s important we keep the lads fit and keep them together, ready for whenever the next game comes around. It’s been difficult because of the facilities available, but we’ve been really proactive in the work we’ve done. The next few matches are vital in terms of points, so we have to be as ready as we possibly can. We’ve used local facilities and our contacts to give the lads a variety of sessions, and the players have also organised their own bits on top of that, which is brilliant to see".

"With the recent weather and conditions, as we’ve said before, it’s been challenging to build any momentum – I think we’ve only played six games since the end of November"

One of the few benefits of the break has been the ability to get players back in contention for selection and Large gave us an update on that. "We’ve got Dan Tuck, Aaron Coyle and Aaron Short back in the squad after they missed the Eastwood game. Brad Lathall is making a good return and has had some good minutes in recent reserve matches. Dillon Rawson is back training after his injury, Brad Wells is still at Lincoln gaining valuable minutes at Lincoln and we’re almost at the point of having everyone available again. That’s really positive with the number of games coming up and it creates good competition right across the pitch as we enter the last few months of the season".

This weekend, weather permitting, we host Harrowby United who are towards the bottom of the table thanks to an inconsistent run of form and some heavy defeats but with some surprises too, namely a home win against Kimberley a couple of weeks ago. 

"We are unbeaten this year and we’ve been playing some good football. We almost have everyone available for selection, so we’re going into Saturday in a strong position. We’ve got a couple of training sessions this week, so hopefully we can come through them without picking up any injuries, it’s a massive game, like they all are.

"Harrowby are towards the bottom end but, on their day, they can beat anyone. The league is so tight and it’s vitally important we pick up three points to keep the pressure on those around us.

"We’re looking forward to being back at the RM. The atmosphere against Eastwood was superb and it really creates an environment that raises levels – the lads love the support. So hopefully it’s on and we get a good crowd cheering the boys"

Saturday starts from 1.30pm with the Aerial suite and club shop opening before a 3pm kick off. The forecast for saturday itself is good and hopefully there is no significant rain over the next few days to add to what is currently a very soft pitch. Any updates on that will be communicated on the clubs official website and social media as usual. 

Image by Hucknall Ram Photography