MATCH PREVIEW: The 39 Steps
Thirty-nine matches played, three to go.
And no one is underestimating the importance of those final three games as Reds attempt to preserve their NPL Premier Division status.
Prescot Cables visit Borough Park on Saturday (3pm) before the Easter weekend concludes with Monday’s trip to Morpeth Town (3pm). And, hopefully, we will have enough points in the bag before the final match of the season when Ashton United come to town.
An eventful week at Borough Park has seen Brian Dawson and Billy Redden step into the manager’s office, succeeding the departed Mark Fell. Both are former players and Dawson head of the club’s Academy programme, joined the first team staff in mid-January and will oversee matters until the end of the season.
The squad have had two good training sessions this week with spirit good amongst the players. Dawson said there was concern over the fitness of two players and listed them as ‘doubtful’ for the double header.
Top scorer Steven Rigg has completed his three-match ban and will return to the squad.
He scored his first goal of an excellent personal campaign in Reds 2-0 win at Prescot back in August and, after an indifferent start, Cables have pieced together a fine season back at Step 3 after gaining promotion via the play-offs nearly twelve months ago.
They are currently 10th with 54 points although stand 4th in the form table having lost just once in their last eight matches. Only Leek Town and relegated Mickleover and Blyth Spartans have scored fewer than Cables’ 46 league goals but they have one of the better defensive records in the division. To date, they have won fifteen games, lost fifteen and have drawn nine.
Reds slipped to 17th position after the narrow defeat at Leek Town and that nineteenth reverse proved to be the last game of Fell’s tenure. It is only fair to thank Mark and his staff for their commitment to the cause for the vast majority of the season but the 33% win-rate has left us with work to do at the eleventh hour.
Reds will just have to concentrate on what will be a difficult task at Borough Park and ignore events elsewhere.
