MOST teams struggle when they lose their captain to an injury — but quite frankly I’m not sure I would get in the Nuneaton Town side at present given how well the boys have done.
They have been fantastic since we had six points deducted, winning all three games to go third in the league again. It would have been easy to give up, but they haven’t and for me the whole town should be proud to be represented by them.
We are now in a great position so it’s important to force ourselves over the line. We are in the driving seat now, which is a new challenge in itself.
It’s a great position to be in. People say it’s good to be chasing but I would prefer to have the points on the board, plus we’ve got such a good goal difference that is like an extra point on its own.
We won both games 3-0 over Easter with two really strong performances. Monday’s win against Worcester was particularly good as we scored early, which always make a difference.
We also out-worked them all over the pitch. We’ve spoken all season in the dressing room about working harder than the other team because if we do that more often than not we’ll win the game.
We’ve got the ability to match anyone, but it’s great to see that desire to win on the pitch. It all starts with the front two.
Andy Brown has been brilliant for us. He is the hardest working striker I’ve ever played with and that rubs off on everyone else, especially Danny Glover.
When those two press we back it up as a team and it makes life hard for the opposition.
I would love to be out there with the boys but at the moment it’s unlikely I’ll play unless I’m really needed. I could play but I’m not fully fit due to an ankle injury and like I said, I don’t think I’d get in anyway.
Gary Mills and Adam Walker have been outstanding in the middle, while the wide men — James Armson and Simon Forsdick — have also been excellent.
They’ll be put to the test on Saturday when we go to Solihull Moors. Our recent record against them isn’t the best and they’ve got people with strong connections to the club, which adds to any game.
Ex-players Danny Spencer, Stuart Pierpoint and Justin Marsden will all want to beat us, while Roger Ashby is their assistant manager. He is someone I’ve got a lot of respect for.
We’ll be without Gaz Dean for two games but I’ve got no doubt Mark Albrighton and Guy Hadland will do a great job. At 36 and 33 they are past their prime years, but both are great players.
They’re not the quickest, but they read the game so well that any deficiencies in the legs are more than made up for in the mind.
