Hednesford Town face former Football League outfit Stockport County tonight as The Pitmen look to build on Saturday’s morale boosting and hugely encouraging win against Boston United with their visitors desperately trying to avoid being sucked into a sixth successive relegation fight.
Rob Smith, finally able to toast a league win after going five matches over Christmas without victory, admits that the visit of a club with a name as big as Stockport is always going to bring another edge to the match and he called on his players to build on Saturday’s win by becoming more consistent, citing captain Darren Campion and loan signing Nathan Blissett, scorer of three goals since arriving at Keys Park, as examples.
‘Well it’s one of those big games that you look for when the fixtures come out and with the great support Stockport have there will be a good atmosphere in the ground. Their form of late is excellent and they won 5-1 away last time out so this will be a really difficult test.
‘For us it’s important all of the players keep producing consistent displays, as we know that if we play well we will win more than we lose for the rest of the season.
‘Nathan is a young boy learning his trade and naturally he will be inconsistent. He was unplayable on Saturday but was quiet against North Ferriby, so we need to focus on what he does well and encourage him to work on these parts of his game.
‘As a senior player though, Camps looks to be back to his best. He appears injury free now and is a massive player for me in the way he leads by example.’
That leadership from the Hednesford left back and another strong performance from Blissett will be badly needed against a Stockport side who, despite still flirting with the relegation zone, have hit form over Christmas, winning three of the last four, culminating with that convincing win against Gainsborough on 4th January.
Jamey Osborne, whose surprise name on the team sheet at the weekend gave the whole of Keys Park a massive boost, is pushing for another starting role but doubts remain over Francino Francis, Neil Harvey and Wayne Riley. Marvin Robinson, who scored against Boston but was later taken off, is likely to be out for two to three weeks with a hamstring injury.
A decent midweek crowd is expected at the ground tonight with The Pitmen faithful no doubt keen to see their team turn in another confident, attacking display before a tricky weekend trip to Bradford Park Avenue.
Hednesford Town Form – DDLLLW
Previous Result – Hednesford Town 4-2 Boston United – The Skrill North – Saturday 11th January 2014
Next Fixture – Bradford Park Avenue (A) – The Skrill North – Saturday 18th January 2014
League Position – 5th
Stockport County Form – LLWWDW
Previous Result – Gainsborough Trinity 1-5 Stockport County – The Skrill North – Saturday 4th January 2014
Next Fixture – Guiseley (A) – The Skrill North – Saturday 18th January 2014
League Position – 16th
KO – 7:45pm
Address of Ground – Keys Park, Keys Park Road, Hednesford, Staffordshire, WS12 2DZ
Admission Prices
Adult Main Stand: £12
Adult Terrace: £11
Concessions Main Stand: £7
Concessions Terrace: £6
Adult/1 Child* Terrace Ticket: £12
Adult/2 Children* Terrace Ticket: £13
Family** Terrace Ticket: £22
* Child under 16
** 2 Adults & 2 Children (under 16)
