|
28 December 2001 Below is the weekly Press Release from the Conference League Barnet Barnet boss John Still will be looking for his side to get back to winning ways when they take on struggling Scarborough. Full-back Lee Flynn is expected to miss out again after failing to shake off an ankle injury and Robbie Sawyers will drop back from midfield to cover. Neil Midgley could be promoted from the bench. Boston United Striker Daryl Clare is set for his first start in four weeks when Boston face Forest Green at York Street. Clare came through 15 minutes of action as the Pilgrims drew 1-1 with Nuneaton on Boxing Day. Second-placed Boston will be looking to extend their 13-match unbeaten run in the league. Chester City Struggling Chester go into the match with Hayes without a manager after Steve Mungall was sacked following their 3-1 loss to Nor thwich Victoria on Boxing Day. Andy Porter and Dean Spink have been overseeing preparations for the match at the Deva Stadium and Martyn Lancaster is doubtful. Dagenham and Redbridge Dagenham & Redbridge boss Garry Hill believes the Conference leaders’ recent 5-1 defeat by Telford was merely “a one-off blip”. The Daggers put that result behind them with a 4-2 win against Hayes and Hill claimed the inexplicable thrashing by the Bucks “happens to the best teams at all levels”. Doncaster Rovers Doncaster Rovers boss Steve Wignall admitted the thrilling 4-3 win over Scarborough on Boxing Day was “a hell of a game” but claimed it should never have taken place because of the frozen pitch at Belle Vue. He said: “Technically it was a very poor game because the pitch was like concrete.” Dover Athletic Dover’s new manager Neville Southall became an instant hit on the Kent coast by leading his side to a 1-0 win over local rivals Margate. The Welsh legend’s first signing, former Chelsea and Torquay defender Jimmy Aggrey, covered himself in glory with a 59th-minute winner from Steve Norman’s corner. Farnborough Town Farnborough’s Steve Farrelly is facing a late fitness test ahead of the match against Southport. The goalkeeper missed the 3-2 defeat at Woking with a knee injury and if he fails to recover Graham Benstead will continue to deputise. Other than that, manager Graham Westley is expected to name an unchanged squad. Forest Green Rovers Forest Green manager Nigel Spink has only one doubt ahead of the tough trip to Boston as defender Lee Howey still has the flu which forced him to miss the 1-1 home draw with Yeovil and is unlikely to recover in time. With a difficult away trip to Yeovil coming after this match, Spink admitted: “We need all hands on deck.” Hayes Dave Everitt will definitely miss Hayes’ trip to struggling Chester after injuring his shoulder in the 4-2 loss to Dagenham & Redbridge. Boss Terry Brown is also giving late fitness test to Matt Ellverson, who missed the Daggers game with an ankle injury. But Brown is hopeful Kevin Warner will have recovered from concussion. Hereford United Hereford are looking to build on their first win in six matches against Stalybridge Celtic. Manager Phil Robinson’s side won 1-0 at Telford on Boxing Day to end a dismal run. A repeat of that feat would send them into the New Year with back-to-back victories. Leigh RMI Leigh RMI goalkeeper David Felgate has joined UniBond League Premier Division side Hyde United on loan. The 41-year-old former Welsh international has moved to Ewen Fields in an effort to play regular first-team football and to help ease the financial plight of the cash-strapped Railwaymen. Margate The first-ever Conference meeting between Margate and Dover on Boxing Day attracted a crowd of over 3,500 to Hartsdown Park. The gate was the biggest Margate have seen for many seasons and despite seeing his side lose 1-0, Margate chairman Keith Piper was thrilled with the turnout. Morecambe Manager Jim Harvey will field a largely unchanged side from the one that grabbed a point against Southport on Boxing Day when they host Woking. Young winger Gary Thompson and David Perkins are expected to make a welcome return to the side after injury. Morecambe will be looking to do the double over Woking this season. Northwich Victoria Northwich player-boss Jimmy Quinn hit his fourth goal of the season in the 3-1 win over Chester. Quinn, who had already put two past Nuneaton and scored one against Margate earlier in the season, scored with a superb 35-yard strike and now needs six more goals to equal last season’s tally. Nuneaton Borough Nuneaton striker Marc McGregor, who has a shoulder injury, and midfielder Jason Peake, back in light training after undergoing surger y on his Achilles tendon, both look likely to be out of action for Steve Burr’s men until the FA Trophy clash against Stalybridge in mid-January. Scarborough Scarborough boss Russell Slade is looking to kick-start a push away from the foot of the Conference table when his side take on Barnet. Boro will still be without striker Darryn Stamp who is struggling with a hamstring injury while there are also doubts over Paul Shepherd (bruised foot) and loan player Dene Shields (ankle). Southport Southport manager Phil Wilson has only one minor concern ahead of the trip to Farnborough. Defender Chris Lane took a knock in the 1-1 draw with Morecambe but is expected to be fit. Club spokesman Derek Hitchcock admitted: “We’ve won our last two away games and drawn the last two home games so we want to keep the run going.” Stalybridge Celtic Stalybridge could climb out of the relegation zone with a win over Hereford at Edgar Street. Bad weather has limited them to just two matches this month and manager Paul Futcher is desperate to take advantage of their games in hand. He said: “Hereford are down there with us so it’s an important game.” Stevenage Borough Stevenage assistant manager Kevin Hales believes Boro should use their 3-0 win over Barnet as the stepping stone for the rest of their season. He said: “It was a great team performance and I want to see another 18 great team performances before the end of the season and then we’ll be going up the league.” Telford United Telford manager Jake King paid tribute to Hereford after seeing his side’s seven-match unbeaten run finally ended by a 1-0 defeat. King said: “Fair play to Hereford, they came here and did a job on us and we can’t really have any complaints. Their three midfield players controlled the game.” Woking Manager Geoff Chapple will field an unchanged side for Woking’s trip to Morecambe. “Our home form is excellent, as can be seen from the stats but our away form is absolutely appalling,” said Woking coach Colin Lippiatt. “We’ve been unable to get points from away games so we need to address the slide quickly. ” Yeovil Town Yeovil boss Gary Johnson has urged his side not to be frightened in front of goal. The Glovers have failed to turn a host of chances into goals recently and Johnson said: “I want to encourage them to have a go at goal. I’ve felt that a few of them have become a bit frightened to shoot and are tr ying to walk it into the net.” |
|||