Shock results '˜always around the corner' in NCEL Premier, so Worksop manager wants standards to be maintained

Craig Denton says shock results are '˜always around the corner' so Worksop must maintain their standards at Harrogate on Saturday.

His Tigers take on NCEL Premier second bottom side Harrogate Railway, who have eight points from their 19 games.

Seventh-placed Worksop are 14 points off top placed Yorkshire Amateur with four games in hand and are coming off a draw with the league leaders.

But they can’t allow complacency to set in ahead of a visit to a side with one win all season.

“It’s really tight and in this league anyone can take points off anyone else on their day,” said Denton.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re up at the top or down at the bottom, there’s always an upset around the corner on a Saturday afternoon.

“We just try to ensure it’s not us.

“We’ve got to see which team have got that resilience to keep going and maintain standards.

“It’s one of my focuses, to make sure when we go and play Harrogate on Saturday, we know where they are in the league but that shouldn’t change our performance in any way.

“We have to still maintain those standards and if we do that we’ll be right up there in the pack like we have been.”

Denton, who hopes to welcome club captain Jamie Price back from injury this weekend, says Worksop are on target with their progress going into the crucial Christmas period.

A win on Saturday coupled with results elsewhere could put Tigers fourth before the season starts to go into the home stretch.

Denton said: “We know that in and around the Christmas period, going into January, it starts coming up to the nitty gritty part of the season.

“We’re up there, that was the aim, we’re on task for where we want to be at, with a handful of games in hand over Yorkshire Amateur that we need to win.

“If we can continue to put good performances in, get a clean sheet here and there and take points off the top teams, that could only be positive.”

The manager believes it’s their player recruitment policy that has put Worksop in a good position, on and off the pitch.

“I think our recruitment has been key, that’s down to myself, assistant manager Rob Poulter and Wayne Thompson.

“We’ve recruited the right sort of person to represent Worksop Town.

“It’s not just the attributes of a footballer on the pitch, it’s all the other stuff, the commitment to training.

“I’ve got a really good squad who want to work really hard for the club, for me.

“I think that’s key and it puts a smile back on supporters’ faces.

“I wanted to make sure it was a team where the supporters could be really proud of the lads who put the shirt on.”