One signed, seven day approaches and players invited to training '“ Shaw looking to build Worksop Town side who will '˜fight'

Mark Shaw is desperately trying to make changes in order to build a team who will fight for every point until the end of the season.
Worksop Town manager, Mark Shaw.Worksop Town manager, Mark Shaw.
Worksop Town manager, Mark Shaw.

Saturday saw Tigers humbled by near neighbours Maltby Main, in what was arguably the worst performance of the 2015/16 campaign for Worksop.

Shaw has responded by signing Kieron Davies from Evo-Stik side Spalding, putting in seven-day approaches for several players and inviting others to training on Thursday.

The manager, whose side have fallen to fourth in the NCEL Premier since Saturday afternoon, is not giving up on the title but knows something has to change if Tigers are to give themselves a fighting chance.

“We’ve hopefully got quite a few players coming in this week, one who has been over in America, one who has played Conference North, another who was at Forest with Lawrence Gorman, and maybe one or two returnees,” he said.

“Those are the possibilities, and obviously we signed Kieron on Monday.

“I want to put a group together to fight, because it’s not over until it’s over.

“I never, never give up, that’s my attitude.”

Shaw admits that wholesale changes are not his usual style, but sitting three points behind leaders Tadcaster having played twice more is a situation that has forced his hand.

“I want to give the team a chance to make it right, but we’ve got to try and do something,” he said.

“I don’t think we’re out of it, but we’ve not been playing well, the results haven’t been good enough so I need to find the recipe that works, that gets us consistent and gives us half a chance.

“It’s slightly premature for people to have written us off, there’s still some football to be played.

“Look at teams like Barton, Staveley, who are still fighting to get in there.

“We’re not going to spend a lot of money, people think we have a budget like Handsworth or Tadcaster but we haven’t.

“The players we’re looking at might not be better than what we’ve got, but they might fight for a few weeks when we need it.”

While Staveley might have put a slight dent in Tadcaster’s title charge with Wednesday night’s victory, Shaw doesn’t want to talk about all the other contenders.

“We’re not winning, so let’s worry about what we’re doing first,” he said.

“Parramore aren’t losing, Bridlington, Cleethorpes – we’ve got to get our own ship in order.

“We can talk about everyone else, but if we don’t start winning games we could finish sixth.

“The morale at the club isn’t great and there are loads of reasons for that, but every time I talk about it people get upset.

“But no one is going to be happy when you’re not winning – the team just need to come together as a group.”