Target is to finish in the top half of the division (From Worcester News)

Target is to finish in the top half of the division

9:00am Wednesday 18th March 2009 in Sport

WORCESTER City have eight games left this season and I want to finish in the top half of the league.

There is not only pride to play for in that period but contracts for next season as well.

The players have got to prove to me, or any other club looking at them, that they are good enough. It’s not just about ability it’s about the whole package including de-sire and work-rate.

I thought it was a decent point on Monday against Maidenhead, another team going for the play-offs, and we have beaten teams at the bottom like Thurrock and Fisher when in the past we have fallen foul against those sides.

We are still in the bottom half of the table but we have been beaten by some good sides in Wimbledon, Hayes and Yeading and Hampton and Richmond.

The amount of games is beginning to take its toll on our small squad but with the amount of injuries and suspensions we have had it was always going to happen.

When you have got your assistant-manager Carl Heeley playing half a game or coming on as a substitute, it just shows how limited we are in terms of resources.

We have one of the lower budgets in the league and the likes of Marco Adaggio and Craig Wilding have played almost every game.

At the moment it’s a case of all hands on deck and get what we can. The fitter people like Marco and Gary Walker are on their last legs. Jamie Price was like a breath of fresh air against Maidenhead because he has been in and out of the side recently but there are a lot of clubs in our situation having to play the same team each week.

Our senior players will be rested for tonight’s Central Conference match at Stafford Rangers because we can’t afford any more injuries but Craig Brown and Louis Bridges will play.

However, we have brought in Kevin Spencer and he scored the equaliser on Monday. He’s come to help us out because we haven’t got enough players but I am looking to next season with him.

He rang me last week to see what was going on and I jumped at the chance. Injuries or no injuries I think he’s a good asset because he’s a good athlete, he can play in a couple of positions and I think with a bit of coaching can be decent player.

We have got more hard games coming up, starting at home to Eastleigh on Saturday. They are managed by an old friend of mine in Ian Baird and he has given me a lot of information over the season about clubs. However, he’s not telling me too much about Eastleigh!

Meanwhile, it was disappointing to see such a low crowd for the Maidenhead match but it’s hard to entice supporters in when there isn’t much to play for. The football hasn’t been of the highest standard either and there is also the current economic climate when money is a bit of a worry.