Line
Following Saturday’s thrashing of high-flying Bashley, Pitmen boss Simon Line has declared that the thumping win has helped his squad turn the corner for the rest of the season.
Hednesford went into a very difficult away game with only three wins in thirteen competitive matches and faced a Bashley side who had not lost at home for eleven months. The worries of Pitmen supporters soon disappeared to be replaced by a sense of sheer delight as Elliott Durrell, Ben Bailey and Tyrone Barnett scored the goals in a fantastic win.
‘The result has shown that we have turned a corner as a team. The atmosphere within the camp was very different and that transferred onto the pitch. To go to Bashley and smash them on their own patch was massive and I firmly believe we will go on to performing at that level on a regular basis.’
The manager was full of praise for every member of the squad who made the trip down to the New Forest and noted that the atmosphere on the coach back was a real enjoyment.
‘The long journey home was magnificent and the entire squad including the players who were not involved were on great form; the banter was how it should always be.’
Debutant Luke Horrocks set up the opening goal and showed some real skill on the left wing and Line sees him as a pivotal player in the coming weeks, ‘His class, work rate and experience will, as it showed on Saturday, greatly benefit the side. He brought balance to the team, creates opportunities and has a great left foot.’
Ben Bailey turned in another confident performance; belying his young age, but it was the defensive partnership with another local boy, Grant Goodhead, which can give Hednesford supporters hope for the future.
‘They both played very well on Saturday, dealing with everything a strong Bashley side threw at them. However the other players deserve as much credit as we dominated the opposition all over the park.’
The former Market Drayton man is at pains to avoid a prediction for the end of the season but clearly stated that should The Pitmen continue performing at the standard they did on Saturday then the play-offs is a very realistic target.
‘I can assure everyone that we will be giving every game from now until the end of the season a real go. We can be in the shake up come April if we show the same desire, commitment and positive attitude shown at Bashley. We will fear no-one.’
Words By Chris Brewerton
