There’s a mouth-watering local derby taking place in the Pitching In Southern League Premier Central on Saturday as play-off chasing Halesowen Town play host to a Stourbridge outfit whose recent upturn in form has seen them finally escape the clutches of the bottom four.
For the home side, they go into the game one place and one point out of the play-off zone having slipped to a 1-0 set-back at Bishop’s Stortford in their last outing.
That game marked manager, Russ Penn’s second anniversary at the helm, during which time he has overseen 47 wins from 98 games.
“After what has been a busy schedule of games, it’s been good to have a full week of preparation for Saturday,” admitted Penn. “These are always intense affairs, but even more so on this occasion with both sides desperate for the points.
“At this stage of the season it’s all about getting the three points in the bag and that’s why last weekend’s defeat was so disappointing.
“The commitment and effort of the players cannot be faulted, but we lacked the necessary quality when we need it most. The conditions haven’t helped, but we got into some unbelievable areas that we were not able to take advantage of.
“We just couldn’t find the back of the net on that occasion; days like this happen and now our focus is on ensuring that we can get back onto it at the weekend.
“There will be a large and vocal crowd in attendance, that’s for sure, and we are ready to get out there and do a job.
“We have our points target for the season in mind; it’s in our hands and we have to take ownership of that. We have to make sure that we don’t rest on our laurels. We’ve worked hard to get into this position and this hard work must continue.
“Winning is hard work and you have to put all of your efforts into it, from training to dissecting the opposition, to going out there and performing.
“We have come a long way this season and we want that progress to continue. Can we beat our points tally from last season and finish higher? That’s the aim, but at the same time we know how competitive this League has been this season.
“From our point of view, we have the added advantage of a fantastic fan base, one of the best at this level, and the backing that we get is truly amazing. They stay with us from the first whistle to the last and that’s contributed to us scoring some late goals this season.
“As I say, Saturday will have an electric atmosphere and we need everyone pulling in the same direction to get those big three points against neighbours who have seen a big upturn in form since we last met.”
IMAGE: Halesowen Town FC
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