By Arandeep Singh Dhillon & Tom Paterson
Stockport County travel to Histon this weekend with the hope of getting back to winning ways after their 2-2 draw at Gloucester.
Despite only taking a draw from a game they looked like winning, Manager Alan Lord said that there were some positives.
Stockport currently lie 13th in the Conference North and will be looking for their fourth win of the season against Histon.
“When you play at home you expect to win and create the type of football that will get the win and 19 chances prove that we did that,” Lord said.
Meanwhile Skrill North rivals Altrincham are away at Boston United with the news that veteran midfielder Danny Boshell has joined the Guiseley back room staff.
Speaking after the 1-0 win over Brackley Town, Altrincham assistant manager Neil Tolson spoke to Alty TV and praised a player that he described as ‘a really nice lad’.
“It’s been on-going for quite a while now and we’ve done everything to try and keep Danny. We rate him highly but he’s been offered the position of assistant manager at Guiseley and we wish him all the best,” he said.
Mr Tolson also spoke about new midfielder Greg Wilkinson who appeared on the bench at the weekend having signed from Stalybridge.
“Greg’s been at Stalybridge for a while now and he’s a player we’ve been tracking for a couple of years keeping our eyes on him and watching him develop.
“I think the supporters of Altrincham are going to realise in a couple of weeks’ time that we’ve got a real player on our hands,” he said.
Hyde are back in league action at Wrexham on Saturday after their 5-0 win over lowly Cheadle Town in the Cheshire Senior Cup on Tuesday.
However, the league is boss Scott McNiven’s top priority and following the agonising 4-3 defeat to Dartford he gave his verdict on what his players needed to kick start their season.
“We need a league win, we need to build confidence and when you look at the lads they’re not short of confidence,” he said.
“They’re killing themselves, they’re finding a different way every week of throwing away points, it’s criminal.”
In the Evo-Stik Premier Division, Ashton United aim to bounce back against Marine after their disappointing FA Trophy defeat to Sheffield FC last weekend.
Joint-manager Steve Halford has underlined the importance of three points at Hurst Cross after seeing his side drop down the table in recent weeks.
He said: “The match against Sheffield was the only time we deserved to get beat this season, they wanted it more.
“Not long ago we were 4th and now we are 15th, the next 5-8 games are crucial.”
Fans can expect to see defender Jack Higgins make his debut after signing this week as Ashton continue to strengthen their squad.
However, it has been confirmed recent arrival Nat Kerr will be leaving the club.
Halford added: “He could have done a lot better, he’s not took that opportunity to stay and has to account for himself.”
The other games see FC United host Stocksbridge Park Steels to finish off a good week after it was announced building work will be commencing on their new 5,000-seater stadium next month.
Frickley Athletic travel to bottom placed Droylsden while Garry Vaughan’s Trafford welcome Buxton to Shawe View.
Curzon Ashton travel to Cammell Laird in the First Division North, for the second time in seven days, hoping to replicate the 1-0 FA Trophy victory in Merseyside last Saturday.
Manager John Flanagan is confident of another victory but is wary of the challenge ahead and believes Matty Warburton will be back in amongst the goals after ending his drought.
“Matthew Warburton hit the ground running but then he was trying too hard,” he said.
“There’s now a real weight lifted of his shoulder, there’s no pressure on him we know he’s a top player.”
Flanagan also hopes his side can continue their form away from the league.
“When winning, the cup is not a disruption, winning is a great habit and it’s a great feather in our cap,” he said.
He said: “The small pitch is not ideal and it’s always a difficult fixture but we need to roll our sleeves up and defend well. “
Mossley travel to Northwich Victoria and Salford City play Wakefield at home in the other selected ties.
Image courtesy of Rambler1977 , with thanks
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