GILL DETERMINED TO MAINTAIN CITY’S DRIVE INTO PLAY-OFF
Three wins on the bounce have got Bath City exactly where they want to be – now their challenge is to remain there. Saturday’s win over Dulwich Hamlet pushed the buoyant Romans into the National League South play-off places; the first time they have tasted the top seven since Jerry Gill took over last October. Pre-season hopes were high of a push for promotion and their winning streak has got that buzz sounding again at Twerton Park, following two defeats to open the campaign. “The players are on the front foot, they’ve got some confidence about them, but listen, nothing’s won at this stage,” Gill said. “Nothing at all. “I’m not getting carried away with things, there’s a lot of work to do but it’s nice to be up and around the play-offs. “It’s the first time we’ve gone in since I’ve been manager. “Myself and Jim said it’s interesting now to see if we’re in, can we stay in, because that’s what I want to do.” Their task this bank holiday weekend is two-fold: Chelmsford City away on Saturday, then Weston-super-mare at home on Monday. The Clarets have qualified for the play-offs in each of the last two seasons, but begun this term with a middling one win and three draws from their opening five games. Nevertheless, Gill is expecting a challenge when he brings his charges to Melbourne Stadium. “We know what they’re about, I know what Rod Stringer’s about and I know what their teams about, so it will be a very, very difficult game for us,” he said. “But listen, it’s a really confident group in that dressing room at the moment, and we’ve got competition for places as well. “We’ll see how the wounded are, we’ll get them back on the football pitch, get them training again and pick what we think will be right team for Chelmsford.” Veteran defender Kevin Amankwaah is ready for action again if called upon. “He’s fit, so he’s done a few training sessions,” Gill revealed. “Again, we’ve changed things a little bit, players have got to work hard to get in this squad now. “Whether that means you turn up on a Saturday beforehand and work with Kit [Barnes, sports scientist] – James Ollis is here as well, they’ve both done a training session, James and Kev and really put through their paces. “But Kev’s fit now and he’s really just trying to work himself back into the squad.” This week has seen the Romans have a first midweek without a game since pre-season. While there has been an opportunity for two training sessions, Gill also trusts his players to have an input on their schedules. Last week, for instance, there was no Thursday training session. The squad went and repaid their manager’s faith by bagging all three points. “We’re in constant contact with individuals as a staff, so it’s not like we go away and don’t speak to them,” Gill said. “We’ve got Whatsapp groups where we’re in communication as staff and as players, and leadership groups along that as well, so they’re very much in control of what they want to do. “And that’s important, they’re a voice. “We didn’t come in and train on Thursday, they wanted to recover and rest up. “They did it, and they’ve come in and got a result, so fair play to the players.” One of those players, experienced midfield man Frankie Artus, says the team will go into this weekend with confidence flowing. The 29-year-old said: “They’re always up there, always a big physical team. “They make it hard for you, they’re going to battle, but they’ve always got a lot of quality and depth as well. “I think they’ve been a bit up and down this season, but it’s always a test going there. “It’s Saturday-monday next week, so it’s going to be a challenging weekend, and we’ve got a good, strong squad, so we’ll go into that full of confidence after the nine points we’ve got now.”