Lashenko relishing a promotion push as he returns to duty at The Creek
LEE Lashenko insists his appetite for the promotion fight is as insatiable as ever as he resumes all but full-on managerial responsibilities in time for Bristol Manor Farm’s away cruncher with AFC Totton.
The Creek boss has served an eight-match stadium suspension meted out for his angry outburst towards referee Richard Lawrence at the conclusion of his team’s FA Trophy defeat by Paulton Rovers last October.
Lashenko, who has always openly accepted his impropriety and consequent punishment, still has to sit it out away from technical areas due to an ensuing four-match touchline ban.
While established members of his management team, No 2 Grantley Dicks and player-coach Stuart Tovey, will continue to supervise affairs from the side, Lashenko is all but back in business and desperate to spearhead a successful play-off push which continues in Hampshire tomorrow.
There, fifth-placed Farm confront a Totton team two rungs higher up third on the Division One South ladder, yet displaying the same 55 points as their Creek counterparts.
Lashenko remarked: “It’ll be nice to be able to get back into that dressing room, with my only restriction being the technical area one.
“I can’t wait to get stuck into our last six games, three of which are against sides up there challenging with us in Totton, Frome Town (away, April 9) and Winchester City (home, April 23).
“It’s like knockout football now and we go into it believing anything is possible, as we have a talented
group of players, with Kye Simpson and Owen Howe now on board, capable of generating that belief.”
Debutant Simpson scored Farm’s killer second goal seven minutes into the second half of his new team’s 2-0 home defeat of Willand Rovers at the weekend, prompting assistant manager Dicks to smile: “I’d need to look at it again to see whether he meant it or not, but it was a brilliant hooked effort on the volley over his head into the net from a corner which looked like it was going out of play.
“For all the lads’ hard work, we’d been a bit sloppy in the first half with our passing and giving silly fouls away when we had Willand pinned in.
“Willand had threatened a bit
coming down the slope; but once Kye had put us two up, there was only ever going to be one winner.
“It’s a big game for us now, Totton on Saturday. But we can go into it with confidence high as the form team in the league; and given the fact we’re on the same points as them, a victory, if we could achieve it, would be massive for us.”
Paulton Rovers manager John Rendell, meantime, is challenging his eighth-placed charges to extend their unbeaten run as far into the remainder of their own Division One South campaign as possible, starting with tomorrow’s home fixture with low-ranking Lymington Town.
Rovers, without a game last weekend, drew their last two
matches with Slimbridge (3-3) and Winchester City (2-2) to set that proposed run without loss underway. We have an opportunity on Saturday against Lymington to perform well, win the game and go three unbeaten,” Rendell said.
“That would give us a platform to take into our last six games thereafter with confidence and positivity.
“Yes, it’s massively disappointing to have dropped out of play-off contention, even though we always knew we’d been performing minor miracles with such a young and inexperienced squad.
“We also lost experienced players like Nuno Felix and Leighton Thomas to injury throughout January, which didn’t help as results started going against us.
“Now we’re looking to finish as high as possible, and, for me, anywhere in the top ten would be a good achievement,” emphasised the Paulton supremo, who is likely to be without midfielder Dave O’Hare for the rest of the season with damaged ankle ligaments sustained against Winchester.
head into tomorrow’s home fixture with leaders Frome Town acutely aware their opponents’ need for three points is as great as their own for quite different reasons.
Field approach the Cossham Street collision third from the foot of the table and six points off bottom spot occupied still by Barnstaple Town, although the Bristol side have three games in hand on the North Devon strugglers.
Meanwhile, Yate Town boss Paul Michael was disappointed but unbowed after seeing his team take a 2-0 tumble at home to promotion-chasing Farnborough at the weekend, to put a dent in their own hopes of elevation via the play-offs.
Nonetheless, the Bluebells, with games in hand, head to Hendon tomorrow still in the reckoning while knowing they have it all to do over their ten-game run-in, which continues after tomorrow with Wednesday’s trip to take on Cornish outfit Truro City (7.45pm).
Of Saturday’s Farnborough setback, Michael said: “Our home form’s been patchy. We’ve won 50 per cent of our 32 games and it’s just a shame our home supporters haven’t always seen us at our best. For all that, we’re still up there in the mix. We’ve three games in hand and we’re six points adrift of a playoff position.”
Town go to Hendon – the teams fought out a goalless draw at Yate last month - without ankle injury victim Nick Rhodes.
Mangotsfield United