TOP MARKS SO FAR BUT WE WON’T BET FARM ON GOING UP
FORFAR FARMINGTON have lost just one game all season and are flying at the top of SWPL2.
But head coach Mark Nisbet insists they’re not taking promotion to the top flight for granted.
They head into the weekend action with a six-point lead over Motherwell and are determined to hold on to pole position with just five games to go.
Nisbet said: “I wouldn’t say we’re confident promotion is going to happen just yet because we have two or three difficult matches coming up and we need to focus on them 100 per cent.
“If it does happen then great but we’ve still got a bit of work to do.
“I felt as though there was a wee bit of pressure on us at the start of the season to go back up at the first time of asking. So I’m absolutely delighted with how we’ve performed this season.
“We started really well and we were really positive in a lot of the games in the first half of the season.
“In the second half of the campaign we have performed well but probably not quite to the level we did in the first half.
“However, if someone had said to me, with five games left, that we would be six points clear at the top then I would have taken it.
“The main focus over the next few weeks is to make sure we stay on track, stay at the top and win the championship.”
Nisbet knows a strong mentality will be crucial as Forfar head into the final straight, starting with a trip to Buchan tomorrow.
He added: “At the start the season everybody is on an even keel. Then you get a bit of momentum going and a bit of a lead at the top. So the pressure and expectation mounts.
“It’s just about how we deal with
The main focus in the next few weeks is to make sure we stay on track MARK NISBET
that on a week-toweek basis.
“So far, we’ve dealt with it pretty well and I’m sure we will continue to do so over the next few weeks. “It’s about being mentally strong as a group and not losing track of what we have to do.”
Nisbet is now in his second spell with Farmington after stints with Forfar Athletic’s youth team and Aberdeen Ladies.
And if he does lead his side to promotion he has no doubt they have the talent to compete with the best next term.
He said: “Most of the players who came down to this division with us have stayed and we’ve added to the squad as well.
“I certainly believe the players have developed and grown this year and they really understand what’s expected of them both on and off the pitch.
“The players have been absolutely superb and the group will be in good shape come next season.”
Next up is tomorrow’s trip to Buchan and the league leaders know they must improve on last week’s goalless draw against bottom side East Fife.
Nisbet said: “It will be a difficult game. It’s a tricky place to go to.
“They are in a relegation fight at the moment with East Fife and, as we found last weekend, when teams are scrapping they are sometimes hard to break down.
“Although we had a lot of possession last week we failed to beat East Fife and probably should have done.
“We have to make sure we are right on our game to ensure we don’t have any more slip-ups. We need to get a result.” SCOTT BOOTH has urged Glasgow City to forget about Europe as they look to gain more ground in the SWPL title race.
City face a gruelling trip to Kazakhstan to take on BIIK-Kazygurt in the Champions League on Wednesday.
But boss Booth wants his side to focus on the league after their midweek 1-0 win over second-placed Hibs saw them move five points clear at the top of the table.
He said: “There are big games that we need to make sure we turn up for.
“BIIK-Kazygurt is on the horizon but we’re only talking about Rangers. There’s no point putting ourselves in the lead over Hibs if we’re going to let ourselves down at the weekend. It’s so important.
“Only then will we talk about BIIK-Kazygurt. We have a lot of information on them and have already spoken to the players, so we’re in good shape.”
Hibs boss Chris Roberts believes they will bounce back against Hamilton tomorrow after falling short in the top-of-thetable clash with City.
He said: “Hamilton can be a hard team to play against. We need to dust ourselves down quick. We didn’t do ourselves justice, so we want to rectify that.”
Elsewhere Aberdeen are looking for their first win of the season at Celtic.
Stirling University face Spartans, with both sides locked on 21 points apiece in mid-table.