Herbert handles the cup pressure
C● HRIS HERBERT was relieved to overcome a “nightmare week” as his Runcorn Town side battled to overcome Darwen in the FA Cup extra preliminary round.
The Town boss was missing a number of key players for their opening match of the 2017/18 season and he had to name himself on the bench.
Hat-trick hero Craig Cairns was the man to save Runcorn as it was his penalty in the 93rd minute which gave his side the 3-2 victory.
“Well the week leading up to the game was an absolute nightmare to be honest with you,” said Herbert. “We had players missing through suspension, injuries, pre-booked holidays and even one who was yet to receive international clearance.
“Our two skippers Simon Thel- well and Chris Rimmer were absent and so were left-back Michael Carberry, both rightbacks Shaun Dowling and Josh MaGuire.
“We also had midfielders Joe Holt and Craig Jones missing, our striker Mark Reed and goalkeeper Reece Airey too.
“As you can imagine, it was a real panic and there was only myself and Luke Wilson-Jones available to make up the bench!
“That’s not exactly an ideal situation going into an FA Cup game at the start of the season.
“But when you look at who we had missing and the lads that came in and played, it shows what a job they did.”
Herbert was understandably relieved his side were able to “scrape” through but he highlighted a few positives that came from the challenging contest.
The squad included 16-yearold Aiden Roxbough, who was making his first ever appearance in senior football.
“In a way that was a really nice thing to see and that is definitely a positive we can take from the game,” added Herbert.
“It was just about scrapping it out and getting our name in the hat for the next round.
“That’s exactly what we did so we did the job we aimed to do. It was a very professional and gritty performance.
“When you have a good preseason like we have had then you get to the FA Cup game and are missing seven or eight players that would normally start the game, the pre-season preparations go completely out of the window.
“I really wanted to show everyone the end product of our preseason, but this happens in football and you have to deal with these kind of problems. “Luckily, we got through.” Herbert is now preparing for Town’s opening Hallmark Security League Premier Division fixture at home to Maine Road on Saturday and believes the squad has strengthened over the summer.
“Pre-season went as well as expected really,” said Herbert.
“We purposely got fixtures that were going to test us to the maximum, and we certainly got those tests.
“We have added more quality and a bit more height. We had to improve at the back too and goalkeeper Andy Metcalf, as well as defenders Michael Carberry, Shaun Dowling and Chris Rimmer will all do that in a big way.
“We also needed to add a few lads that are willing to go and do the horrible stuff in the games and we have got that now.
“New signings Rob Doran, Matty German, Rimmer, Sebastian Julian, Carberry and Dowling will improve us in this league, so we just need to get them firing quickly. We have added goals.”
Town travel to AFC Liverpool next Wednesday for their second league game. BOSS Michael Ellison is demanding improvement after his Runcorn Linnets side kicked off their season with a 2-0 victory over Hemsworth MW in the FA Cup extra preliminary round last Saturday.
He was relieved to see them progress through to the next round of the competition but is now preparing for their Hallmark Security League Premier Division opener at Abbey Hey.
“I think it was one of those performances where we weren’t at our best,” said Ellison.
“We managed to get the win though which is always a good thing so I’m pleased.
“The most important thing was that we were in the next round and we have done that.”
Ellison named two new signings for the tie – James Moore, who made his debut at centre-back and Terry Smith, a former professional goalkeeper, who only signed for the club on Thursday evening.
The Linnets boss believes a number of new recruits could stand out this season but he hasn’t ruled out bringing some more players in.
“I think that the lads we’ve brought in are all good enough to play in the side,” said Ellison.
“That brings with it competition for places which I don’t think we had enough of last year.
“Going forward we’ve got goals that can come from all over the park so we are always looking to be a threat with our attacking play.
“I think it’s tough to single out one player as we’ve signed a couple of young 18-year-old lads who I think could have a big impact this season.
“I think you can always improve your squad though and if the opportunity comes we will certainly look to do that.”
The Linnets will face fellow Hallmark Security League side Ashton Athletic in two weeks’ time in the next round of the FA Cup but not before travelling to Abbey Hey on Saturday and then playing their first home match of the campaign on Tuesday evening against Irlam.
The Linnets are expected to name a stronger side, with some players returning from holiday and suspensions.
Ellison hopes the Linnets’ strong pre-season campaign will stand them in good stead for the league’s opening week.
“I’m very pleased with how pre-season has gone,” said Ellison. “We’ve had some really good performances against some strong sides and the lads are looking forward to getting started properly.
“The players have looked good but we have had a few injuries which isn’t helpful.”