SELL OUT CROWD FOR WINNING START
LEEK Town manager Neil Baker says his side need to show more intensity when their league campaign gets under way tomorrow – despite kicking off the 2020-21 season with an FA Cup win.
The Blues beat Midland League outfit Sporting Khalsa 2-1 in in their first match for six months, with goals from Jack Wakefield and Matt Bell.
But Baker was left surprised at the performance after an encouraging pre-season campaign.
He said: “I was pleased with the win but not the performance.
“We’d had a decent preseason but we looked nothing like – the intensity was lacklustre and the other team looked as though they’d played more competitive games than us. “But, when we’ve got so many players below par, to still win was pleasing.
“A lot of the lads hadn’t played 90 minutes in preseason and maybe there were a few opening day nerves, so there are reasons, but not excuses.”
The match was played on an unusually balmy September afternoon, and in front of a sell-out crowd of 400. And Baker was pleased with the surprisingly high attendance, as the Blues took advantage of Stoke City and Port Vale still being forced to play behind closed doors. “The crowd was bigger than we could have expected had this game been played at any other time in the season,” he said. “We will benefit from the other local sides not having crowds.”
Leek kick off their league campaing at home to Wisbech Town in the Northern Premier League on Saturday at 3pm.