Glos County Henbury on the right track, says joint-manager Richards
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The GFA and League Cup runs have been pleasing for us and led to a nice feel about the place given the frustrations of our league position
OPTIMISTIC co-boss Trevor Richards insists Henbury are in a “good place” right now, even if he accepts their league position is not all it could be.
The Arnall Drive outfit travel to confront Marcliff Gloucestershire County League’s bottom side Gala Wilton tomorrow (1.45pm) aware a place in the semi-finals of the Les James Cup competition is there for the taking.
Richards admits he is mystified by his team’s 11th-placed standing on the ladder, with only three wins from 13 games to their name.
He is also mindful that five of their league games have ended in draws, while four of five defeats have been by single-goal margins.
Saturday’s 2-0 home loss at the hands of leaders Lebeq United represented Henbury’s biggest league defeat of the campaign and Richards, who continues to oversee operations alongside long-time cohort Jason Tarr, maintained: “We gave a fantastic account of ourselves in that one after the blow of conceding inside the first 15 seconds.
“We definitely deserved more – a draw at the minimum would have been more appropriate – as we dominated the second half and their ‘keeper saved the day for them.
“After that sloppy start we showed what we’re really about and we can take encouragement from it.”
Henbury are also on the county cup trail, their recent 4-0 victory over embattled AEK Boco setting them up for a tasty Tuesday night trip to lock horns with mid-table Hellenic Premier team Fairford Town in the quarter-finals of the GFA Challenge Trophy on January 8 (7.45pm).
“We turned in a dogged performance against Boco,” Richards reflected. “They are going with youth at the moment and it’s clearly not been an easy time there. But give their young lads another year and I reckon they’ll be a force to be reckoned with.
“You have to give Boco credit as they are working really hard at getting it right with such a youthful side.
“The GFA and League Cup runs have been pleasing for us and led to a nice feel about the place given the frustrations of our league position. Fairford play two divisions up from us, so it will be a good test at a nice facility, although having it on a Tuesday night is not ideal as it will make for a few selection headaches with players on work shifts etc.”
The Arnall Drive supremo insisted: “No one we’ve played has battered us. We’ve been the architects of our own downfall at times making silly mistakes, but we also need that out-and-out striker to put away all the chances we’ve been creating, someone like Aaron Anglin before he left us for Hallen.
“As a club things are progressing, no question. We have some very good young players coming through our under-18s, lads like Samuel Fitzpatrick, a defender who we have pushed up front in order to test him at this level.
“He scored from off the bench against Boco and went close to scoring twice against Lebeq.
“We’ll be looking to give one or two more young ’ uns a run against Gala on Saturday and we have a strong reserves section too, made up of more senior players keen to continue playing in advancing years yet ready to help the young lads on their journey.”
Richards added: “It would be nice to think we could achieve something in the cup competitions we’re still in, but despite Gala’s position at the bottom of our league we cannot be approaching it thinking a win is a foregone conclusion. That’s always a dangerous attitude.
“I’m still hopeful we can stay well clear of relegation trouble and finish up in the top half, although our only real chance of finishing in the top five which we had been targeting at the start is to turn the whole table upside down!”
Aside from the Wick-Rockleaze Rangers (2pm) and Southmead CS Athletic- Broadwell Amateurs (3pm) league encounters, the last eight of the Les James competition takes precedence with Little Stoke going to Frampton United, Hanham Athletic hosting Stonehouse Town and AEK Boco entertaining Ruardean Hill Rangers (all 1.45pm).