Hall Road Rangers vs Athersley Recreation

Haworth Park

Saturday November 18

Toolstation NCEL Premier Division

By Ollie Harsley

The home games keep coming thick and fast for Hall Road Rangers as they welcome Athersley Recreation to Haworth Park this Saturday. The Penguins arrive in East Yorkshire sitting in 18th place in the NCEL table and will be confident after 2 successive wins in all competitions.

Rangers come into this match on the back of a frustrating 2-1 defeat at home to Liversedge on Tuesday night which could have ended very differently had they taken their chances. However, this should only be a little blip in what has been a very good season so far for Hall Road and they will be determined to consolidate their top half position in the league table. With this upcoming match on Saturday and next Tuesday’s visit of Pontefract Collieries to Haworth Park to come, it is the perfect opportunity to round off this 6 game run at home with a win or two.

Athersley will have a large sense of confidence after 2 straight wins but they have lost 5 of their 10 away games so far this season. Their manager Luke Potter will want his players to sort out this rather woeful away form starting with this Saturday’s game. A player who does provide a lot of positives for The Penguins is Lee Garside who scored both goals in their 2-1 win against Parkgate in the NCEL Premier Division last Saturday. Many others have made their own contributions in terms of goals for the team including Kyle Wordsworth, Adam Miller and McCauley Shillito. Hall Road must stifle all of these opposition threats if they are to win this game.

Rangers boss Bill Gill hopes his side can improve their quality in front of goal against Athersley. “Looking at the chances we missed against Liversedge in mid week, we will have that one game just like against Worksop where we score lots of goals and I’m hoping it will come this Saturday”, Gill said.

Gill is also keen to remind his players that Athersley will be no pushovers and that there can be no room for complacency. “Athersley have picked up some good points this season and are no fools. They are a typical NCEL team who are hard working, hit good areas and are direct. Every game in this league is tough and nothing can be taken for granted”.

Gill wants his players to react positively to the setbacks they have faced in their last 2 defeats at home against Pontefract Collieries in the 2nd Round of the FA Vase last Saturday and Liversedge in the NCEL Premier on Tuesday evening. “Saturday is all about us, the lads feel hurt after being so unlucky in the last couple of games so I’m expecting nothing less than 3 points”, Gill concluded.