Clipstone vs Hall Road Rangers
Saturday March 10
Worksop Van Hire Stadium
Toolstation NCEL Premier Division
By Ollie Harsley
Photograph supplied by Lee Myers
PHOTO: The two Danny’s – Chambers and Norton celebrate netting in the earlier season fixture
HALL Road Rangers will be very determined to pick up a crucial three points as they visit rock bottom Clipstone in a massive NCEL Premier Division match.
The Cobras have one solitary point from their 32 games so far this season, so the form book suggests Rangers have a very good chance of getting a victory that could be a catalyst for them getting out of relegation trouble.
Prior to the midweek postponement against Hemsworth Miners Welfare, Hall Road boss Bill Gill was in a very positive mood as he issued a rallying call to his players.
“We only have one thing in mind now for the remainder of the season and that is to perform the best we can and gain maximum points from all our remaining fixtures.
We have a group of players that can beat any team on the day and it is a false position that we are in.
Wherever we are placed in the league our mindset remains the same and that is to win every football game”, Gill said.
Hall Road will be looking to capitilise on Clipstone’s struggles this season, however a change of authority figure in the dugout for the hosts may provide Bill Gill’s side a step into the unknown somewhat.
The confidence in the Clipstone camp will be very low however after seven straight defeats in the league and the latest of those was a 10-3 defeat at home to Maltby Main on Tuesday night.
Blessing Adeleye scored twice for The Cobras and Thomas Gledhill got the other goal as they led the game on 24 minutes, only for a collapse to compound their frustrations.
Rangers were victorious in the previous meeting between these sides back in October as they won 3-2 at Haworth Park.
They were 3-0 up at half time thanks to a Danny Norton strike and a Danny Chambers brace (pictured), however Clipstone nearly pulled off a remarkable comeback as they scored twice in the second half with those goals coming from Tim Gregory and Matthew Hubbard to ensure a nervy finale.
The Cobras deserved credit on that day as they didn’t give up the fight and gave Hall Road quite the scare but it is hoped Rangers can come through relatively unscathed.
From the outside this maybe viewed the perfect opportunity for Hall Road to pick up three points which would be a huge boost to their chances of staying in the NCEL Premier Division.
They still have plenty of games in hand on those sides above them and they will undoubtedly feel they are more than capable of catching Harrogate Railway Athletic who sit just outside the relegation zone.
Rangers are five points adrift of them but Harrogate Railway are in poor form and they have lost both of their games against Hall Road this season.
Hall Road will have to be fully focused on avoiding an upset as they look to bridge the gap on the teams directly above them in the table.
Gill also admitted that his players have been working hard in training ahead of this game as they look to get the win on Saturday.
“We have been working in training to try to keep the momentum up after the positive performance we put in at Pontefract Collieries”, Gill concluded.
Recent Comments