The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
Spalding United could climb into the Evo-Stik League First Division South play-off places on Saturday as they prepare for one of the biggest games of their season so far.
The Tulips, seventh at the start of play, welcome fifth-placed Stafford Rangers to the Sir Halley Stewart Playing Field (3pm) for what will be their fifth home game on the spin in all competitions.
Victory would see Spalding leapfrog their visitors into a coveted play-off position – and boss Pat Rayment is hoping that his side have slipped under Stafford’s radar.
Having beaten Norton United 2-1 last Saturday, Rayment’s side come into the came with three wins on the spin under their belt.
The Tulips chief doesn’t believe his side will fear what promises to be strong opposition and has challenged his charges to keep their fine form going.
He said: “I’m absolutely loving this league, it’s incredibly competitive.
“In my opinion there are six or seven sides that are in with a genuine chance of promotion this season. Ourselves and Stafford are right in that mix.
“Every game in this league is competitive no matter who you are playing, but this is one of the bigger ones for us and will probably be too close to call.
“Nobody has a divine right to succeed at this level, so we’ll need to be at our best to get something.
“Stafford are a top side, but I don’t think they hold any fears for us. I don’t know what they’ll think about us, maybe we’ve gone under their radar.
“I hope that’s the case, as I believe it should be Stafford that fear us.
“Whatever happens, it’s a game that I hope attracts the fans. Three points will put us in the play-off positions, which is where we believe we belong.
“After that, it’s up to the players to keep us there – that’s my challenge to them.”
With Luke Thurlbourne back in training and key man Andrew Tidswell fit again, Rayment should have a full squad at his disposal for the first time this season.
Although his side are in the best position the club has enjoyed in its recent history, the Spalding supremo does believe that there still is more to come from his talented team.
He’s highlighted the rise of local duo Adam Jackson and Tom Waumsley as examples of how his side can continue to raise the bar both on and off the field.
Before a ball was kicked this season nothing drastic was expected from either player – but it’s fair to say that they’ve been the standout performers so far after putting in the hard yards on the training field.
Rayment added: “I keep saying it, but there’s more to come from this team.
“It’s all about momentum and we’ve got that on our side at the moment.
“As a manager, you love nothing more than to see the players taking what you’ve told them on board.
“And for me, there’s no better example than Adam and Tom. They’ve raised their game this season and few would argue that they’ve been among our best players.
“Tom is arguably the club’s number one striker now, while Adam is the first name on the teamsheet. The way they have developed gives me a great deal of pleasure.”
