‘Tulips are in three-horse race for league title’ – Rayment

Buoyant Spalding United boss Pat Rayment reckons that his charges are one of three sides capable of winning the Evo-Stik League First Division South title.

Rayment believes that the Tulips are battling with Mickleover Sports and Leek Town for top spot, with current leaders Sutton Coldfield Town and second-placed Newcastle Town not on his radar.

Spalding, Mickleover and Leek all have a host of games in hand on the leading duo, with the Tulips chief adamant that the current top five are the ones to catch.
He said: “The top five are starting to mould now and you’d expect it to finish that way.
“In my opinion, the title is between Spalding, Leek and Mickleover. If those three sides convert the games in hand into points, we’ll be well clear.
“Sutton Coldfield have a big budget and have been top for a while, but I expect us to catch them.
“Equally, Newcastle Town robbed us at our place – we should have soundly beaten them.”

In-form Spalding make the trip to Norton United this Saturday (3pm) – although the match will be played at Newcastle Town’s Aspire Lyme Valley Stadium.

Ninth-placed Norton are looking for a new home after being turfed out of Community Drive, which is owned by the Coal Industry Social Welfare Organisation (CISWO).
That means Spalding won’t return to the scene of their 2-1 FA Cup exit back in September, a day Rayment rates among his worst in football.

He added: “That FA Cup performance was the most inept I’ve ever seen in my time as a player or manager in football.
“We’re not out for revenge or anything like that. But it was a dark day for the club.”

Fit-again striker Jordan Nuttell returns to an otherwise unchanged squad.
The Tulips go into the clash on a 13-game unbeaten run.