The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
Manager Elliot Sandy is promising his team will be giving it everything on Saturday when they take on Northern Premier League Midland Division leaders Harborough Town at the Sir Halley Stewart ground.
Spalding United warmed up with a crushing 5-1 victory at Rugby Town but Sandy is under no illusions of the task awaiting his side if they want to gain promotion to the Premier Division.
“We’re on a good run of form but it’s a big game,” he said. “We’ll be training well and go with that mentality that game by game we have to give everything we’ve got.
“It’s the old cliché of eight cup finals. We’ve got to play each one as if it’s our last.”
After Saturday’s win, the Tulips sit two points behind Harborough from a game more, with eight to play. Only the top team is guaranteed to go up with second to fifth competing in the play-offs. Spalding are currently 15 points clear of the cut-off.
“It could be the season we achieve everything we want to achieve or we fall short,” said Sandy, whose team also face a Lincolnshire County FA Senior Cup final date at Lincoln City against National League North side Scunthorpe United on April 17.
“We’ll make sure we prepare right and hope all the fans come out for the game,” he said.
“Harborough are top of the league and expected to win it probably so we need to be on our game and give it everything.”.
Riley O’Sullivan scored twice with Jordan Graham, Nathan Stainfield and Kyle Barker also finding the net at Rugby, while Harborough were being held to a 1-1 draw at home by mid-table Corby Town.
Rugby had levelled through former Spalding striker Mikey Taylor before the visitors romped clear.
Sandy said: “It was a great win. It was probably expected but it’s never as easy as that.
“Rugby are a dangerous side going forward with a lot of pace and Taylor was a real handful, he took his goal really well.
“We were ruthless though with the chances we got and it’s fantastic to score five goals away from home in this league.”
Spalding face another tough test on Tuesday when they play host to play-off-chasing Lye.
Tulips: Breeden, Draper, Warburton, Walker, Stainfield, Cartwright, Hilliard, Clifton, O’Sullivan, Graham, Curtis, Subs: Freeman, Barker, Bennett, Sherif, Sandy.
Attendance: 173.
p Crowland Town remain handily placed for a late title charge in the GCE Hire Fleet Peterborough League title.
A 5-0 win at Wittering Premiair leaves them five points off the chasing pack, with a game in hand, and nine points adrift of leaders and reigning champions Uppingham Town from five games fewer.
Five players were on the visitors’ scoresheet with Danny Firth, Harry Grigas, Nathan Pickering, Lawrence Stewart and substitute Joe Strickland all finding the way to goal.
Moulton Harrox sit third, still on target to beat last season’s second-place finish after a 2-1 win against title rivals Stanground Sports, who they trail only on goal difference with 12 games to go.
Marcus Parry and Nathan Smith got their goals.
Holbeach United Reserves slipped deeper into trouble at the foot of the table after a 2-1 defeat at previously bottom-placed Ramsey Town, where Jordan Keeble got their goal.
Tydd are now bottom but have up to four games in hand on the teams just above them.
