Lye looking up the table, despite their winter blip
Lye Town boss Grant Joshua is targeting a play-off charge after his side turned a corner following a winter ‘blip’, writes Luke Powell.
Sitting sixth in Northern One Midlands, five points adrift of the play-off places, the Flyers face a stern test at second-placed Spalding United tomorrow, and are looking to do the league double over their opponents.
After three losses in a row, Joshua’s side are unbeaten in their last three league games and searching for a hat-trick of wins to close in on those above.
“We’re going to Spalding to win and there will be no mixed messages from me,” said Joshua. “We don’t go for a draw or to bank up, we’re going to attack.
“That’s the only way these boys know how to play and that’s driven by the staff. It’s going to be a difficult game, but we have a lot of quality in our squad that I think goes a little bit underestimated.
“If we get beat, then nobody expected us to win but if we win or get a point, then we will position ourselves to chase down that pack of play-off places.
“If somebody would’ve offered me the first blip of the season from the middle of December to January then we would’ve taken it.”
After promotion last season from the Midland Premier, Lye targeted securing another season in the division, but with success so far the Flyers’ ambitions have shifted. Joshua said: “It was all about survival before, but circumstances change. We’re going to give it a right good go and it’s been a change in message from me.
“Nobody expects us to get there – if we finish five or 10 points short and in sixth or seventh then we’ve had a brilliant season. But, I have to find a way to keep pushing the players. We have a tick list in the changing room and we tick off every time we win a game, and they’ve been set a target of what I think will get us in the play-offs.”
Elsewhere, Walsall Wood welcome Harborough Town, but Sporting Khalsa have a break from action after a 4-1 defeat to Chasetown in the Walsall Senior Cup midweek.
Phil Brown will look to maintain a winning start with Kidderminster Harriers at Peterborough Sports in the fifth round of the FA Trophy, while in National League North Rushall Olympic go to Banbury United and in the Southern Central Premier, Halesowen Town host Redditch United.
