Town boss Neil Aspin knows his players have a point to prove when they face Nuneaton for the second time in five days tomorrow.
A 3-0 defeat at the Shay in Tuesday night’s rearranged clash saw the Midlanders take over from the Shaymen in second place on goal difference in Blue Square Bet North.
Victory for Aspin’s side at Liberty Way tomorrow would see them reclaim second spot and go some way to banishing the memory of their sixth league defeat of the campaign.
Asked whether it was a good thing to be playing the same opposition twice in quick succession, Aspin said: “It won’t be a good thing if the result is the same as the other night.
“We knew it was going to be a difficult game tomorrow regardless of what happened on Tuesday.
“But the players have a point to prove and they are capable of getting a result.
“Undeniably the other night we lacked quality in certain areas.
“If we are going to challenge near the top we need a bit of extra quality.”
The extra quality will have to come from within the squad after Aspin ruled out additions before tomorrow’s game.
But the manager is sure that if the likes of Lee Gregory and Liam Needham, who both missed the midweek defeat, have recovered from injury his side can find the improvement required.
“I am hopeful that a couple of players who missed Tuesday’s game will be fit for tomorrow,” he said.
“If we can get them back we will be looking to give a better display.
“They will be given as long as possible and I won’t name my team until tomorrow. The extra three or four days gives them a chance of playing.”
In addition to Gregory and Needham, Aspin will be checking on Jamie Rainford, who limped off after half an hour in midweek.
Tuesday’s defeat was Town’s first in the league for 10 matches but Aspin knows that the pressure is on to bounce straight back tomorrow.
“I don’t think there is any perspective,” he said. “If we lose a game it is a crisis if we don’t play well at home we receive a lot of stick.
“We know the score and we have got to get a result tomorrow.
“There is no one here who doesn’t want to play for the club and the players are all putting in the effort.”
Cameron Darkwah and Ryan Toulson will both be available despite their red cards in recent games.
Darkwah’s suspension will kick in when Harrogate come to the Shay on March 3 while Toulson will be missing for the trip to Hyde FC seven days later.
Aspin said he had yet to hear what charge he would face, if any, after he was sent to the stand at Eastwood last weekend.
Follow the action from the game with live updates on the Courier Sport Twitter page
Comments