A look ahead to Saturday’s National League North clash at The Citadel….
By Matty Paddock - 31/03/2023
Posted 3 years ago
HARRIERS take their quest for a strong finish to the season to Farsley Celtic on Saturday.
The National League North season is fast approaching its conclusion and, while wins have been in short supply in recent weeks, the Reds have also proven a tough nut to crack in their own right.
Speaking ahead of the game at The Citadel, boss Russ Penn said he feels his side have shown enough in the last stretch of games to have taken far more from them than they have.
He accepts the results say otherwise, and insists it is about taking that same approach to Farsley this weekend.
Reflecting on the 0-0 draw against Alfreton last week, Penn said: “There were plenty of positives as I believe we should’ve won the game, but the be-all and end-all is that we didn’t.
“It’s disappointing as we’ve lost some big points in the last couple of weeks.
“I believe we should’ve been on the other side of the draws but, nevertheless, there are plenty of positives out there and we’re looking forward to going to Farsley and taking the positives into the remaining six games.”
Russ Wilcox once again has Farsley fighting superbly against the drop this season.
Not dissimilar to Harriers, they’ve won just a couple of games lately, but have been even tougher to beat, tasting defeat in the league just twice since January.
Their confidence has also been boosted by a magnificent FA Trophy run that saw them knocked out on penalties in the quarter-final stage by National League side Gateshead.
“Farsley are one of the in-form teams in the league,” Penn added.
“I know they haven’t won a lot, but they haven’t been beaten either, a bit like ourselves.
“They’re fighting for every point, as are we, and we want to finish as high as we can.
“It’s a tough game on Saturday… I know how Russ has brought a lot of confidence to the club, so this is one of the toughest games on the fixture list.”
Penn confirmed that striker Ethan Freemantle’s season is over following a “freak accident” during last week’s Alfreton tie that saw him withdrawn.
After spending time in hospital, Freemantle is now home recovering while awaiting news as to whether surgery may be required after his facial injury.
Joe Leesley, meanwhile, came through his return to match action unscathed last week and remains very much in the mix.
Christian Dibble is one player back getting regular minutes after a couple of weeks out through injury.
Assessing the shot-stopper’s contribution so far, Penn said: “I think he is everything we looked for in the signing, he’s a big presence on and off the field.
“He hasn’t played a lot of games in the last couple of years, so he needs to get up to speed now and show me what he’s capable of going forward.”
Kick off at Farsley Celtic on Saturday is at 3:00pm.
Match Day Information from Farsley Celtic
This article is about: Match
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