Show me you want that place says Ford

Banbury United entertain Cinderford Town in Saturday’s Evo-Stik Southern League clash looking to make it three home wins on the spin.

And, with Cinderford rooted to the bottom of the premier division table, three points are up for grabs. But Ford is warning against complacency ahead of Saturday’s clash with the team which came up as champions.

Ford said: “We only took a single point off Cinderford last season and they had a decent result against Redditch last week. They are desperate for points to climb away from the bottom.

“We’ve just got to carry on doing what we’ve been doing in those last two games and take it into Saturday’s game.

“Perhaps we all looked at the situation a few weeks ago and thought maybe we could make the play-offs. Now, we’ve got back to taking it one game at a time and it’s paid off.”

The Puritans head into the busiest time of the season and Ford’s squad will be tested to the full. So that’s why he wants real competition from his players, especially those not in the starting line-up.

He said: “It’s going to be a really heavy schedule, we’ve got nine games in January. The period between December and the end of February is the crucial part of the season.

“We’ve had a strong bench for the past couple of games but some players are not putting enough pressure on those who are starting games.

“When you make changes as a manager you are relying on the substitutes you put on to make a difference. If they don’t, then you’re decision can be questioned.”