We have to take the bull by the horns and get out of our little rut, says Joe Francis

Sunday 27th February 2011

CRAY WANDERERS assistant manager Joe Francis hopes yesterday’s lay-off will do his weary players the world of good ahead of their trip to Carshalton Athletic on Tuesday night, writes Stephen McCartney.

A waterlogged pitch caused their away game at Wealdstone to be called off on Saturday morning - after the Wands played twice last week.

They were deservedly defeated 2-0 by Leatherhead in the quarter-finals of the Championship Manager Cup at Hayes Lane on Tuesday night, before they comfortably defeated Haringey Borough 3-0 in the last sixteen of the London Senior Cup on a heavy pitch at Beckenham Town’s Eden Park Avenue 48 hours later.

Allan McLeod, Jack Clark, Carl Gibbs and Ebenezer Masade both turned out in both games but the Wands’ management team hope everyone will be firing on all cylinders for their trip to Colston Avenue on Tuesday.

Francis said: “Our priority is the league. Simple as that!

“We’re off the back of a really tough last five or six weeks where our squad has been stretched and we’ve had to play some tough games away from home on a Tuesday night, the top two at home and results haven’t been kind to us.

“But we’ve missed key players. It doesn’t matter what squad you’ve got, when you’re missing your two centre halves (Mark Willy and John Guest), our skipper (Willy) has been out since early January, I think you would agree he’s been one of the best centre halves in the league and he’s our leader and now John is out and (midfielder) Danny (Phillips) picked up an injury. It’s stretched the squad.”

The Wands have slipped down to ninth place in the Ryman Premier League table and have to cram in thirteen league games and at least two county cup ties in the last remaining nine weeks of the season.

The Hayes Lane based side are six points adrift of fifth-placed Billericay Town and when asked whether they can claim a play-off berth in their 150th anniversary season, Francis replied, “The next three or four weeks will tell us that won’t it? We won’t be looking for anything else.

“You’ve got to have faith in yourself ain’t you and the players have got to have faith in themselves and one another. We have to take the bull by the horns and have the ability as well to come out of a little slump, not a slump, a little rut and win those tough games and if you can’t win them, get a point.”

Francis added: “There’s no poor sides in our league but you’ve got to be at it every week so it’s a crucial time. We could go one way or another.

“I just wished we had a full squad because with a full squad we’re as good as anybody in this league.”

Visit Cray Wanderers’ website: www.craywands.co.uk

Carshalton Athletic v Cray Wanderers

Ryman Premier League

Tuesday 1st March 2011

Kick Off 7:45pm

At War Memorial Sports Ground, Colston Avenue, Surrey SM5 2PN