BRENDAN Kelly says his Bromsgrove Sporting players are itching to step back onto the Victoria Ground turf when they host Hitchin Town on Saturday (3pm).
The Rouslers suffered the disappointment of their away fixture at Hednesford Town being a victim of Storm Dennis last weekend, and to add to their frustration promotion rivals Peterborough Sports, Rushall Olympic and Stourbridge all managed to play and pick up points.
A return to action on Saturday against a Canaries side occupying 17th in the the Southern League Premier Central table provides an ideal opportunity for Bromsgrove, on paper.
It is a challenge that the Rouslers manager won’t take lightly, however, with a last-minute Hitchin equaliser that denied Sporting all three points in October’s 2-2 draw still fresh in Kelly’s mind.
“[In the previous meeting] it was quite even in the first half. We dominated the second but we were quite naive in conceding that late goal the way that we did,” he said.
“They’ve come up this way and turned over the likes of Stourbridge and Redditch already this season, and as we know anyone can beat anyone at this level. They’re not to be underestimated.
“Because of the reaction that we’ve had to our last defeat [a 3-0 loss at home to Coalville] and going three games unbeaten, you want the games to keep coming thick and fast.
“The players are raring to go against a Hitchin team that we feel is a winnable game, but we know that we can’t afford to be naive again this time around.”
One player whose availability will be monitored closely is midfielder Kieren Westwood, who has suffered a back injury but has a 50-50 chance of being fit for the weekend.
Kelly says that while he is on the lookout to add to the squad, he is more than happy to turn to the club’s youth system, which has already proved a capable supply line to the first team this season.
“It’s a case of utilising the whole of the squad,” said Sporting’s manager on dealing with injuries.
“We have a number of players who are capable of playing out of position too, so we’re fortunate in that area.
“I’ve seen a lot of the under-18s games and I wouldn’t be afraid to turn to some of them if needed.
“We’ve already seen Sam Collins, Tom Massey and in the past Charlie Dowd appear in the first team, so there are lads coming through if needed.”
