BROMSGROVE Sporting manager Paul Smith insists his side are there to be shot down but maintains the Rouslers have every chance of clinching the title come the end of the season.
After a dramatic Easter weekend which saw the Rouslers held to a 3-3 draw on Saturday by Studley before claiming a narrow 1-0 victory at Pershore Town on Monday, Smith’s side now sit atop the Midland league Division One table once again as Heath Hayes defeated Coventry Untied 2-1 and Leicester Road held Nuneaton Griff to a 2-2 draw.
And with only seven games left of the season, Smith believes his side has what it takes to finish as champions.
“I have said all season that on our day, nobody can beat us but we have to maintain those high levels and a few games this season we haven’t done that,” he said.
“We are top of the league and there to be shot at which puts a lot of pressure on the lads considering the position we are in.
“However, I have tried to stress as much as I can that the pressure should not be on them.
“After the heavy defeat to Nuneaton Griff the players have shown great character and I strongly believe that we have a great shot at winning this league.”
Sporting’s next game sees them make the trip to Rene Road to take on a Bolehall Swifts side that are unbeaten in their last six league games, winning four – a run of form which has lifted them from almost certain relegation to two points clear of the drop zone.
The last time the two sides met came back in January when Sporting ran out comfortable 4-1 winners at the Victoria Ground but Smith believes this time around things will be a lot more difficult.
“Every match will be tough for us throughout the remainder of the season but given the form Bolehall are in, it will be a really tough fixture for us,” he said.
“We need to be on it otherwise we will give Bolehall a chance but if we can put in an eight or nine out of 10 performance, we will get a good result.
“Over the Easter weekend we have looked a little bit nervous and disjointed in our performances.
“In the terrible conditions at Studley, we managed to go 2-0 up by half-time but looked to have thrown it away at 3-2 with five minutes to go but all credit to my players for getting the equaliser – a point that could be very crucial.
“Then on Monday at Pershore, you could feel the tension in the crowd and from the players but we did what we needed to do and got a clean sheet too so I’m pleased with the results overall.”
Ahead of Sporting’s trip to Bolehall, Smith will be boosted by the returns of Daniel Morris and Luke Dugmore while Reece Hewitt and Kyle Walker could be out for another week before making a return to action.
