Passionate Spalding RFC skipper Sam Cooke has issued a battle cry to his side ahead of Saturday’s crucial trip to relegation rivals Nottingham Casuals.
With eight games left to play, ninth-placed Casuals are one of the few teams that relegation-threatened Town can realistically look to overhaul before the end of the season.
The Elephants are still without an away win all season in Midlands Two East (North) – and another defeat this weekend would leave them in deep trouble.
Cooke, who was relieved to see last weekend’s trip to Ashbourne called off after admitting his squad would have been severely depleted, reckons his side finally have an away win in them.
He’s challenged his charges to pick up five points in Nottinghamshire but has warned his team-mates that relegation this season would see Town drop into obscurity.
The skipper admits that it’d be soul-destroying to go down and feels it would see Spalding lose a lot of gravitas in local circles.
“Now is the time for us to step up,” said captain Cooke. “We’ve got eight games to define our season and preserve much of the good work that has taken place at the club over the past five to ten years.
“Over the past few years we’ve always prided ourselves on being one of the predominant teams in Lincolnshire. This year has been tough, but I believe it’s been necessary to blood young players.
“If we go down, I don’t think we could claim that any more. No disrespect, but we don’t want to be playing teams from local towns every week.
“We want to carry on mixing it with the city sides. That’s the buzz of playing at a higher level.
“Yes it’s harder, but we’re used to it now. It’s like any sport, be it football, rugby, cricket or even pool and darts. If you get used to playing at a lower standard, it becomes the norm.
“I think I speak for everyone when I say we want to play as high as we can, even if we have suffered a lot in recent years.
“Saturday is a big one. We have to go there and take five points. I know we’ve not won away all season, but I genuinely believe that we’ve got an away win in us between now and the end of the season.”
Town go into Saturday’s 2.15pm kick off in 11th place, three points behind Coalville with a game in hand.
They are, however, nine points behind opponents Casuals – meaning that a defeat would essentially make it a shoot-out between Spalding and Coalville in the race to avoid the drop.
There’s good news for Town ahead of the tussle, with key men Harry Sharman, Sion Williams and Jay Harwood fit to return. All would have missed the postponed game at Ashbourne, which has been rearranged for February 27.
