Holbeach United chief Seb Hayes accepts that he’d “look like an idiot” if he claimed that his side were in the Future Lions UCL Premier Division title race.
Saturday’s defeat at Wellingborough Town left the Tigers a massive 17 points off the top of the table, with Hayes now admitting that he is focusing on glory in the cup competitions.
Holbeach have two games in hand on leaders Daventry Town ahead of Saturday’s home clash with struggling Northampton ON Chenecks (3pm).
But the Tigers chief feels winning the league – his aim at the start of the season – is no longer an viable target.
“I feel like we’re out of the race now,” said Hayes. “People would think that I’m in idiot if I kept on talking about the title this season.
“The fact of the matter is, we’d still be 11 points back if we won both of our games in hand.
“It’s highly unlikely that Daventry will lose that many games, too.
“Only really Rugby Town or perhaps Deeping Rangers can think about challenging Daventry for the title now.
“For me, the cups are now the priority. We have two home quarter-finals to look forward too and the FA Vase to enjoy.
“Maybe we’re a few players short of challenging this season. We’ve got a great squad, but I’ve been drafting in youngsters from the under-18s and Reserves while our rivals are able to go out and add quality.”
Hayes is hopeful that skipper Spencer Tinkler will finally return to the squad on Saturday, while defender Jamie Stevens should also be involved after missing the past two games.
Midfielder Adam Jackson begins a three-game ban, though.
The boss plans to work his side hard in training and expects a response at Carter’s Park. He added: “If we play like we did last weekend, we’ll probably lose.
“They lads will know that I’m going to work them hard in training and it’s important that we get back on track.
“Losing our 12-game unbeaten run is a blow, but we need to start another run and concentrate on finishing as high as we can.”
