Danny Hussey wants his Holbeach United side to prove that Saturday’s lacklustre draw with Desborough Town was no more than a blip.
The Tigers, who are unbeaten in seven games in all competitions, are aiming to get back to winning ways in the Uhlsport UCL Premier Division when they visit Wellingborough Town on Saturday (3pm).
Hussey is hopeful that his sixth-placed side won’t allow themselves to lose momentum ahead of the notoriously busy festive period as they bid to keep pace with the top five.
However, Wellingborough – whose manager Jake Stone and players all came from Cogenhoe United last year – won’t roll over for Holbeach, given the rivalry between the two groups of players from past seasons.
“I wasn’t happy with the lads last weekend,” said Hussey. “I’ve let the lads know, but hopefully we can move past it and make sure the draw was just a blip.
“We’ve still got a good recent record and need to keep that momentum going into Christmas and beyond.
“Wellingborough are the Cogenhoe United side from last year and we had a few issues with them on and off the pitch.
“I don’t imagine that anything has changed – they’ll be the same team on the pitch and in the dugout, so we’ll have to deal with them.
“From my point of view, none of the lads could complain if they were benched this weekend. We’ve had continuity while on-form, but when you get a bad result you think you might need to make changes.
“We’ll see, we’ve also got some approaches in too so the there could be a new face or two.”
One of those possible new faces is Deeping Rangers midfielder Sam Murphy, who Hussey has made a seven-day approach for.
The pair worked together during their time at Spalding United and Stamford, with ex-Wisbech Town man Murphy excelling in a central midfield role.
However, Holbeach have received an approach from Deeping for their left back Tom Smith – who only joined the Tigers from the Clarets at the start of last season.
Central defender Joe Braithwaite has also left the club to join Newark Flowserve, but Hussey is hopeful that he’ll return to the club at some point in the future.
He added: “Joe has been an amazing servant to the club and goes with my blessing.
“He picked up a knock and has struggled to get back into the team after Nick Jackson joined, so I understand his reasons.
“He had a very, very lucrative offer from Newark and it’s something he felt he couldn’t turn down.
“I hope we can bring him back here at some point, I’m sure it’s not the last we’ve seen of Joe here – he’s always welcome here.
“As for Tom, I’m hopeful that he’ll stay. He’s close with the lads here and is a big part of my plans.
“I won’t say much about Sam as he’s a Deeping player, but I can confirm the approach and am hopeful that he’ll join us. He’s always been great for me whenever I’ve worked with him.”
Luke Wilson should return to the side for Saturday’s game, while Jonny Lockie will be fit to start again after shaking off an illness. Ryan Oliver and Joe Smith are also fit to feature again.
Hussey is also looking at putting in another seven-day approach for a player that can play both as a midfielder and a striker.
Following Saturday’s game, Holbeach visit UCL Premier Division rivals Deeping in the area semi-final (last eight) of the Lincs FA Senior Trophy on Tuesday night (7.45pm).
