1 week Ago By [email protected] (Thomas Reeves)
Boss Jimmy Dean is desperate for Spalding United’s season not to dwindle out - even if their play-off push tails away. The Tulips are on the fringes of the Southern League Premier Division Central play-off places, having drawn 1-1 at second-place AFC Telford last weekend to extend their unbeaten run to four matches. Spalding seem to have found form at the business end of this campaign - even if it might have come slightly too late to secure a top-five finish - in stark contrast to their dismal early-season results.
“We lost six of the first seven league games,” said Dean. “In that period, there was a big transition of players. We want to finish in the play-offs.
“But if we cannot finish in the play-offs, we’ll aim to finish sixth and, if we cannot finish sixth, then we’ll aim to finish seventh. “We need to show recruits - whatever league we’re in - everything is positive at the club, going into the summer. “I certainly don’t want to be in the situation where the season is petering out.
“I’ve had that before and it’s horrible.” Spalding came from behind at AFC Telford as defender Liam Moore converted a corner by midfielder Dan Lawlor on the hour - six minutes after Dean had made a brave triple change. The former Scunthorpe United boss reflected: “I think we edged it.
They took the lead but then, for the 15 minutes after that, we were the better side. “We got into them at half-time and, nine minutes into the second half, we made a triple substitution, and we got our rewards with the goal. “On the whole, I think it was a really good performance against a side that’s 12 unbeaten.
“There’s positives - in terms of the result and the performance - but it puts us back a bit in terms of trying to make the play-offs. “I’ll be looking for a performance like that against Alvechurch again this weekend.” It was a contest played in front of a 1,446-strong crowd at New Bucks Head.
“The group handled it well but we would expect that,” noted Dean. “A lot of them would have played in front of much bigger crowds than that. “For me, it was a good football match and there was a good atmosphere.
It’s just a shame we didn’t win it.” In-form United have suffered a single league loss since mid-February. Dean said: “We have had five wins, a draw and the defeat to Harborough Town.
We have got good momentum now. “We knew it would take a silly run to get into the play-offs and, if we had played like this at the start of the season, we would probably be in there. “We have got some tough games coming up, but we’re in good form and we have got decent momentum.
“That’s really what you want, going into the last four league games of the season, isn’t it?” Next up is this weekend’s league visit of mid-table Alvechurch, led by former England international and Blackburn goalkeeper Tim Flowers, who are winless in six games. “I think it will be really tricky,” said Dean. “They train three days a week.
“Since Tim went in there, they have had a similar influx to what we have had and they had been turning it around, even though they have dropped off in their last six games. “The more games we win, the deeper we take it, and it puts pressure on everyone around us. That’s all we can do.
” The teams met at the Sir Halley Stewart Field in the FA Trophy in October as 10-man Alvechurch won the third qualifying round tie 2-1 in dramatic style. They got what proved the winning goal in the 84th minute and, while United got a stoppage-time penalty, that was saved by young West Brom loanee keeper Ronnie Hollingshead to deny attacking midfielder Jordan Nicholson..
