2 weeks Ago By [email protected] (James Bedford)
Manager Graham Drury will be urging his Stamford side to let their football do the talking as the race for the promotion enters the final five games of the campaign. Only goal difference is currently keeping seventh-placed Stamford outside the play-off spots ahead of Saturday's home match with Bishop's Stortford. With four of the top eight teams facing each other at the weekend, the match is a chance for Stamford to gain ground with victory over their 14th-placed visitors.
They go into the match after a 1-1 home draw with Kettering Town last weekend where an improved second half showing set up a grandstand finish for Jordon Cooke to grab an injury-time equaliser. Boss Drury said: "We need to play our football and, if we do that, we will give ourselves a good chance of winning the game but if we go long again like we did last Saturday and it turns into a battle then it's anyone's game. "I'd love to finish above eighth place because it's an improvement on last season and, if the lads can find those moments to win games of football, then who knows we might get into the play-offs.
"It won't be for a lack of trying but I do think there is a lot of panic setting in when there is no need. "We don't get ourselves in good positions to have that little bit of extra time to relax. "We have to do that because all credit to the opposition as they're putting you under pressure but it's all about us and it can't be about anything else.
" With a plentiful squad now at his disposal, Drury recalled the familiar faces of Connor Bartle and Tendai Chitiza to the starting line-up for the Kettering clash. It saw recent arrivals Kai Tonge and Elliott Durrell both miss out while Stacey Freeman, Pa Suley Njie and a fit again Richard Gregory were not included in the squad as Stamford got back on track against the Poppies with the late leveller after a 4-0 away loss at Bedford Town the previous weekend. Drury added: "I went with the lads who had got us into this position and I felt it was needed after the big defeat at Bedford to say that my faith is with them.
"It was a good point in the end and these lads keep bouncing back, even from the jaws of defeat at times, and there was no better way of scoring because it feels like a victory. "It will feel like a defeat for Kettering and it's a good point for us considering we haven't scored many goals against the top sides this season. "We deserved it in our second half performance because we were the better team and there's no doubt about that.
"We have conceded a lot of goals in that injury-time period this season so it was nice to have one the other way. "Our dressing room has got to use it as a springboard now though because we're a better footballing side than we are a battling one." A crowd of 1,237 - Stamford's biggest of the season - turned out to watch the match with the visiting Poppies bringing a large number of travelling support.
Drury added: "It was a fantastic attendance and you've got to give credit to Kettering because they travel in big numbers. "Our fans battled against it and sang their hearts out and they helped suck that ball into the back of the net at the end." After Saturday's home match with Bishop's Stortford, Stamford travel to sixth-placed Stratford Town next weekend.
They then host Banbury United before an Easter Monday match at Spalding United which is followed by a home game with Halesowen Town on the final weekend of the regular season..
