MATCH PREVIEW: Forest Hall v Rothbury

You certainly wouldn’t begrudge Rothbury boss Tom Macpherson for having one eye on his beach sliders as another long and disrupted season draws to a close.

The Reds visit Forest Hall on Wednesday night and baring a late calamity with five games left after that, four of those at Armstrong Park, they should finish in a mid-table position.

“We’ve had a disjointed second half to the season with players missing through injury or work and then the way fixtures have landed has meant we’ve only had one Saturday game in four weeks, which hasn’t helped either,” said the gaffer.

“We are starting to get lads back so I’m hoping we can get a little run going to give us momentum going into the summer. I want us to be competitive for the remaining games and get us back up one or two positions – I think our squad should be aiming for a top half finish at least,” he continued.

A disappointing run of results since the turn of the year have seen the Coquetdale side slide from fourth to eighth, though they’re 20 points clear of the drop zone.

“Myself and the management team are meeting over the next month or so to put together a plan for the summer so we can really push on and get challenging for silverware next season – that is ultimately everyone’s aim,” said Tom.

The next home fixture is scheduled to be the visit of Wallsend Boys Club on Saturday 23rd April.

Words: Jon Tait