Gavin Macpherson, like everyone else, is praying the weather gods are kind to Town as we enter a crucial period of matches tomorrow and attempt to “chip away” at the clubs in around us in the race for survival.
The referee for the visit of Dover happens to be the same official who controversially called off our original fixture against Hampton and Richmond which caused all manner of repercussions and still hasn’t been played as a result of two further postponements. Hopefully this time any inspection (at the time of writing none had been arranged) will result in a different outcome though that is entirely weather dependant.
No-one is under-estimating the task ahead of Town but at this vital stage of the season, we at least have a healthy-looking squad with only a couple of players in danger of missing out with minor knocks and Xav Benjamin’s one-game suspension not kicking in until Horsham on Tuesday.
T’Sharne Gallimore, who has been a big miss, is back in contention having training fully on Thursday, adding to competition for places in midfield as we seek to close the gap on our rivals. “We’re going to come across some heavy pitches so we’re deliberately trying to be strong in that area,” explained Gav.
Had we not been reduced to nine men in the corresponding fixture at Dover, we would surely have avoided a 4-1 thumping. Seven points from our next three games against the Whites, Horsham and Farnborough – the first two at home – would represent a healthy return but Gav is also playing the long game and has urged fans to keep the faith.
“We have to go all out to win the next three games, all of them on paper within our reach, but this is not going to be a quick fix,” said Gav.
“It’s not where we are now, it’s where we are in the final few weeks. Of course I would rather accumulate enough points long before then and I understand the frustrations.
“But the likelihood is that we are looking at the end game. We want to chip away at the margins that exist at the moment in order to pressurise the teams above us and go into April giving ourselves a real chance. We need to stick together to try and make that happen.”
AW