James Beaston returns to the Glasshoughton side tomorrow
James Beaston will return to the Glasshoughton Welfare side tomorrow when Nostell Miners Welfare visit Leeds Road for the Toolstation NCEL Premier Division clash, writes James Grayson (Twitter: @jamesAgrayson).
Midfielder Beaston has served his three-match ban for his controversial red card in the 1-0 win over Armthorpe Welfare in early November and is available for selection.
Beaston’s suspension made life harder for his manager Rob Hunter, who has had the likes of captain Darrell Young (suspension), Dave Ward (injury), Grieg McGrory (injury) and Joel Freeston (injured) missing from the side.
“I think for a club like Glasshoughton when you only have 15 or 16 players in your squad, you are always looking for another player,” he told Sports Performer.
“Matty Bugg did very well last week in his first game. Freddie Swales is back from university for six weeks and available for the next six games. He was on the bench last Saturday.
“He’ll play his part. James Beaston is back on Saturday. Grieg McGrory is potentially available in a couple of weeks and Joel Freestone could be back soon.
“All of a sudden the squad is looking a bit healthier. I’m hoping on Saturday against Nostell I’m going to have 16 or 17 players to select from which I’ve not had for over a month.
“For the last month I have been relying on the under 19s to fill my bench. Unfortunately you can’t rely on 16-year-olds at this level, especially in conditions like last Saturday against big South Yorkshire sides.”
Glasshoughton are without a win for six games – their last victory was the Armthorpe win and Hunter admits that Nostell may fancy their chances.
Nostell themselves have only won once in the league this season – a 2-1 win over Lincoln Moorlands Railway in September – but Hunter says his side won’t take their foot off the gas.
“You don’t under-estimate any team at this level,” he said.
“First thing you have to do is not concede and we have conceded an awful lot of goals in the last six or seven weeks. You then have to score and keep your discipline
“You can easily against a team like Nostell and think ‘oh they are bottom of the league’ and think we should put four past them. I will take 1-0.
“If someone says you will beat Nostell 1-0 on Saturday I’ll turn up and take it. They do have some good players and they’re always capable of nicking a goal.
“Nostell may even look at our recent results and maybe think they could get a win.”
On whether Nostell can survive, Hunter added: “You never know. In the NCEL last season you saw with Selby Town when they thought they were going out of the league suddenly get a boost of money from somewhere.
“They brought people like Danny Gray to the club and they put a run of nine or ten wins together. That happens if you put a run together like we did last season then you shoot up five or six places.
“There is nothing to say that Nostell will finish bottom of the league.”