Glasshoughton chairman Phil Riding says Jon Miles is “under no pressure at this moment in time”.
Glasshoughton Welfare chairman Phil Riding has publicly backed his first team manager Jon Miles after the club’s poor start to the season.
Mr Riding has also urged the club’s players to pull together to ensure that Glasshoughton do not get stranded at the bottom of the Division.
Glasshoughton’s season has swung from some positives to extreme lows with the 11-0 drumming at Runcorn Town in the FA Vase being the lowest.
In the Toolstation NCEL Premier Division, Welfare, who lie third from bottom, have taken some beatings
However, Miles still has support of the Glasshoughton committee.
“We’ve had honest and frank conversations with Jon,” Mr Riding told Non League Yorkshire.
“The Runcorn game, unacceptable. We can’t have that at any level whether it is Sunday morning with an under tens team.
“We showed glimpses (of what we can do) against Armthorpe last Saturday where in the first half we were excellent.
“He’s got our full backing.
“There have been no conversations about taking him out of the seat.
“Who knows what might happen in the future, he might go and win six games on the trot or he might lose the next six games.
“He’s under no pressure at this moment in time.”
Alongside the annihilation at Runcorn, Glasshoughton could only field ten players at Tadcaster Albion – admittedly the Rugby League Challenge Cup Final played a huge role in that.
Then two weeks ago, Welfare lost 5-0 at Garforth Town – a scoreline that could have been much worse as Garforth had 31 shots at goal.
Mr Riding said: “I’ve been severely embarrassed by some of the results.
“I put the Tadcaster game totally on the Northern Counties East League.
“I find it difficult to accept the reason for the game going ahead when a coal mining town gets to Wembley in a prestigious final and we know that 30,000 people from Castleford are going.
“There are an odd number of teams in the league and it was a simple equation of moving it round (giving Tadcaster different home opposition) and let us have that week off.
“We knew the moment that Castleford won in the semi-final against Widnes that we would have a problem raising a team.
“Then there was Runcorn which was embarrassing. It was a nightmare.”
The highs that Welfare have reached this season have been the win at Maltby Main and the 2-1 victory over fellow strugglers Armthorpe Welfare last week.
That most recent win keeps Glasshoughton’s head just above the water ahead of the visit to crisis club Thackley, who themselves were beaten 9-0 at Shaw Lane Aquaforce in midweek.
Mr Riding says Glasshoughton are not in serious relegation danger just yet, but he has issued a rallying call to the club’s players.
He added: “The season has been disappointing.
“Conceding 21 goals and scored zero in four games (at the start of September) tells you where the problems lie.
“Players have been disappointed, management have been disappointed and committee has been disappointed.
“We have shown glimpses that we can compete when everyone turns up and plays to the game-plan.
“Unfortunately we have people working and people pulling out at the last minute and that is detrimental to what we are trying to achieve.
“That’s why I want to see the players put more commitment in if they can.
“If they can’t then maybe we have to move a few players on and bring a few new players in.
“We have got to get players wanting to play
“I totally understand about work commitments, I get that.
“For this club to succeed we have to show a bit more commitment and a bit more heart and desire.
“I wouldn’t say we are in the mire at the moment, but if we don’t turn it around shortly then obviously the task becomes harder.”