Craig Elliott has been delighted with Shaw Lane Aquaforce’s recent results
Craig Elliott is refusing to set a points target for his high-flying Shaw Lane Aquaforce side.
Aquaforce are second in the Toolstation NCEL Premier Division table -three points behind Tadcaster Albion – after a six match unbeaten run.
Aquaforce head to Parkgate tomorrow and Elliott said: “I’m not a manager who says ‘by the end of October I want this amount of points or here by Christmas’.
“As I have always done, I take each game as it comes. The next game is Parkgate and I only look at that because you don’t under-estimate anyone.
“The season has been excellent so far.
“I’ve been really happy with the last two weeks because we have had some big challenges and some big games and we have come through them.”
Aquaforce drew 2-2 with Handworth Parramore on Tuesday in a tremendous match.
Shaw Lane were fortunate to hang onto a point after running out of gas.
But Elliott explained why: “I think with 15 minutes to go I accepted that we would have to see it out.
“We had fits and starts. We had a good spell in the first half and a ten or 15 minute spell in the second half but we weren’t at our best.
“There is excuses for that. I said to the lads that we have been on a tough run of games. Against Handsworth we went into it with five or six injuries.
“The lads looked leggy and with 15 minutes to go, I thought ‘hopefully we can see it out’ which we did to be fair.
“I put the two centre-halves because they were hitting a lot of long balls into the box. I just could not see us changing the flow of the game.
“I’m satisfied.
“We took a lot of knocks from the Worksop Town and it was disappointing to go into the Handsworth game worrying about half of the team.
“Some of them were key players. Matty Thornhill was unfit to play and there were a few others who I asked to play and they did.”
The last seven days have also been sad for Elliott as he released midfielder Danny Patterson, who has rejoined Ossett Town.
Patterson had two spells at Ossett under Elliott and then followed his former manager to Shaw Lane in February.
Elliott added: “It was a massively difficult decision for me because there is no doubt about it that I have a lot of time for him.
“With the midfield we have got I couldn’t see him playing games and I wasn’t going to mess him about.”