Potential star Brad Kerr has had the backing of Worsbrough manager Dave Mace through thick and thin this season
Dave Mace has defended his decision to keep his young striker Brad Kerr in his Worsbrough Bridge team.
Kerr will finish the campaign as Worsbrough’s top goal-scorer with at least 18 goals, but he has hit the headlines for the right and wrong reasons since bursting on the scene in August.
He has been sent off three times, once for a second bookable offence. The other two have been well-publicised and both against Selby Town.
Kerr was involved in and red carded in a serious incident back in October in the 1-1 draw.
He then saw red for a dangerous lunge in the reverse fixture at Selby one month ago which earned him a five-game ban.
Mace said: “Brad Kerr is a young lad who has a good future in football.
“I still think he can go higher and I think it is his immaturity (to why there have been incidents).
“It is the first time he had played with men this season as he came out of Frickley’s under 19s.
“When we started off at the start of the season he was banging goals in and it went to his head.
“Unfortunately along the way he got bad advice from people on what to do and where to go.
“I think he has learnt and he seems to have had in the last few games.
“I have stuck with him. I think he is a talented footballer.
“Most managers though would have let him go by now. But, maybe if he was an older player who had got them three red card I probably wouldn’t have entertained him.”
It has been a tale of woe this season for Worsbrough, who are hoping for a brighter future under new chairman Jonathan Cotterill-Bolsover.
Mace has had to deal with every problem imaginable from pitch and floodlights problems to his assistant Wayne Thompson leaving to go to Retford United.
Even in the last week, Mace had had issues. Thompson’s replacement Nev Hunt resigned after the defeat to Grimsby Borough ten days ago.
First team coach Rob Poulter, the former Pontefract Collieries goalkeeper, was promoted, but was offered the job as first team coach at Sheffield FC.
Poulter has understandably accepted the role and Mace added: “So the assistant manager (Wayne Thompson) went then the new assistant and physio (Nev Hunt) left and now the assistant and physio (Poulter) have gone again,” he said.
“I’m on my own now so it is a good job there are only four games left.
“I wish Rob all the best and his actual words were ‘if you don’t want me to go, I won’t go’.
“I said ‘if I were you, I’d take it’. There’s nothing at stake for us. We can’t win anything and we can’t go down.”
Worsbrough visit Yorkshire Amateur tomorrow afternoon.