Toolstation NCEL Division One
Penistone Church manager Ian Richards
Penistone Church are on schedule after two league wins out of two, Ian Richards has said.
It is a much better start compared to last season when Penistone struggled in the first month.
“We changed pre-season by making it shorter,” Richards said.
“We had six intense training sessions to start off with and then had a spell of seven matches so we could get a fitness base.
“It set us up nicely. The Cheadle (Emirates FA Cup) game was one of those where we played well in the first half, but were second best in the second half and deserved to lose.
“In the league, we spoke about how August let us down last year and we ended up playing catch-up. We got two wins so far, whereas last year in August we only got four points from 15.
“Now we’re hoping to start on the front foot, making teams having to catch us, rather than the other way round.”
A trip to Teversal lies in wait for Penistone today.
Veteran defender Brett Lovell is back from his vacation, but he faces competition to get back into the side – which Richards says is strong.
“I would ideally a left-sided attacker because we are a little right-sided in our attacker,” he added.
“But, I’m extremely happy with the squad as we have 19 who are all of similar quality.
“Brett Lovell is back for Saturday’s game (at Teversal) and it shows the strength we have in the squad that we won twice without him.
“I was tempted to book him another night in the hotel so he can come back Sunday!”