Toolstation NCEL Premier Division
Curtis Woodhouse wants Bridlington Town to be ready incase leaders Cleethorpes fall at the final hurdle. Picture: Dom Taylor
Curtis Woodhouse insists that Bridlington Town haven’t given up on winning the title.
But the former Hull City midfielder concedes that Brid cannot afford any more slip-ups in their pursuit of leaders Cleethorpes Town.
Brid are in the pack of three – which also includes Pickering Town and Thackley – who are chasing Cleethorpes.
“It is going to be difficult to catch up with them because they have a bit of daylight at the minute,” Woodhouse told Non League Yorkshire.
“I said to the lads last week that if Cleethorpes are going to win the league, make them win it, let’s not surrender it.
“I said let’s keep going to the bitter end and impossible for us to win it. Until that day arrives, we’ll keep going in every single game.
“I said at half-time in the Bottesford game (on Saturday) that if you still have any ambitions of winning the league, we have to win today.
“We have to win every game. It is a big ask, but when we first came we won 11 league games in a row so we have to do that again to give ourselves an outside chance.
“Fair play to Cleethorpes, they keep picking points up. If they keep winning, they’ll win the league, but we have to be in a position in that if they do drop points, we’re there.
“Cleethorpes have always been up there in the last couple of seasons and always found a way to not win it so let’s hope they do that again.”
The incredible run that Brid need to repeat began at the end of September. Gary Allanson won his final league game in charge before Woodhouse and assistant Ian Ashbee took over and won 11 consecutive league matches.
The run put Brid firmly in the top five mix so Woodhouse is of course delighted with how his reign has started at Queensgate.
“We won 11 league games in a row and you’re thinking ‘wow, it doesn’t get any better than this’,” he said.
“We have had a bit of a blip. We went down to ten men in both games with Pickering and it has cost us six points.
“It has been great though. We made a few additions which in my belief made the spine of the team stronger. When I got the job that’s where I felt we needed to strengthen.
“I felt we had a bit of steel through the middle with Nicky McNamara. I’ve been really happy.
“The lads have taken on board a different way of playing. At every training session they have worked their socks off so there are no complaints.”
The Seasiders are not in action again until Tuesday night when Albion Sports travel over to East Yorkshire.
Notably absence will be star striker Brett Agnew who starts a four-match ban. It is a blow for Woodhouse who rates Agnew’s partnership with Joel Sutton very highly.
“I think we have an exciting strike-force,” he added.
“They combine really well. Joel spent a lot of his time on the left wing before I came here. When I came I identified that he needed to be down the middle because he’s wasted out on the left.
“They are kind of a Yin and yang. Brett is a battering ram and then you have Joel who is quick and sharp.
“As a partnership, they are as good as you’re getting to get at this level, most definitely.”