Evo Stik South
Stocksbridge Park Steels manager Chris Hilton
Chris Hilton admits Stocksbridge Park Steels are going to have to repeat the heroics of 2016 and 2017 if they are going to reach the play-offs.
Stocksbridge are seven league games without a win following the 1-1 draw with Cleethorpes Town last weekend – meaning they are seven points short of the play-offs.
The Steels had to finish very strongly last season to reach the top five and Hilton agrees that his team are going to have to do it all again in 2018.
“It has been disappointing recently,” Hilton told Non League Yorkshire.
“In the last five games, we have played in the Sheffield Derby and in games against teams in the top five or six and it has not gone according to plan.
“We started with Basford at home which finished 0-0. We lost to Frickley in the last couple of minutes. I thought we were worth a draw, but it didn’t go for us.
“Then we went to Stamford and we were winning and were comfortable, but they scored late-on. We then went up the other end and missed a great chance so we should have had all three.
“We’re not getting the rub of green. Seeing games out has been a problem, but we have to look positively.
“There is no team in the top five right now that has outplayed us. We have more than held our own and for the sake of a few minutes, we could have quite easily picked eight or ten more points.
“We have left ourselves with a tall order (to get into the top five or six). We are in a better position than we were at this stage last season, but yes there is a big gap.
“We have some work to do (like last season). Four or five games ago we were in the middle of it and we didn’t have to rely on winning six on the bounce.
“It is going to be tough for us now.”
Young Jordan Greaves was the man of the match in Stocksbridge’s 1-1 draw with Cleethorpes. Picture: Peter Revitt
Stocksbridge are due to visit Kidsgrove Athletic tomorrow. Goalkeeper David Reay is back from suspension, but he may face competition for his shirt due to the man of the match display from his replacement Jordan Greaves in the Cleethorpes clash.
Greaves has been playing for Athersley this season and Hilton is delighted with the progress that the youngster is making.
“We sent him out this year to Athersley Rec so he could get good experience of men’s football and also to toughen him up,” he said.
“It looks like it has done him the world of good because he came in on Saturday and I thought he was outstanding.
“He came and claimed things, his kicking was good, his talking was good and he wasn’t at fault for the goal. He also made an excellent save in the second half in a one-on-one situation.
“He was fearless and Dave Reay should be worried.”
Star man Joe Lumsden’s goal of the season contender had seemingly won the clash with Cleethorpes for the Steels – until the late equaliser.
Looking back on Saturday, Hilton said: “Cleethorpes are a good team and I thought in the first half we more than held our own.
“We looked good and scored a great goal. In the second half they definitely came at us and put us under a lot of pressure which I thought we withstood.
“We had two or three chances from breakaways to finish the game off. Our final passes were just not good enough.
“On reflection, a draw was probably a fair result.”