NPL Division One East
Brighouse Town’s positive opening 11 games have given Vill Powell confidence that his side can push for a play-offs spot.
Brighouse – who host Worksop Town this afternoon – are underdogs in the battle for the top five due to their resources but Powell feels his players have within them to challenge for the end of season lottery.
“As I said at the start of the season our main focus was to be competitive and see if we could force our way into the play-offs,” Powell told Non League Yorkshire.
“That was our target at the start of the season and it is still the same – be competitive and we are.
“We are in and amongst it which is where we wanted to be at this stage of the season.
“We go into the middle third and we’re looking up and not behind us.
“We have a long road to go but (the play-offs) is what we aspire to.
“Without being too cryptic, for the club we are and the size of what we have got to work with and our overall objective was about being competitive.
“We’re doing that and if we can get into the play-offs, great, that’s an added bonus.
“At the start of the season you don’t the calibre of clubs but knowing now the standard of playing field we are up against in terms of budgets and ambition and looking at what we have; getting into the play-offs would be an overachievement.
“It doesn’t mean we can’t do it.
“We’re capable of causing teams problems and capable of going on runs.
“We have to be realistic as to where we are and what we can do but we can do it and I believe it is something we can achieve if we work hard and have a bit of luck.”
Brighouse under-lined their capabilities with the stunning 3-1 victory at ambitious Hebburn Town in midweek.
Brighouse were 3-0 at half-time and Powell admitted it was an impressive win.
“It was certainly one of our best performances of the season after what has been a tough week (for us) in the North East,” he said.
“We started the game in the way I wanted them to which was to be on the front-foot and to be aggressive with the press.
“We definitely deserved three points and an away win at a team which is ambitious is a great result.
“You don’t get much change out of the teams in the North East, they’re a tough bunch, all of them.
“They have a great catchment area in terms of quality and depth of players so going in at 3-0 at half-time was certainly unexpected but well deserved.
“I said on Tuesday that it wouldn’t have been disrespectful to Hebburn and I’m sure they would agree that the score-line should have been more.
“We were that dominant from start to finish.
“Although I would have taken 3-1 at the start of the game, I was a little disappointed because the quality of the chances we had, we should have run away with it.”