Ecclesfield boss Wragg still targeting top six

Sheffield & Hallamshire County Senior League 

The top six of the Premier Division remains the goal for Jon Wragg and Ecclesfield Red Rose 1915.

Ecclesfield are without a win in four – a run which has ended a brilliant start.

Injuries and suspensions have blighted the last six weeks but Wragg is hopeful Red Rose can still meet their target for the campaign.

“We have played eight games and we have 11 points which is exactly the same as we had last year,” Wragg told Non League Yorkshire.

“We are sort of maintaining what we have done previously.

“I read your interview with the North Gawber manager (Scott Chipchase) last Friday and he said that if you win four or five games on the spin you’ll be right up there.

“Look at Wombwell.

“After we beat them (in September) they went on a run of four wins and they were second last week.

“If we can get on a run I have no doubt that we can get back up there.

“I still think we have had a reasonable start.

“You have to look at who we have played and we have played Swinton twice and there’s no gimmes this season.

“It will be competitive to finish in the top six but we have got enough quality within the squad to do it.”

The dramatic 2-2 draw with Sheffield Town arrested the slump and it was a good result as Red Rose were 2-0 down with ten minutes.

“It was a game we had chances to win but when you’re 2-0 down you’re happy to come away with a point, especially since we have had a rough month,” Wragg said.

“We’ve had Swinton twice, we played Worksop in the Senior Cup and we lost to in-form Oughtibridge but played quite well in that game.

“It has been a tough month in terms of not picking up points but actually we have been playing quite well.

“We’ve had some real bad luck with injuries and unavailability.

“We had about eight missing for one of the Swinton games.

“We had played Worksop on the Tuesday and they’re three or four leagues above us and they had a lot of possession and it took a lot out of the lads to keep up with them.

“Four lads suffered muscle injuries.

“So we played Swinton and it was a nightmare.

“We started with centre-halves who had muscle injuries so both of them had to come off in the second half.

“We had two lads on the bench who were injured.

“One of them had had his arm in a sling on the Tuesday and he had to come on and he could barely move his right arm.

“My brother Matt came on for the last few minutes.

“We were actually 1-0 up at half-time but Swinton are a good side and they showed their quality in the second half.

“We picked up another injury last Saturday (Chris Lewis) and one of the lads (Declan Childes) played Sunday and has done his ankle ligaments.”

The injuries and suspension woes were so problematic, Red Rose had to use their controversial wildcard to postpone the trip to Penistone Church Reserves two weeks ago.

The wildcard rule allows clubs the chance to postpone a fixture once a season with 72 hours notice without punishment if they feel they will struggle to field a side.

Most Premier Division clubs have used their wildcard but the system has received huge criictism as Wakefield have been ‘victims’ of it on at least two occasions.

Wragg feels the wildcard system has not worked well.

“We voted against it but funnily enough had to use it after we played Swinton as we literally had 11 players available,” he said.

“I don’t particularly like (the wildcard rule).

“The game we called off was Penistone (Reserves) and we could have played it as we had 11 but we didn’t have any subs.

“We used it in the right context but for me if you’ve got 11 you should be playing.

“You can look at Wakefield and have your opinion because they’ve clearly got a budget when you look at the players they have signed.

“I listened to the Wakefield (fans) podcast which you were on and you said budgets were frowned upon at this level.

“But equally for all the marketing, the fans and exposure they are bringing to the league, it is embarrassing that teams seemingly aren’t going to Wakefield unless they have their best side out.

“It is not a good look for the league.

“It is embarrassing that it keeps happening to them.

“When I said it the other week I thought ‘oh my good they’ve had another call-off’.

“For me (the wildcard rule) shouldn’t have ever been put to the (league) committee.”