North West Counties League First Division North
There’s no pressure on Campion in this weekend’s mouth-watering home clash with title-chasing giants Bury AFC.
That’s the message from joint manager Lee Ashforth.
“It is a free hit for us,” Ashforth told Non League Yorkshire.
“I don’t think anybody will be expecting us to win.
“Everybody will be expecting Bury to win so we have to make sure, a, we don’t embarrass ourselves like we did against Steeton, and b, put a performance in against arguably the best team in the Division.
“I’m sure Golcar and Holker would have something to say about that but arguably with the budget and resources Bury have got they are always going to be the team to beat.
“We’ll have to see where it takes us but we’ll certainly be going into the game looking to win it.”
Last week Ashforth said his club’s play-offs challenge was over following Steeton’s 5-2 massacre at Manningham Mills.
Those comments were said in the heat of the moment after the embarrassing defeat but Ashforth insists his opinion has not altered.
“Honestly, you know me, I think about stuff and everything I said I stand by,” he said.
“You need to be averaging two points per game to be in and around the play-offs.
“Well based on a 36 game season you’ll be looking at 74 points.
“At the minute we’re sat on 30 so we need 44 points from our last 13 games which isn’t even possible.
“That’s me being honest.
“If Bury, Golcar, Holker, pull away massively then you may get in with the late sixties but that leaves us in the same position of having to win every single game.
“I’m a realist and it isn’t going to happen.
“We have Bury, Golcar, Pilkington away, Bacup away so we have really tough games and they’ll be times when we get a draw or defeat.
“We have to be realistic.”
Now going into the final throes of the campaign, the planning for 2022/23 is top of the agenda.
“We need to finish as high as we can in the league table and put it down to experience,” he said.
“The league hasn’t been great for us at all.
“It has been hard to attract players because of all the travelling.
“We have see whether we’re in the North West Counties or North East Counties next season because that will be up in the air again because we’re so on the border.
“Then rebuild the team and keep the lads who put a performance in between now and the end of the season.
“The rest of them won’t be here next year it’s as simple as that.”
Aidan Kirby serves the last game of a suspension for the visit of Bury.