Toolstation NCEL Division One
Worsbrough Bridge captain Connor Rollinson has hailed Park Road boss Josh Wright
Worsbrough Bridge captain Connor Rollinson has hailed Josh Wright for leading the Barnsley-based club to safety.
The Worsbrough boss has overseen the club’s best run of form in recent memory, a period which secured their NCEL survival.
Rollinson, who himself has played through the pain barrier in the last few months, said Wright had been inspirational since taking charge in October.
“When he came in he immediately took the pressure off us and brought in some players of real quality,” Rollinson told Non League Yorkshire.
“We haven’t won games just because of those individuals because Josh had kept faith in the lads in the side from the beginning. We’ve had the same eight or nine players with the addition of your Rhys Meynell’s, Chris White’s, Lee Morris’ and Rob Bordman’s.
“Sticking with us gave everyone confidence and the belief that we could win games. The lads felt the faith was put in them and they had faith in Josh.
“He’s made some great permanent signings in locals lads Jack Mawson, Ryan Pleasants and Ollie Black, you can’t under estimate those signings.
“He’s fought tooth and nail for the lads and that was repaid by the way the lads fought for him.
“I honestly believe that without the belief and the signings Josh made that we would have gone down.
“I said a few months ago we wouldn’t go down without a fight and Josh’s faith was the catalyst in us staying up.”
The Bionic Man: Worsbrough captain Connor Rollinson has played with wrist, back and knee injuries in the past few months
The former Pontefract Collieries and Glasshoughton Welfare player has resembled the bionic man in recent weeks.
Because of a wrist, back and knee injury, he missed a number of fixtures in February and March before patching himself up to help his team-mates push Worsbrough over the safety line.
“I’ve had an ongoing back problem from the end of last season with Glasshoughton,” Rollinson said.
“It flared back up beginning of December so for months, due to the lack of players we had, I was playing injured.
“The wrist injury is an old fracture that happened 22 months ago unbeknown to me and the knee injury I’m suffering from is IT band syndrome or runners knee due which is all related to my flat feet.
“It has been frustrating because I’ve lost three yards of pace, I can’t turn as fast. I can’t make the decisions I want to make because I know my body won’t do it.
“So yeah I’ve felt like a young man trapped in an old man’s body in the past few months.
“But I was determined to help out. I wanted to play against Glasshoughton in March and Josh rang me to ask me, but I couldn’t due to how much my knee hurt.
“I’ve been there when I was injured and helped Josh with warm ups. I always wanted to play even if I knew that days later I wouldn’t be able to walk, that’s what it’s meant to me.”