Gee targets top ten finish

Rainworth Miners Welfare head into Saturday’s Evo-Stik NPL Division One South visit to Chasetown with everything to play for despite a week of mixed fortunes, writes Gordon Foster.

Beaten 2-0 at Halesowen Town last Saturday in Evo-Stik NPL First Division South, on Tuesday night they bounced back at Central Midlands Alliance side Dunkirk to win 3-2 and reach the Nottinghamshire Senior Cup’s semi-finals.

The victory came at a cost after key midfielder Ashley Kitchen suffered a nasty hip injury and was taken by ambulance to hospital. Happily for Wrens manager Kevin Gee, pictured, he is not expected to be sidelined for long after the knock was not as bad as first feared and Gee believes they now have a great chance to collect some silverware come May and climb the league table to finish the campaign in the top half.

Gee said: "If you look at the table we are in 14th position with a five point gap to 15th but only five points off of seventh, so we still have a lot to play for. Although our targets were finishing halfway and a good run in the Notts Senior Cup we are going to have a really good test in the last quarter of the season, to see if we can finish in the top ten which would be a fantastic achievement and, who knows, a bit of silverware at the end.

"With six matches now in 24 days we have to try and show a bit more consistency in our league performances and try and convert good periods of possession into goals that give us a chance of winning matches. If we can start to defend better when having these periods we are more than capable of creating two or three chances a game."

Gee, delighted with their midweek cup progress despite making hard work of it, added: "Tuesday was really all about the result and in difficult conditions and really hard playing surface. I thought we were terrific for 40 minutes and then showed a bit of naivety in the final five minutes that allowed Dunkirk back in the game.

"They carried that on in the second half and when they equalised it looked like being a tough evening for us. But games are all about moments and Adam Kimberley's wonder strike almost immediately after they had equalised allowed us to relax again in the game, and we eventually saw it out to progress into the semi-final.

"It was also nice to see Sutton Town progress to so we have two local sides in the last four which would be a great if we could both progress to the final, especially as they have a large contingent of ex-Rainworth players in their ranks who were here during the years of climbing up the Pyramid. Of course I would be surprised if Carlton don't make the last four too, so the draw will be important - but if we could secure a home tie that's all we can ask for."