Precious point offers hopes for future

Ian Robinson and John Knapper know they are in for a dogfight over the remainder of the EVO-STIK Northern Premier League campaign after Saturday's 1-1 draw at home to Goole AFC ended a five-match losing run for Rainworth Miners Welfare.

After failing to pick up any points in their First Division South Christmas fixtures against Stocksbridge Park Steels and Carlton Town despite improved performances and seeing their New Year's Day clash at home to Sheffield FC postponed, the Wrens were finally rewarded at Kirklington Road at the weekend.

Robinson, pictured, reckons the one point gained could and should have been three but still took plenty of positives from the up-turn in form from the fourth from bottom Wrens.

He said: "Our continuing game by game improvement augers better for the rest of the season, but it remains a dogfight at our end of the table.

"This division is all about battling before the quality comes out, but we do have plenty of quality and we look like a threat to opponents.

"So although only one point out of the nine we should have won in these last three games is less than we would have liked, there are plenty of positives to be taken."

"It was yet another case of what might have been. We dominated the first half and particularly the first half-hour, we created five really good chances, but we only took one of them when we ought to have been out of sight by half time.

"The second half evened out and Goole put us under a bit of pressure at times, and their equaliser came from a well-struck free kick bent around the wall and into the bottom corner, but things like that should not be happening, and there were a few questions to be asked afterwards.

"So it was disappointing to drop two points, but at least we kept hold of one after nothing to show from the two previous good displays. But the point should give us a bit of momentum to go on from and build on it."

Robinson, who is continuing to search for players to strengthen with Knapper and expects at least one new face to be available for selection at the weekend, added: "We now have to prepare to visit Romulus on the 3G pitch, and we didn't do very well last time we were on it, losing 5-2 to Sutton Coldfield.

"But Romulus are a different team and on the back of our recent performances we will go there and expect to bring something home."

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