Rickards carries out threat to get tough

Rainworth Miners Welfare manager Scott Rickards has shown himself to be a man of his word as the Evo-Stik Northern Premier League club parted company with three players this week, writes Gordon Foster.

Following Saturday's 2-1 home defeat by Scarborough Athletic, which continued the Wrens' miserable run of results in First Division since the turn of the year, defender Matt Varley and forwards Jamie Clarke and Nathan Forbes-Swindells left Kirklington Road having turned down reduced terms to the end of the season.

The Wrens manager had threatened to take action if results and performances did not improve. Explaining why the trio had departed, he said: "It's a cliché that football is a results-based industry, and the fact is that since Christmas we have not been getting the results. When that happens we all have to take our share of responsibility, players and management alike, and some of the lads have not been performing up to an acceptable level commensurate with what they have been getting paid.

"In any job, in any walk of life, you have to perform or face the consequences. This is not a club which can afford to pay a decent wage level in return for some of the performances we have been seeing.

"So I've tried to be fair and, for the remaining 10 games of the season, offer players remuneration in line with what they have been putting back into the club. Matt, Jamie and Nathan have decided that they are unhappy with what is now on the table, and consequently they have left the club."

Rickards feels he still has a strong enough squad to see out the season and the player-manager is hoping to return himself soon after tweaking a hamstring in the recent game against Loughborough Dynamo.

He added: "I'm probably only a week to 10 days away from being fit to come back into the side and I'm also bringing in another young lad from Mansfield Town, who will come in and be energetic, enthusiastic and committed - all attributes that you need at this stage of the season.

"We have a tough run in starting with Mickleover at home on Saturday, and my job is to field 11 players who are mentally right to go out and perform to the end of the season. There are still positives.

"We still have the Notts Senior Cup final to look forward to and I know how much the club officials want to lift this trophy but of greater long-term importance is continuing progression in the bread and butter of league football.

"Mickleover have play-off aspirations, and the ability to match. They are a good outfit with players who have succeeded at a higher level.

"But we have to regain the belief in the dressing room that we had in the first half of the season that we are good enough to go out and win games and not just settle for the Cup between now and the end of April."