Spartans skipper rallies troops

After a week that saw his club’s exit from two cup competitions in the space of seventy two hours Spartans skipper Wayne Buchanan has called on his team mates to remain positive, writes Mark Carruthers.

Blyth went down to 4-1 FA Trophy defeat at Witton Albion last Saturday and went out of the FA Cup at Conference North Workington on Monday night but Buchanan insists better times lay ahead in the Evo-Stik NPL Premier Division.

Blyth's captain said: "We have to realise we are all in this together and the spirit is good. Every player knows that you need your team mates if we are to do well and there’s a trust that is being built up here.

"As an individual you can't just say if I play well that's enough because if you are going to be a star it's your team mates that are going to help you be that. The likes of Joe Kendrick, Sam Hodgson and Craig Farrell have all played out of position to help us through a tough time and they deserve all the credit in the world for doing that."

Despite Tommy Cassidy’s side sitting in mid table having won four of their eight games, Buchanan believes the Spartans can still target promotion as a number of key players return from injuries.

The likes of Carl Jones, Robbie Dale and Jordan Mellish have all faced spells on the sidelines and in the FA Cup replay defeat at Workington midfielders Lee Mason and Tom Berj were taken off before the interval. But according to Buchanan it is only a matter of time before things click into place.

He said: "Yes we have had lads out but credit to the boys who have come in and worked hard. The league is the main thing for us and has to be. Before the two cup games we were only four points off the play-off places and six points off top so we have to make sure we stay in touch.

"We know we still haven’t played to a consistent level so there has to be more to come. The team is still gelling together and when the lads return from injury they will boost us and take us forward again."

Spartans travel to Buxton next Saturday and are running a live Twitter feed of the clash at Silverlands for fans who can’t make the match. Blyth's skipper is determined to getting their season back on track at the first attempt after enjoying a weekend off when they had been hoping to be playing in the FA Cup's Third Qualifying Round.

He added: "We can regroup before we go to Buxton next Saturday with a bit of a break behind us. We have to be positive and look forward. We have a good talented squad here and we will get it right. There's young lads come in and done well and they'll benefit from the experience they're getting with time behind them now."