Wrens to ring the changes

EVO-STIK NPL Division One South Rainworth MW continue to ring the changes in advance of Saturday’s difficult trip to high-riding Sutton Coldfield Town.

Having snapped up two Mansfield Town Academy youngsters, 18-year-olds winger Joel Holland and striker Adam Somes, in time to figure in last Saturday’s FA Trophy tie against Hucknall Town, the Wrens have seven-day notices in for a number of other players, in particular midfielders and strikers, expiring this week – among them an experienced midfielder who has played at Football League level and has an impressive strike rate from midfield with a former Conference North and Southern League Premier Division club.

And joint manager Lee Wilkinson was hopeful of completing the signing of at least two others at training on Thursday in time for them to figure at Sutton Coldfield.
However, a number of players have been released. Midfielder George Zuerner has returned to Lincoln United after a short stay at Rainworth – and ironically scored for them in the Trophy on Saturday. And this week Lavell White, Eugene Francis and Zeke Jenkins have all been released after failing to make their mark.

Somes and Holland were both given minutes on the park against Hucknall on Saturday and both did well, Holland starting and Somes replacing his Stags team mate for the final half hour to end the Wrens’ 457-minute long goal drought with an 87th-minute header.

But it was too little too late after Hucknall had established a two-goal lead with Rainworth’s again good approach play still not matched by the required sharpness up front.

That did look like changing following the introduction of substitutes Sean Cann and Somes, whose running at the Town defence caused them some problems.

Cann was a surprise inclusion as substitute after having been apparently ruled out through injury in midweek, but certainly looked very lively once given his chance.

However, striker Danny Simpson’s recurrence of a persistent hamstring problem will again rule him out of the trip to the West Midlands – he is due to see a specialist in the next few days in a bid to sort out his long-standing problem once and for all. Kyle Gee-Pemberton also remains a doubt after suffering an ankle injury at Sheffield last Tuesday, as does Ian Clarke who also missed the Hucknall game having tweaked a hamstring while Danny Mayman’s back injury looks set to sideline him for the foreseeable future.

And the Wrens will also be without skipper Steve Kennedy who has two consecutive one-match bans to serve following his sending off against Belper Town for a ‘professional’ foul and his fifth caution of the season against Sheffield.

Following Saturday’s trip to Sutton Coldfield the Wrens will have a 10-day break. Their exit from the FA Trophy leaves them without a fixture on Saturday week, and they are next in action the following Tuesday at bottom of the table Quorn.

Stags at Kirklington Road?

Rainworth’s Kirklington Road ground has been identified as one of the possible locations for Blue Square Bet Premier Mansfield Town should they be unable to sort out their lease problems at Field Mill.

The Welfare authorities, who own the Kirklington Road ground, are understood to have made an agreement in principle for the ground and facilities being upgraded at Mansfield Town’s expense, in order to allow the Stags to play there as one of their ‘Plan B’ options which would enable them to regain their Football League place if they earn promotion from the Conference on the field.

The Stags need a 10-year lease at a suitable ground by March, and their current lease of Field Mill from former club owner Keith Haslam is only for one year.

However, it is stressed that there is as yet no official agreement, but merely an agreement in principle that there could possibly be a 10-year lease at Kirklington Road should it be required, in the event of Stags’ current owner John Radford’s inability to negotiate a satisfactory agreement with Mr Haslam to remain at Field Mill in the longer term.

To take up the Rainworth option, Mansfield would have to develop the Kirklington Road stadium with extra seats, terracing, covered accommodation and turnstiles, along with improved floodlighting, remove the current grass banking (which although currently closed to spectators, would not be allowed to remain at all for the higher level) and boost the overall capacity from the current official figure 2,149 to a figure acceptable to the Conference and ultimately to the Football League.