Marine manager Neil Young has called for fans to “enjoy the ride” as they continued their giant-killing spree with a win over Scarborough Athletic before hosting high-flying Hyde United this weekend.
Mo Touray marked his return from injury with the winning goal against Jonathan Greening’s side. The win put them through to the next round of the FA Trophy where they will travel to Marske United.
It follows on from a series of upsets to the hands of the Mariners under the guise of the former Stockport and Chester boss.
Scarborough – who are in similar form to Marine in the National League North – are among the playoff contenders in their league following promotion last season.
Despite the difference in league position, Young felt his side matched their opponents and deserved to be in the hat for the next round.
He told Off The Park: “I thought we were very good from first minute to last, I went out to watch them on Tuesday, they’re good technically but we put a plan in place and the lads carried it out, I thought we were very good from first minute to last and deserved the result overall.
“We all know what talent and ability Mo has got, unfortunately, he got a bad injury which we didn’t think was as bad as it was and he’s been out for three-and-a-half months,” he added on Touray. “Now it’s just a case of getting him on the pitch as much as we can to get him up to speed because we’ve got a top forward there but we need to get him match fit.
“The next game is the most important game that was Scarborough, they were flying high in the division above, since we’ve been there we’ve had some big scalps which is a fantastic record for everyone involved.”
A potentially serious knee injury to Jack Dunn dampened the mood of the win as Marine sweat over his fitness but Young is confident that their last few matches will add to their confidence.
“He said: “Our last there performances breed confidence, Morpeth away – I said at the time – was a proper performance then backed that up with Liversedge then Scarborough.
“We know there’s no easy games in the league, we’ve got Hyde who’ve had a fantastic start but we’re at home so it’ll be another fantastic test for us to see where we’re at with the confidence Saturday will bring but we lost Jack Dunn and we’re not sure how long that will be for.
“That’s the biggest issue at the moment, the amount of injuries which we have got, it is what it is, we just have to get on with it.
“We’ve got to impose our game on them, for the first time in a long time we imposed our shape on Scarborough and they had to change to stop us from getting out.
“We have to impose our shape tactically on Hyde, it’s another game, the league table doesn’t lie and they’re going really well.
“I’d never say to anyone temper expectations, I’d say enjoy the ride, football is about enjoyment, we’ll set up to win every game of football we can play in, if we do that it’s another thing.
“But why temper anyones expectations? It’s about enjoying the ride, the league table won’t lie at the end of the season, we’ve just got to make sure week in, week out, game in, game out that we’re the best possible version of ourselves.
“Injuries are a big problem for us and if Jack’s is as bad as we think it is, that could be four players out for the majority of the season – if not all – which at this level is a big test.”
Hyde are among the promotion contenders in the Northern Premier Division and a win for them could move them to the top of the league. Meanwhile, a win for Marine could see them leapfrog Saturday’s opponents.
Young feels the Marine Travel Arena has always been a daunting prospect for visiting teams but his previous worries from the season have now been alleviated with the introduction of Sol Solomon, James Barrigan, Hayden Campbell and the returning Touray.
He added: “I’d like to think that’s always been the case, teams from higher leagues playing us and getting turned over, we’ve always been a difficult team but the difference between since we lost Mo and Jake, we’ve now got goals in us and that’s the difference.
“We proved on Saturday that if we can stay in the game, we can grab a goal and that’s come from Mo on Saturday, we’ve got Sol, Barrigan, Hayden Campbell so we’ve now got goals in the team, if we can continue keeping them clean sheets we’ve now got players at the top of the pitch who can get us goal.
“That gives everyone that added level of confidence, winning football matches at any level will tell you breeds confidence.”
[Featured Image: Susan Nugent]
