Runcorn Linnets manager Dave Wild says his side will be going into their crunch playoff clash with Leek Town without any fear.
Linnets extended their impressive run with a win over City of Liverpool in the Liverpool Senior Cup. They followed up their win over Macclesfield with an important win over Ramsbottom United.
The Rams took the lead in the second-half but their lead lasted just three minutes as James Hooper equalised before skipper James Short fired them in front with 15 minutes remaining.
Centre-back Tom Moore rubber-stamped their victory in the dying embers as they kept the pressure on the playoffs.
This weekend, they travel to Leek Town – a team they beat in the playoff semi-finals last season thanks to two early goals from Iwan Murray and Ryan Brooke.
Thomas Lloyd Marsh-Hughes added a third 10 minutes before the break with Linnets in dream land. Brooke went on to score his second of the match late on in a 4-1 win.
This time around, four points separate the two sides. Despite their formidable form in recent months, Wild is more than aware that all their good work can be unravelled “at the blink of an eye”.
He told Off The Park: “We’re going up there with no fear and I think we’ve earned that at the minute with our form and they’ll be the exact same.
“They’re not going to look at the game and change how they play, I think it will be a game of two high-quality teams and it will be blood and thunder so hopefully we can go up there, get a positive result and keep the momentum going.
“If not, we’re not even halfway through the season so this good run we’re on could evaporate at the blink of an eye so it’s about working hard, sticking together and making sure we do what we’re good at.”
With their bruising playoff defeat fresh in their minds, they will be looking to get their revenge and be up for it from the first whistle. But it’s something that Linnets have faced already this season.
“In all honesty, because we’re doing well, every game is like that, it’s that level of football, every game is blood and thunder,” explained the Linnets boss.
“If they want to get in our faces and mix it up, it’s a welcome task they’ll be picking the wrong team to try and bully.
“I’ve got a lot of time at Neil Baker, he’s been helpful to me down the years, it’s a great club, one of my favourite grounds and one of my favourite teams so we can mix it, play, set-piece-wise so we’ll get to it either way. It’ll be a good morning of football.
“We play to win, I don’t play for draws, we play to win like we do every game, I’m looking forward to it, these are the games we do it for – the big ones.”
Saturday’s win over Ramsbottom meant that it was four wins out of their last five and their sixth win in their previous 10.
Speaking on the win, Wild said: “That was pitch was poor, it is what it is, I’m glad and thankful the game was on but we have to recognise that we are going to have to play a little bit more direct over the winter months and dominate both boxes.
“Luckily, we have done in the last two games, we’ve got a toughness and an aggression in us that saw us through.
“First-half was poor, very very poor and they were told that at half-time, second half was much more what we expect but like I said, we have to take it into 70, 80, 90 minutes otherwise at some point we will come unstuck.
“We’re riding high at the minute, two defeats in 19, roll onto Leek and see if we can keep kicking on until the weekend.”
[Featured image: Neil Phillip Thornton]
