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PICTURE: Britwell taken on Stoke Poges in the next Showcase Match at Burnham Football Club on Friday night (7.30pm).
BRITWELL manager John Brennan wants his side to have the feel-good factor of a win in the Showcase Match against Stoke Poges on Friday night (7.30pm).
The Premier Division leaders have won just once in their last three matches in all competitions, a minor blip that saw them eliminated from the League Cup at the hands of Baylis United, and Brennan has made changes to his squad to get them re-focused.
Danny Pilcher has returned to the club and will debut against Stoke Poges while Craig Kelly has made a blistering start in the yellow and black shirt with two goals in as many matches.
A win would see Britwell start the weekend eight points clear of the chasing, an advantage that could be vital ahead of some key fixtures over the coming weeks.
Brennan commented: “The mood in the camp is very good, the boys are all definitely buzzing.
“We’ve been in a little bit of a transition in terms of how the season is looking for us. A couple of players have departed and we’ve brought in a couple. We are hoping that will level us off because our last three results have given us a little bit of an eye opener as to where we’re at and where we need to be in order to play at our best.
“We’re looking to get a win and we really need a win to get everyone’s tails back up although the group is buzzing about how the prospects for the season are looking.
“You can’t beat the feel-good factor from a win. We want to get back on the winning trail to do our league campaign a little bit of justice and also to put some headway between us and the chasing pack.
“In terms of the league, it’s looking good.
“We also need to concentrate on the Cup competitions and make sure the guys don’t get complacent because, as you saw in the League Cup, we let a trophy drop there that really we could’ve done well in. I’ve got to make sure that doesn’t happen again.
“I’m really looking forward to Friday, hoping for a good crowd because we’ve had a lot of good feedback.”
PICTRE: The current Premier Division table (correct on 10 February 2022).
Stoke Poges made the league leaders work hard for a 4-0 win in the reverse fixture last month, where the game could have gone either way until the final half-hour.
Stoke manager, Scott Manton, said his side had learnt a lot from that experience and is hopeful the team will produce another bold show.
Manton explained: “We learnt a lot from the first fixture. I thought we did ourselves proud and I didn’t feel like the scoreline really reflected the game.
“We had a really solid first 60 minutes before Britwell’s class shone through in the last 30. They kept the ball really well and we found it hard to get hold of, and they punished us.
“Our lads really worked hard for the first 60 minutes and I thought we gave Britwell a tougher game than they were expecting. We really did ourselves proud but unfortunately the game got away from us in the end. We gave everything we had for 60 minutes and didn’t have much left in the tank.
“I’m looking forward to the rematch, we’ve learnt a lot from the last game.
“We’ve played Cup games in the past two weeks and picked up two really positive results, so we’re coming into the game in a little bit of form.
“We’ve worked on quite a bit, more so with the ball heading into this game because, after playing Britwell last time, it’s something we realised we needed to improve on.
“We learnt a lot from that game and we’re looking forward to this one. I think the boys are confident and hopefully we can give a good account of ourselves again.”
Manton added: “Moving from Division One in the Premier Division as a reserve team, I’m really proud of what we’ve achieved. Standing our ground and getting really good performances and results against some of the big boys, which has been really pleasing this season.”
Stoke Poges head into the Showcase Match one place and one point above the relegation spots but a win would see them leapfrog Iver Heath into seventh position.
To enter the East Berkshire Football League ahead of the 2022/23 season, or for further information about the league, or an entry form for the upcoming season, please email the team at contactebfl@gmail.com
