T PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS

NEVILLE WIGGLESWORTH

ONCE AGAIN RECENT GAMES HAVE ALL TOO CLEARLY HIGHLIGHTED ONE OF OUR MAIN AREAS OF CONCERN – THAT BEING CONSISTENCY. IT’S EASY TO TALK ABOUT IT BUT AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT STORY TO ACTUALLY DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. PLAYERS DON’T GO OUT TO UNDERPERFORM BUT IT DOES HAPPEN AND CAN BE FRUSTRATING FOR THE MANAGEMENT TEAM AND DEFINITELY FOR THE SUPPORTERS. I THINK WE WERE ALL A BIT DOWN AFTER RECENT RESULTS AGAINST SHEFFIELD AND LONG EATON UNITED BUT THEN, ALMOST OUT OF THE BLUE, WE GO TO HIGH FLYING STOCKSBRIDGE PARK STEELS AND PUT ON ONE OF OUR MOST COMPLETE AND DOMINANT PERFORMANCES OF THE ENTIRE SEASON. EVERYONE IS UPBEAT AGAIN AND ALL WE CAN HOPE FOR IS THAT THE KIND OF FORM WE DEMONSTRATED ON THAT TUESDAY NIGHT CAN BE REPLICATED HERE AT INGFIELD THIS EVENING.

ONCE AGAIN I FEEL WE’LL HAVE TO BE AT OR CLOSE TO OUR BEST AS THIS EVENING’S VISITORS CARLTON TOWN ARE CURRENTLY IN THE MIDST OF A FIGHT FOR SURVIVAL AT THIS LEVEL AND WHAT GREATER INCENTIVE CAN THERE BE THAN THAT. AFTER A PROMISING START TO THE CAMPAIGN THEY SUFFERED AN ALARMING

SLUMP IN FORM AND ARE NOW PLAYING TO PRESERVE THEIR NORTHERN PREMIER LEAGUE STATUS. ALTHOUGH THEY ARE CURRENTLY IN ONE OF RELEGATION PLAY-OFF PLACES THEY SHOWED WHAT THEY ARE STILL CAPABLE OF WHEN THEY TRAVELLED TO PROMOTION HOPEFULS AND SECOND IN THE TABLE HEBBURN OWN AND AGAINST VIRTUALLY ALL THE ODDS CAME AWAY WITH A HIGHLY IMPRESSIVE 2 – 0 WIN FOLLOWED UP WITH WINS ON THE ROAD AT GRANTHAM AND CLEETHORPES. ANOTHER POSSIBLE CAUSE FOR CONCERN IS THAT THEIR AWAY FORM IS SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER THAN THEIR HOME FORM WHICH MEANS WE WILL HAVE TO GIVE THEM EVERY RESPECT OVER THE NINETY MINUTES.

TALKING OF HOME AND AWAY FORM I MENTION SOMETHING THAT HAS PUZZLED ME FOR A WHILE. AROUND THE CLUB WE FREQUENTLY ARE TOLD ABOUT THE INFLUENCE OF THE VOCAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BY OUR FANS AND THE POSITIVE IMPACT IT HAS ON THE PLAYERS. IT STRUCK ME AS STRANGE THEREFORE WHEN WE COMPARE OUR HOME RESULTS AGAINST OUR AWAY RESULTS AS THAT DOESN’T APPEAR TO BE THE CASE. OF COURSE OSSETT UNITED ARE INDEED FORTUNATE TO HAVE SUCH A SUBSTANTIAL AND LOYAL BAND OF FANS WHO REGULARLY MAKE TRIPS UP AND DOWN THE LENGTH OF NORTHERN ENGLAND TO AWAY GAMES BUT OBVIOUSLY, BECAUSE OF NUMBERS, THE VOLUME OF NOISE FROM OUR SUPPORTERS IS GREATER AT INGFIELD