Dean Holdsworth says Stratford Town must prepare properly for the long journey to Leiston
STRATFORD Town make the arduous journey to Leiston this weekend and boss Dean Holdsworth has stressed it’s down to the players to make sure they’re physically and mentally prepared come kick-off.
The Bards, who faced a 135-mile trip for their FA Cup first qualifying round clash at Cleethorpes Town last time out, will clock up approximately another 175 miles this Saturday to get to their Southern Premier Central clash in Suffolk.
There’s no doubting these long trips can take their toll but Holdsworth – who saw his side run out 4-0 winners at Cleethorpes thanks to an Adam Rooney hat-trick and a thunderbolt from Dan Lafferty – stressed it’s the players’ responsibility to ensure they’re not still on the bus come 3pm.
“We’ll be travelling down on the coach in good time and we’ll do what we can to make the journey as pain-free as possible,” he told the Herald.
“Ultimately, though, it’s down to the players to ensure they’ve prepared properly.
“Leiston is a tough place to go and I’ve been there before. Psychologically [the journey] has an affect because it is a long way but Leiston can be beaten.
“If you want to be involved in football you’ve got to take the good with the bad, so the players have got to make sure they stretch properly and prepare themselves mentally.”
There’s a quick turnaround for the Bards as they then welcome bottom-of-the-table AFC Rushden & Diamonds to the Arden Garages Stadium on Tuesday night (7.45pm kick-off).
The Diamonds are yet to register a league win this season and have failed to pick up a single point on the road.
Holdsworth stressed that counts for nothing, though, and said his players will not show Diamonds any less respect despite their lowly position.
“No game in this league is a walk in the park and we will certainly not be giving a team more respect than any other just because of their league position,” he said.
“We will not be taking that ‘softly softly’ approach to any team, that’s not what we do.”
Dan Vann and Ashley Sammons face fitness tests ahead of Saturday’s trip to Leiston but that apart Holdsworth should have a full squad to pick from.
Meanwhile, Stratford’s reward for beating Cleethorpes is a home tie against fierce rivals Banbury United in the FA Cup second qualifying round.
The Puritans, who were promoted to National League North after winning the Southern Premier Central title last term, will visit the Arden Garages Stadium on Saturday, 17th September.
A bumper crowd is expected and the winners will claim the bragging rights and £3,375 in prize money, while the losers will take home £1,125 and be left nursing their pride.
Reflecting on the cup draw, Holdsworth said: “It’s a very tough one for us but it’s the FA Cup, that’s the joy it brings.
“Anything can happen and if both teams play well it could be a very good game for the fans to watch.”
