Bards boss praises calmness of returning midfielder
BARDS boss Gavin Hurren praised the immediate impact new signing Josh Hawker has had on his side, helping Stratford Town grab a 3-2 victory over visitors Alvechurch on Saturday, reports David Lawrence.
The midfielder linked back up with the team in midweek following a spell with Southern League Premier Central rivals Halesowen Town and came off the bench to play a key role, threading a pass to Charlie Williams for Town’s 88th minute winner to keep the side in the play-off places.
Hurren said: “Josh has come in and was brilliant. He made such a positive impact when he came on which is what I was hoping for.
“It was important as well that he got some minutes into his legs after having a couple of weeks off but when it comes to his ability and calming us down when we needed it, he was absolutely outstanding.”
The Bards needed to claw their way back into the game after gifting the visitors a goal, Callum Ebanks and Jack Storer scoring to set up a tense finale.
“For me, it doesn’t matter that it was a derby – winning is winning and it’s a nice feeling.
“It was disappointing that we gave them two goals but we keep learning. It has shown that we have great character to come back from that first goal which was sloppy on our part.
“I’m happy with the result but not so much the performance. There was a lot we could have improved on but all three goals from us were taken superbly and, in between the goals, there were some stand-out performances for me.”
