Basement trio will not be taken lightly by Bees

Harborough Town boss Stuart Spencer insists his side are not ‘ticking off nine points already’ as they head in to three games against the bottom three sides.
Stuart SpencerStuart Spencer
Stuart Spencer

The Bees now have seven matches remaining of their UCL Premier Division season – it was eight before Oadby Town pulled out of the league last week – and the next few see them take on Kirby Muxloe, Wellingborough Whitworth and Rothwell Corinthians.

Those sides currently hold the three basement positions and would appear to be ripe for picking as Harborough look to strengthen their position.

But, despite being on a good run themselves, Spencer knows they cannot put the wins up on the board just yet.

“We’ve had a decent spell of form winning six of our last eight,” Spencer said. “But we’ve seen enough of this league already to know that we can’t take anything for granted.

“We’ll go into these matches and try to take maximum points – as we would anyway and especially against sides at the bottom.

“But we’re certainly not ticking off nine points already.

“We’ll fancy ourselves in the Whitworth match because we’re at home and our form is good there.

“But the other two are away and, given our performances on the road this season, we know we will need to produce a proper performance if we are going to get what we want from the games.

“Add to that Corinthians is a local derby and, historically, we have struggled there, we know we need to play well to get the points.”

Should the Bees take a good haul from the three games it would set them up for a tougher run-in in

which they have to play both second-placed Rugby Town and third-placed Deeping Rangers.

And Spencer is targeting points from those games as well as he aims to finish as high as possible in the table.

“Deeping and Rugby will be difficult but they are not games we are dismissing,” he explained.

“They are still winnable and that’s how we’ll

approach them.

“We’re still looking to finish in the top seven or top eight and that is there for us.

“Our initial aim at the outset was for top six but, given things didn’t go to plan to start off with, that has gone.

“But, given we lost eight of first 11 games, I think it would be a tremendous achievement to finish the season in the top eight.”

In Division One, the battle still rages at the top between Anstey Nomads and Lutterworth Town.

Both sides won at the weekend with the Swifts’ success coming by a single goal at home to Irchester United.

Nomads’ win was more impressive as they demolished sixth-placed Harrowby 6-1.

The gap between them remains at two points with Melton Town one further back in third.

Anstey’s planned clash with Melton in midweek was postponed because of the weather.

Lutterworth Athletic are seventh in the table having suffered a 3-2 loss at Blackstones last time out.

They play host to Melton this weekend with their town neighbours hoping for a favour.

For their part, Swifts are at home to eighth-placed Aylestone Park.