Boss Stone marvels at Doughboys skipper O'Connor's 'crazy' goals record

The Doughboys went 13 points clear at the top of the Pitching-In Northern Premier League Midlands Division with a 2-1 win over closest rivals Sutton Coldfield Town on Saturday.

The win was secured with a 62nd-minute winner from O'Connor, as he headed home his ninth league goal of the campaign to go clear in the club's scoring charts, one clear of attacker Zayn Hakeem.

And Stone was quick to praise his team's talisman.

"His record is phenomenal, and I have said before that he doesn't get enough credit from the outside," Stone told Doughboys TV.

"But that doesn't really matter.

"He gets enough credit from inside the changing room and he is the captain.

"His defensive abilities are brilliant but what he does in the opposition's penalty box when crosses come in, whether that is corners or free-kicks, there is no-one like him.

"The truth is you can plan for him, but I still believe he is going to go and win the first header.

"Then it's whether that first header ends up in the net or sets up someone else, and he just has a crazy record."

The Doughboys squad were able to enjoy a clear midweek ahead of Saturday's trip to sixth-placed Shepshed Dynamo on Saturday, and Stone admits it is a welcome break.

"We have said we might treat the lads to a bit of a team meal this week, because we haven't really done anything other than play, play, play," said the Doughboys boss.

"So it is a moment for us to regroup and talk about and then talk about what we need moving forward.

"So we can get together and have a bit of social, and then on Saturday we go to Shepshed which is one of, if not the hardest, away games of the season.

"It is a difficult place to play and it has always been that way.

"They are a good side, they are competitive and it is going to be tough.

"We have had six weeks of Saturday-Tuesday, Saturday-Tuesday, and to come out of that with four home wins, one draw, and the rest are all wins, the lads are doing brilliantly.

"I can't stand here and play it down, they have done amazingly so far and it's just that we can't get complacent, because we are not perfect.

"There are some of those games where we could have lost, there are some of those wins where we could have drawn, but we have won them and we just have to try and keep that going."