Boss Stone wants Wellingborough Town to 'be more clinical' in tight encounters
Boss Jake Stone has called on his Wellingborough Town team 'to be more clinical' as they bid to establish themselves as a main player in the Pitching-In Northern Premier League Midlands Division.
The Doughboys have enjoyed a solid start to the season and sit 10th on 13 points from 10 matches.
They are also just four points adrift of the play-off places, although they have played more games than all of the sides around them.
Borough have been competitive in every fixture, as they were at title-chasing Belper on Saturday where they lost 1-0 to an excellent fifth-minute strike from Jacob Gratton. Belper went top of the table in midweek with a 2-1 win at Coventry Sphinx.
Prior to that, the Doughboys had also lost 1-0 to another of the promotion favourites in Sphinx and gone down by the odd goal to Basford, but the Doughboys have also beaten much-fancied Mickleover and seen off second-placed Rugby Borough.
And ahead of another tough-looking clash against seventh-placed Lichfield City at the Dog & Duck on Saturday, Stone admitted: "We are not a million miles away, but neither are other teams.
"You will see from the results week in week out, there are no weak teams in this league and results back that up as there is only a goal between the two sides in the majority of games. So we have got to be more clinical.
"I would say we probably have the highest possession we have ever had as a side and a lot of the ball, but we must try and make that possession count.
"We have to create more chances and, more importantly, take them."
Stone and his players face a crunch few days as they have a home double header, with Saturday's date against Lichfield, newly-promoted from the Midland Football League, followed by a Dog & Duck derby showdown with Corby Town on Tuesday night (ko 7.45pm).
"Lichfield have had an excellent start to the season, coming into the league with no fear and momentum," said Stone. "They have picked up some great results and will be a test.
"So, I expect them to come to the game full of confidence and it will be down to us to try and take our chances and show more of the character we had at home to Mickleover.
"We are very close to being a strong side, we just have to fine tune a few things."
Then it's a midweek clash with the Steelmen, and Stone admitted: "I want to say that I think the league are mad to put this on a Tuesday night, and they have to look at fixtures differently.
"It will be one of, if not the most attended home game for us all season, and to put it on a Tuesday night in October, which starves the club of matchday revenue, is a killer!
"As for the game, I always enjoy matches against Corby and going up against my mate in Setch (Gary Setchell).
"But they are doing really well, and I am sure come the end of the season if anyone is good enough to finish above Corby, then they will have won the league. It will be a tough game and we will be up for the challenge.
"But first we have to make sure we perform against Lichfield before we look at the derby."