Steelmen must keep calm and carry on

Gary Mills wants his Corby Town players to stay calm in their battle to avoid relegation

The Steelmen entertain relegation rivals Sutton Coldfield Town on what looks set to be yet another pivotal Saturday afternoon as they bid to avoid the drop from the Evo-Stik Northern Premier League Premier Division.

Having returned to winning ways with a comfortable 3-0 victory over rock-bottom Skelmersdale United last Saturday, Corby followed that up with a 0-0 draw at Rushall Olympic on Tuesday night.

The three teams immediately above them all lost in midweek meaning Mills’ team are now just a point from safety going into the weekend.

And the Steelmen boss is now calling on his experienced players to lead the charge in the last nine games of the season as the club try to avoid a second relegation in the space of a year.

“It will come down to bottle but will also come down to experience,” Mills said.

“We have got some really experienced players in our squad and there are some big leaders in there.

“The changing room takes care of itself because we have got big players in there who have been at a higher level before and been in situations like this.

“It will be up to those experienced players to step up to the plate and help the younger lads as we go forward and try to get ourselves out of trouble.

“We need to stay calm and relaxed and make sure we don’t move away from what we have been doing.

“We have to stick to our game plans, stick together and ensure we maintain the effort and endeavour that we have been putting in.”

Mills, meanwhile, is hopeful of having a fully-fit squad for the clash.

Assistant-manager David Bell was withdrawn during the midweek stalemate but Mills added: “David had to come off with a groin injury but apart from that everyone else is fit.

“We should have Miles Smith and Andrew Osei-Bonsu back so hopefully that will mean a fully-fit squad.”