Daisy Hill are back in action on Saturday in the North West Counties League First Division North when they travel to face promotion-chasing Droylsden, writes Ian Templeman.
It’s the first time that Daisy have ever played in a league fixture in the Butchers Arms ground, and it promises to be a tough test against a Droylsden side who are well in the hunt for promotion, and who are unbeaten at home in the league this season.
However, Droylsden sit a point behind Atherton LR in the league table, and having run LR close in the local derby last Friday night, Daisy manager Lee Hill is looking for his side to produce a similar level of performance on Saturday.
“I thought the lads fought well in front of a big crowd last Friday, and it was good preparation for what we can expect on Saturday, as Droylsden attract good sized crowds”, said Hill.
“It will be a different type of game on Saturday as Droylsden will pose a different threat.
“We played them earlier in the season and we know what they are about. They are a really good footballing side, probably one of the best in the league, and they have a lot of pace up front.
“We know what they will bring and it is up to us to try and nullify that, and expect to be defending a lot more than we have done in recent games.
“Droylsden will be more possession based in the style they play, so we have to expect to have a lot less of the ball and we’ll have to pick our moments to hit them. We are not naïve enough to think we will go there and dominate the play.
“We’ve watched them a couple of times in the last few weeks, and it’s certainly a different prospect to the LR game, and we have prepared for that in training this week, so hopefully the work will come to fruition on Saturday.
“We need to be smart, and maybe if we get a bit of luck on our side and a bit of bad luck on their side, you never know.
“It’s a free hit, no one expects us to win and it’s a game that really matters to them, whereas for us it’s another step in the preparations for next season, to see where we are compared to teams at the top of the table.
“But we are fully aware of the task in hand, and what we need to do, but when we have faced a big challenge this season, the lads have responded and if we can be near 90-100 per cent we will make a game of it.”
