Graham Cottle says this season has been his most enjoyable as ON Chenecks manager.
Local derbies, battling with bigger clubs and a good group have increased the player-boss’s love of life in the UCL’s second tier.
His club may sit modestly in mid-table, but Cottle is revelling in the campaign so far, his third in charge of Chenecks.
And ahead of Saturday’s game at Rothwell Corinthians, he said: “I’ve enjoyed this season the most of my three at the club.”
“We’ve got a good bunch of lads and the standard of the league’s gone up, which has raised the profile of the division.
“It’s more enjoyable with the likes of Oadby and AFC Rushden and Diamonds around and there are more local derbies, against the likes of Spencer and Sileby.
“It seems like you’re playing at grounds where there are a lot of fans and generally it’s much more competitive.”
Chenecks will look to get back to winning ways this weekend, having not claimed a victory since January 9.
However, they have only played two games during that time thanks to constant weather interruptions.
And Cottle can’t wait to get back in action as his team look to take advantage of other teams’ tiredness during the closing stages of the season.
“It’s been a bit frustrating with the weather,” he said. “We’ve just been ticking over.
“Hopefully we’ll start to get a few games in now, but we’re not in a bad position compared to other teams.
“The first year I was in charge here we had eight games in the last two weeks of the season and you feel for the sides who might have to do that this time.
“It can maybe give us an advantage because if we’re not playing Saturday-Tuesday we’ve got more time to recover from injuries.”
Cottle will welcome back Jack Allcock for Saturday’s trip to Rothwell Corinthians, but Calvin Budd and Dan Cotton are long-term absentees.
Elsewhere in division one this weekend, Spencer host Rushden & Higham United, table-topping Sileby face Buckingham at Fernie Fields and Bugbrooke St Michael’s go to Wootton Blue Cross
Meanwhile, Cogenhoe United, who suffered a 2-1 defeat at home to Newport Pagnell Town last weekend, are in knockout action as they go to Spalding United in the second round of the League Cup.
LONG BUCKBY
Boss Goodwin puts romance to one side
Long Buckby boss Scott Goodwin has risked upsetting his wife in a bid to beat Shepshed Dynamo this weekend.
Goodwin brought Valentine’s Day duties forward by 24 hours ahead of Saturday’s UCL Premier Division clash.
And he told his players to do the same as he is called them in for training on Thursday night.
Buckby are currently on a six-game losing streak in the league and in need of a morale boost.
Desperate times call for desperate measures, and Goodwin is adamant his wife understood the need to rearrange the day of romance.
“I’d pre-warned the lads that their Valentine’s Day was going to be Wednesday and they all laughed at me,” said the Bucks boss.
“But it meant nothing to me and though my wife won’t like reading this, she understood that we’ve got a job to do.”
Buckby have had a while to think about Saturday’s encounter as last weekend’s game at home to Blackstones was postponed.
Goodwin decided to take in Wellingborough Town’s game against Sleaford Town instead, and he wasn’t alone...
He explained: “I needed a football fix and was going to watch Shepshed’s game, but that got called off so I went over to Wellingborough.
“I ended up watching the game with the Shepshed management team and supporters, who hammered me, in a nice way.
“They were singing songs about me in the build-up to this Saturday, but fair play to them, I’ve got a lot of respect for them.”
FIXTURES
Saturday, February 16
CHROMASPORT & TROPHIES UNITED COUNTIES LEAGUE
Knockout Cup, second round: Spalding v Cogenhoe.
Premier Division: Blackstones v Irchester, Harborough v Boston Town, Huntingdon v AFC Kempston, Newport Pagnell v Peterborough Northern Star, Quorn v Wellingborough Town, Shepshed Dynamo v Long Buckby, St Ives v Holbeach, Stewarts & Lloyds v Desborough.
Division One: Burton Park Wanderers v AFC Rushden & Diamonds, Eynesbury v Whitworth, Harrowby v Olney, Northampton Spencer v Rushden & Higham, Potton v Bourne, Rothwell Corinthians v ON Chenecks, Sileby v Buckingham, Thrapston v Raunds, Wootton Blue Cross v Bugbrooke.
Reserve Knockout Cup, second round: Bugbrooke v Blackstones.
Reserve Supplementary Cup, group one: ON Chenecks v Woodford United. Group two: Irchester v Thrapston, Whitworth v Raunds. Group three: Yaxley v Huntingdon.
Reserve Division One: AFC Kempston v Stewarts & Lloyds, Cogenhoe v Harborough, Peterborough Northern Star v Desborough.
Reserve Division Two: Bourne v Olney, Oadby v Eynesbury, Rushden & Higham v Rothwell Corinthians.
 |  |