Spencer boss Ben Stone is ready to call on ‘every man and his dog’ as his side prepare to face a fixture pile-up.
The Millers must play 16 games during the final seven weeks of the season, starting with Saturday’s game against Wootton Blue Cross.
Spencer’s hectic schedule owes much to the fact they suffered more than most from the severe weather conditions of the past few months.
Their Kingsthorpe Mill clubhouse was flooded on a couple of occasions leading to a string of postponements.
And those missed games are now coming back to bite as the season approaches its conclusion.
The upcoming schedule is sure to test Spencer to the full and Stone expects the fixture backlog to have a big impact on his team’s results.
But the boss remains hopeful of a top-six finish – Spencer currently sit seventh in UCL Division One – and he’s ready to enlist the help of everyone possible to make it happen.
“It’s the situation we’re in and we’ve got to deal with it,” said Stone.
“We will have to use every man and his dog at the club, but we’ll get there.
“Obviously it will affect our results, but we’ll get on with it.
“A lot of our lads are not used to playing so regularly, having come from reserve team football, so it will be another learning curve for them.
“We’re going to have to alternate our players and pick and choose the games we can win, picking sides accordingly.
“The games we don’t think we’ll win, we will rotate for, but I did say we were targeting a top-six finish and that’s something we’re still looking at.”
Spencer will be hoping to use home advantage to pick up points, as they play 11 of their final 16 games at the Mill.
And Stone feels other sides won’t fancy facing his men on their own turf.
He said: “Teams won’t relish coming down the Mill.
“We’ve got to make sure we take something from our home games because we’ve been good there this season.
“We lost our unbeaten run there last week (against Harrowby United), which we deserved to, but if we can pick up points where I think we should I’ll be happy.
“We’ve also got a lot of the top teams to play - Oadby, Sileby and AFC Rushden & Diamonds - but you never know what can happen in those games.”
Elsewhere in division one, there’s a local derby between ON Chenecks and Bugbrooke St Michael’s at Billing Road, while table-toppers Sileby Rangers travel to Rushden & Higham United.
LONG BUCKBY
Goodwin full of fatherly pride
Scott Goodwin says he feels like a father to his Long Buckby players and has stressed his pride at their recent performances. The Bucks are now unbeaten in their past four games, the latest of which was Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Desborough Town. There were three Football League scouts in attendance at that game, taking a look at Goodwin’s young squad. And the Buckby boss said: “I’m like a dad to these players because I’m so proud of them. They’ve been fantastic this season. “I’m delighted clubs are taking an interest in our level and I’m proud they’re taking an interest in our team.”
Buckby are on a run of four straight draws in the UCL, and tomorrow they are take on AFC Kempston at Station Road.
Elsewhere, Cogenhoe United entertain Spalding at Compton Park.
AFC RUSHDEN & DIAMONDS
AFC Rushden & Diamonds will have one eye on next week as they prepare to face neighbours Whitworth at the Dog & Duck tomorrow (Sat).
Mark Starmer’s side, who are just one point off the pace, entertain league leaders Sileby Rangers on Tuesday in what could be a pivotal encounter in the race for the title.
The Diamonds’ midweek clash with second-placed Eynesbury was postponed because of the weather.
UCL fixtures
Saturday, March 16
Premier Division: Boston Town v Stewarts & Lloyds, Cogenhoe v Spalding, Harborough v Deeping, Holbeach v Desborough, Huntingdon v Sleaford, Irchester v Shepshed Dynamo, Long Buckby v AFC Kempston, Peterborough Northern Star v St Ives, Quorn v Newport Pagnell, Yaxley v Blackstones.
Division One: AFC Rushden & Diamonds v Whitworth, Burton Park Wanderers v Oadby, Eynesbury v Potton, Olney v Bourne, ON Chenecks v Bugbrooke, Spencer v Wootton Blue Cross, Raunds v Rothwell Corinthians, Rushden & Higham v Sileby, Thrapston v Buckingham.
Reserve Supplementary Cup, group four: Burton Park Wanderers v Desborough.
Reserve Division One: AFC Kempston v Woodford United, Blackstones v Cogenhoe, Bugbrooke v Harborough, Stewarts & Lloyds v Huntingdon, Whitworth v Thrapston.
Reserve Division Two: Bourne v Raunds, Oadby v Olney, Rothwell Corinthians v Irchester.