Hello, Ravens fans and a big welcome back to the Bowl!
The Irlam game in mid-February apart, the lads have spent most of the last six weeks on the road so Paul and the team and indeed all the club’s volunteers are delighted to be back at home again this coming weekend for our fixture against Winsford United.
Without a doubt, this season has been a challenging one both on and off the pitch for the club (who said second-season syndrome was a myth), but in recent weeks we have started to see some big improvements in both these areas that will hopefully return us to the successes that the club so ably demonstrated last season.
Off the pitch, a revised Board has introduced a new impetus and increased energy that is starting to reap some vital benefits, while on the pitch the team are slowly starting to impress with their performances.
As with any major change it has taken time for all the protagonists to get used to a new way of working and playing whether that is in training or during matches. Despite a frustrating six defeats on the bounce through January and early February, by the time we visited Kendal Town and Squires Gate at the start of last month, there were visual signs that the team and the new system were starting to improve, despite us suffering desperately close defeats in both those fixtures.
These improvements were further bolstered by the return of some long-term injured players, and by the time the erstwhile mentioned Irlam visited the island last month the lads were ready to deliver their best performance of the season which they then backed up with a vital win at Ashton Athletic the following week. The form and performance continued into last weekend’s game at Prestwich Heys and the lads were ‘gutted’ to end up on the wrong end of a late defeat.
That disappointing result aside, however, the confidence amongst the group is now high as ever as we enter a vital period for the club as we strive to consolidate our place in the NWCFL Premier Division.
Including this Saturday’s game, we now have nine matches to play, six of them at the Bowl.
This is where you, the fans, come in.
The club need your help over these next set of home fixtures to really get behind the team and help make the Bowl a fortress in the coming weeks.
We’ve stated many times how vital your support is to the players, and how your support is an inspiration to them. This is your club; the island’s club and we need you to continue to demonstrate the noise and encouragement that you have patiently delivered so far this season… but then some!
If we achieve our aim of staying up it will give the club a fantastic boost and enable us to reflect on the many lessons we’ve all learnt this year and endeavour to improve in everything we do and fulfil the mantra of our club motto to ‘Be Better’.
We urge you all to get behind us, these are your Ravens, please help them to fly!
Thanks for all you do, from every single one of us at the club.
