Bognor Regis Town relishing first visit to new ‘home’ to take on Leatherhead
Bognor Regis Town joint manager Jamie Howell believes there are lots of positives for his side to draw on as they prepare to face Isthmian South Central division table-toppers Leatherhead.
The Rocks host the high-flying Tanners at Chichester City’s Oaklands Park ground on Saturday – their first game there as they begin a short tenancy while Nyewood Lane has a new 3G pitch installed.
And they do so on the back of a hard-fought 1-1 draw at Hampshire rivals Horndean that provided hope that a corner has been turned after a challenging start to the campaign -- certainly in terms of unity and endeavour.
Howell was frank in his dissection of the current position in which Bognor find themselves, with four points on the board from a possible 12.
He told James Powers from Rocks Radio: “We have lots of concerns and lots of positives to be fair. Out attitude and work rate against Horndean was excellent. The players put a shift in and put their bodies on the line. My only frustration was that when we needed that little bit of quality -- and a little bit of composure in the final thirds -- it was a bit lacking.”
Howell says he is looking forward to playing at Oaklands Park. He added: “The pitch and the facilities at Chichester are excellent and that will suit us down to the ground. We love a good grass pitch but if you can't get that then a really good 3G pitch will suit us.
“We have got four points from four away games and it is work in progress, and there are more tough days to come but to be honest with you, I think there are enough positive aspects coming out of our games to put us in good stead.”
Meanwhile, outgoing co-gaffer Michael Birmingham – who is stepping away from his role for personal reasons after the match with Howell taking sole charge – is fully aware of just how strong Leatherhead will be in the encounter. He said: “I think Leatherhead are nailed-on favourites to win the league and rightly so as well. It's a good catchment area, they just missed out last season and they have invested and done well this year.
“They have a couple of Farnham players in, who are used to winning leagues -- and Ian Selley has done a great job there. I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't win the league.”
And Birmy expects at least one of his recruits from Horndean in the summer to continue to flourish after another dazzling display. He added: “I think it was a fair result at Horndean. I don't think either team showed enough quality to take the three points. We were very good in the first half at times, especially down the right-hand side. I thought young Billy Allcock was outstanding again by the way, he is going to be a player that kid! In the second half we knew they were going to come out with some huff and puff but listen, the lads’ attitude was excellent.”