Enjoy the ride, urges boss of high-flying Battle

Battle Baptists manager Gary Walsh is urging his in-form players to enjoy their football as they battle it out at the top of the table.
Action from Battle Baptists' 3-2 victory over Hollington United a fortnight ago. Picture by Simon NewsteadAction from Battle Baptists' 3-2 victory over Hollington United a fortnight ago. Picture by Simon Newstead
Action from Battle Baptists' 3-2 victory over Hollington United a fortnight ago. Picture by Simon Newstead

The Baptists lie second in the Macron East Sussex Football League Premier Division having won all of their last seven matches in all competitions.

Walsh said: “You just have to enjoy the fact that your team is playing excellent football and that’s what I’m trying to get across to the players; enjoy it while this purple patch lasts. There’s a fabulous team spirit in the dressing room this year.”

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Battle slipped three points behind leaders Hollington United, albeit having played a match less, after their game away to Rock-a-Nore was postponed due to an unfit pitch last weekend and Hollington won 4-0 against Sedlescombe Rangers.

“We were so disappointed the game was off on Saturday,” Walsh continued. “Hollington did really well to beat Sedlescombe 4-0 and that adds to their goal difference.

“The next three weeks we’ve got cup games and should Hollington play a league match in that time, it widens the gap even further. But it’s just important for us to focus on what we’re doing and not be distracted by what’s happening around us.

“You start to look ahead and think you could win it, but I don’t think either team can be really confident they’re going to because it could come down to goal difference.

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“We’re each waiting for the other one to slip up and that could well happen. As we’ve seen already, if another team puts out a particularly weak side one week, you could score 10 goals and that could be the difference at the end of the season.

“Even if we weren’t to win it this season, I would still look back on this season and say we got that little bit further. We’re developing year on year.”

Battle are still very much on a high from their 3-2 victory at home to Hollington a fortnight ago, a match in which Walsh seemed slightly surprised by just how well his team played.

“I was absolutely delighted and it was well-deserved too,” he went on. “I knew we had got a fairly good defence and midfield, but I wasn’t really confident because I knew we were missing our two strikers.

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“Dean Boyd and Adam Gooch, were both injured, but the two players who were in the forward line that day, Finlay Garlick and Ollie Norris, played fantastically well.

“We didn’t start particularly well and in the first 20 minutes I was thinking it was going to go the way we were expecting. But once we scored it kind of became clear we were really competitive with them and there’s not actually that much between the two teams.

“As the game went on I became more confident that we would nick it. At 2-1 at half time it was still precarious and it was only really when we scored that third goal close to the end of the game it kind of settled it.”

Battle will return to action tomorrow (Saturday) with an ESFL Premier Travel Challenge Cup quarter-final away to Eastbourne Rangers - the only team other than Hollington to have beaten them so far this season.

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“We’ve got a squad of probably 14 really good players who understand the way we’re playing and fit in really well,” added Walsh, who expects to welcome back Boyd and Gooch to the squad.

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