Pic: Matt Bradshaw
BISHOP’S STORTFORD joint-manager Mark Hawkes believes his team will win their battle against relegation from the National League South.
The Blues have used more than 50 players this term in what seems a shambolic season where they haven’t been out of the bottom three all year.
Their home fans are probably wishing the summer was here already – in the last few weeks they have been thrashed 4-1 by both Poole Town and Eastbourne Borough in front of their paying public.
But despite the grim recent form – although they did win 1-0 at St Albans on Saturday – and the fact his team are second from bottom, Hawkes has genuine confidence that they can avoid relegation.
The former Chelmsford City boss, who replaced Gordon Boateng in October and is working with Steve Smith at Woodside Park, has been looking at the fixture list.
Hawkes said: “I think we will be alright. I won’t say who but I think two sides in the league will go down and that leaves one. If we win our matches against the sides down there with us I think we will stay up.
Focused
“It will be very tight, but I think we have enough quality and we’ll come through this bad patch. The home games we’ve got left are winnable and we are very focused on what we’ve got to do.
“We’ve got talent within the squad, it’s not doom and gloom. We know how many games we need to win to stay up.”
Hawkes is fed up of hearing good things about his team from rival managers who have just added to his problems.
“It’s nice to hear compliments, but I would rather be hearing them say ‘you deserved that win’ than how unlucky we are!” he joked.
“Leaving the pitch after a game, managers are saying to me that we are a good side, that we didn’t deserve to lose, or that things went their way and not ours, but we need to get things going our way.
“The turnover of players has been too high this season, that’s for sure. To use 50 players already shows that we need to be structured as a club going forward, and we will be.
“But even though the results at the moment need improving, we’re not lacking in belief. We think we can stay up. If we do, the club can have a bright future because it’s a longer term plan here at Bishop’s Stortford.”
