By Matthew Barrett
DANNY COWLEY says the “magic 50” mark is still what he and his Concord Rangers side are aiming for after a fantastic win at Skrill South leaders Bromley on Tuesday night.
A brace from striker Sam Higgins inflicted Bromley’s first defeat in nine games, despite the Canvey Island side having a number of injuries, and the 2-1 win leaves the Beachboys in tenth place – only three points off the play-offs after three wins in a row.
Cowley, 35, has led Concord to three promotions in his seven years as manager, including last season’s through the Ryman Premier play-offs, and this campaign is proving to be another success despite the small squad he possesses compared to others in the division.
The Thames Road boss said: “We fully deserved the win against a good Bromley side who hadn’t lost in a while and we are trying to stay grounded with the aim to reach 50 points which is what I think we need to stay up.
“If we get to that magic 50 soon we can re-assess and perhaps change our targets but the main thing is to keep our heads above water.”
In 2008 Concord were playing in the Essex Senior League, Step 5 of the Non-League Pyramid, and now they have games in hand on some teams above them, with promotion to the Skrill Premier a possibility.
“I thought it would be impossible to do better than last season with getting promoted and winning the Ryman League Cup, however we have managed it,” added Cowley, who has added full-back Mason Spence and midfielder Archange Nkumu to his ranks.
“The whole squad is now full of confidence and they have all contributed fantastically – Sam Higgins has been great and got the goals he deserved.”