Emley AFC return to action this weekend with a long trip to the North East, as Richard Tracey’s side travel to Consett knowing the importance of getting back to winning ways in a busy run of fixtures.

The Boss reflected on last weekend’s result and felt there were positives to take but admitted his side were left frustrated they couldn’t make their pressure count.

He said: “It’s a difficult one, really, because in my opinion I thought we were the better team. We had two or three really good chances in the game and we didn’t take them, and that’s what kept them in it. At the same time, they did have opportunities too, but more from moments where we were untidy or we made a mistake and when you do that, you always give the opposition a chance to punish you. So it was a bit of a mixed bag. We’ve kept a clean sheet, which is always a positive and I’m pleased with that, but I also felt we were wasteful in key moments.”

A key frustration came from set pieces, with Emley winning plenty of corners but struggling to create clear openings against a physically strong opposition.

“We’ve had double figures for corners, but we’ve not really been a threat from them, and that’s disappointing. They’re a big side, so you know you’re going to have to be right on the money with your delivery to create those chances.

Emley also had clear chances to take the points, with Tracey highlighting opportunities that, on another day, could easily have been converted.

“Gabriel (Johnson) had a half chance and then two really good chances. One gets blocked and it sort of falls into the keeper’s lap, and the other one he puts over in the first half. On another day, Gaby scores that and he scores it regularly. That’s why it’s disappointing, because we did enough to create the opportunities, but we didn’t finish them off.”

Despite the frustration of not taking all three points, the manager was quick to point out the positives including another shut out and a debut for new signing Kurtis Turner.

“There are positives to take, of course. Keeping a clean sheet is important, and I’m delighted we’ve done that,” said Tracey. “It was good to get Kurtis’ debut out of the way. He came on, fitted in really well, and you can see he’s going to be a good addition for us, so that was pleasing.”

However, Tracey also believes a lack of match sharpness played its part after a disrupted schedule, with Emley perhaps just missing that extra edge in key moments: “I just felt we lacked a little bit of energy, and maybe that two week window made us a bit rusty. Hallam had played on Tuesday night at Dunston, and I think we just lacked that little bit of match sharpness that edge you only really get from competitive minutes. That lack of sharpness can be the difference between the right pass, the right decision, or the cutting edge at the right moment and I think that’s what was missing at times.”

Tracey also acknowledged the point was celebrated by the visitors, who arrived full of confidence after a strong week: “I know a few people at Hallam and they were absolutely over the moon with a point against us. When you add it to the three points they took from Dunston in midweek, for them it’s been an outstanding week. They were more than happy to come here and take a point. So it was never going to be an easy game, but I still felt that if we’d been a little sharper and a little cleaner in what we did, we’d have won it.”

Even so, Tracey felt the performance still showed signs of the quality Emley can produce when they’re at their best: “When we got the ball down and moved it well, we were a threat. We showed that at times. However we were too sloppy in spells, and we weren’t sharp enough, and that made it easier for them to deal with us and manage the game.

“It’s another game to add to the unbeaten run, and we’ve got the win against Ossett in there as well, so it’s not all negative but I’m mildly disappointed we didn’t convert our chances and make it three points.”

That brings focus firmly onto this weekend’s test at Consett a fixture Tracey knows is vital, as Emley head into a packed schedule that also includes Silsden away and a local derby against Brighouse.

“It’s a game we need to win, because if we want to be at the top end of the table, we can’t go back to back games without winning too often,” he said: “We’ve got three games in eight days and it’s a big week for us. We go away to Silsden on Tuesday, weather permitting, and then it’s a local derby against Brighouse, so we’ve got to be picking up results.”

The visit to Consett will also bring memories of a frustrating afternoon earlier in the season, when Emley allowed a commanding lead to slip: “If I’m being honest, Consett is probably one of my biggest disappointments this season,” admitted Tracey. “We were 3-0 up at half time, and even after 60 minutes we were still 3-0 up, and then we ended up drawing 3-3 at home and that was really unlike us. It was really, really uncharacteristic of us, but it’s happened and we have to move on.”

This weekend also presents a different challenge in surface and setting, with Consett’s 3G pitch making conditions unique for visiting sides: “Going up there is always a challenge anyway, it’s on the AstroTurf, and that brings its own tests. It probably makes them favourites in some ways, because it’s their home surface and they’re used to playing on it week in, week out. It’s not the best AstroTurf either, I think it’s been down quite a while so it’s going to be a tough game, and we’ve got to adapt quickly. It’s also further than people think as well. It’s west of Durham, so you’re looking at a two to three hour trip for some of the lads. We have to prepare properly, go up there, put in a performance, and come away with three points, like we did there last season.”

Beyond Saturday, Emley’s attention will quickly turn to Silsden, where weather could play a significant role in whether the fixture goes ahead: “The weather is the big unknown at the moment. The forecast doesn’t look brilliant, and I’ve not spoken to the Silsden gaffer yet, so I don’t know how he feels their pitch will hold up. If this carries on, you might see one or two games called off on Saturday, and that can then create question marks over Tuesday night as well. But that’s out of our hands. All we can do is prepare like the game will be on, and hope it is, because we all want to play football and we want to be winning games.”

While Silsden may be battling near the bottom end of the table, Tracey insists they remain a serious threat, particularly on home turf: “They might be fighting for their lives, but they’re certainly no mugs. Their home form is good, it’s a difficult place to go, and nobody’s going there and rolling them over. They’ve narrowly lost to Dunston with a last minute goal and they’ve narrowly lost to Redcar as well, so they’re always in games. They’ve got good players too. We’ve just got to turn up, assert ourselves, and be better.”

Emley will be hoping to take the positives from their recent performances and turn them into maximum points, as they look to maintain momentum and keep themselves firmly in the mix at the top end of the table.

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Richard Tracey is sponsored by Knowl Club, Mirfield