Emley AFC manager Richard Tracey believes his side are beginning to turn promising performances into positive results as the Pewits prepare to welcome Lancaster City to the Fantastic Media Welfare Ground this Saturday.

After a difficult run of results, Emley secured a much-needed 3-1 victory away at Stockton Town last weekend, following encouraging performances against Gainsborough Trinity and FC United of Manchester. Despite Tuesday night's 4-0 defeat against Worksop Town in the Sheffield and Hallamshire Senior Cup, Tracey remains positive about the direction his side are heading in and believes there are plenty of reasons for optimism.

Reflecting on the narrow 2-1 defeat against Gainsborough Trinity earlier this month, Tracey admitted his side had been unfortunate not to take something from the game.

He said: “We were disappointed with the result because we actually felt we were the better side. Even Russ Wilcox, Gainsborough's manager, said in his interview that he didn't know how they'd won the game.

“We outplayed them, created the better chances, but ultimately didn't kill them off. We hit the bar with an opportunity to go 2-0 up on the hour mark, and within a minute we'd conceded a penalty at the other end. We had two or three really good opportunities in the first half and another great chance to double our lead in the second. Unfortunately, we didn't take them, and that's what has been hurting us recently. Despite the result, we were really pleased with the performance. It was much better, and we keep saying that if we continue performing like that, the wins will come.”

The Pewits followed that performance with a hard-earned 1-1 draw away at FC United of Manchester, with Rinor Ejupi opening the scoring just before half-time.
Although the hosts equalised through Adam Le Fondre, Tracey felt his side had once again created enough opportunities to secure all three points. He continued: “It was another frustrating night in some respects because I thought we created enough opportunities, particularly in the first half, to score a hatful of goals. We scored on the stroke of half-time and went into the break 1-0 up. To be fair to FC United, they came out and had a reaction for the first 15 minutes of the second half. Just as we were starting to get back on the front foot, Reno went through and struck the underside of the crossbar. The ball came back out, we put the rebound wide, and within a couple of minutes the ball was in the back of our net.

“However, I thought we remained in control of the game. We had plenty of possession and were on the front foot, although we probably didn't hurt them enough in the final 20 minutes. The important thing was that we didn't concede again. We stayed solid, came away with a good point on the road, and overall we were really pleased with that.”

Those encouraging performances were finally rewarded last Saturday as Emley produced an impressive first-half display to defeat Stockton Town 3-1.

Goals from Aaron Haswell, Joe Stacey and Rinor Ejupi put the Pewits firmly in control before the break, with the visitors showing resilience to see out the victory despite a late Stockton response.

Tracey was particularly pleased with his side's clinical finishing, something he felt had been missing in previous fixtures. He said: “It was a really good result, particularly when you consider the adversity we faced going into the game.
“We brought Niall Heaton straight into the starting line-up for his first appearance since the play-off final. He'd only had one training session during pre-season, but I thought he was tremendous. We were also without Diego and Gabby, so we had some real challenges. We brought Lewis Goulding in on loan from Barnsley, and I thought Lewis was terrific. He gave us a really good platform to play from. Stockton are a big, physical side, and we knew it was going to be a battle. What pleased me most was that we took our chances.

“We had four opportunities in the first half and scored three of them. That's something we hadn't managed in the previous two games, and it made the second half much easier to manage. We conceded a poor goal with around 10 or 12 minutes remaining, which we should have dealt with better, but what pleased me was that we didn't go under. We remained solid for the final stages and came away with a really good 3-1 victory.”

Attention then turned to Tuesday night's Senior Cup clash against Worksop Town, where a much-changed Emley side suffered a 4-0 defeat. However, Tracey explained that the fixture provided an important opportunity to give younger players first-team experience while protecting members of the squad ahead of a busy league schedule.

He explained: “I think you've got to apply the appropriate context to the result. Only two players who started against Stockton were in the starting line-up against Worksop. We had five academy players and Jacob, who's only 18 and currently on dual registration at Harrogate Railway, all featuring heavily and getting substantial minutes. Two of the academy lads started, and it was a great test for them. It was also an important opportunity for players who haven't been getting regular first-team football. Worksop have got 20 to 22 contracted players, all of a high standard and capable of playing at Step 2. They made changes themselves, but they've got a really strong senior squad. We used the game for what Emley needed. We wanted to give opportunities to younger players, get important minutes into other members of the squad and make sure we had players available for Saturday.”

One positive from the evening was the performance of academy youngster Nathan Stephenson, who impressed on his senior debut. Tracey added: “I thought young Nathan Stephenson from the academy was outstanding. He had a really good debut, although unfortunately he appeared to turn his ankle towards the end, which was disappointing.”

The Worksop fixture also provided an opportunity for new signing Danny Devine to gain valuable minutes as he continues working towards full match fitness. The experienced 29-year-old midfielder, who has previously represented Bradford City and Carlisle United, has been recovering from a lengthy injury absence.

Tracey said: “Danny is an experienced midfielder who has previously played for Bradford City and Carlisle United. He's been out of football for quite a long period through injury, so at the moment it's about working with him and getting him back to the level of match fitness he needs. He played 60 minutes against Worksop, and I thought he did really well. You could see the experience he's got, and I think that could prove really important for us as we move forward.”

Looking ahead to Saturday's meeting with Lancaster City, Tracey is hopeful that the Pewits can build on their recent league performances and continue climbing the Northern Premier League Premier Division table.

He said: “At this level of football, everybody is good enough to win games. If we don't perform well, we'll get beaten, but if we perform like we have in our recent league games, we'll give ourselves a really good chance of winning. It really is that straightforward from my point of view.

“I don't think we've got any concerns about the lads who played against Stockton. I thought they did a great job, and we've got to be fair to them and give them the opportunity to back that performance up. Hopefully, we can produce another strong display on Saturday and build on that victory.”

With injuries having caused problems for Emley in recent weeks, Tracey also provided an update on the availability of several first-team players.

He explained: “We're still monitoring Jack Cowgill following the injury he picked up against FC United. He didn't feature against Stockton, so we'll continue assessing him. Unfortunately, Barks is going to be missing for a few weeks, which is obviously a loss for us. Hopefully, Niall Heaton has recovered well from his first game back last weekend, and Diego should be available again for Saturday. I don't think Gabby will be ready just yet.

“Ellis Farrar isn't too far away either. Hopefully, he'll be back in full training or potentially getting some important minutes with the academy on Thursday night. We're still working towards getting everybody back fit, although with the demands of this league, I don't think we'll have a fully fit squad very often between now and the end of the season.”

Lancaster arrive in West Yorkshire looking to bounce back from their own 2-1 defeat against Leek Town last weekend. Tracey expects a different type of challenge to the physical encounter his side faced at Stockton, with Lancaster's attacking movement likely to test Emley's organisation.

He concluded: “We're expecting to face a well-organised side. They've got a very lively number 10 who likes to play in the pockets of space, and he's someone we'll have to be aware of.

“Stockton were a big, physical side, whereas I think Lancaster will present a slightly different challenge.

“It'll probably be a more tactical game, where we'll have to think carefully about how we approach certain situations. They'll pose more of a tactical challenge rather than the physical challenge Stockton offered us, but it's another game where we'll need to be at our best.”

Emley AFC welcome Lancaster City to the Fantastic Media Welfare Ground on Saturday 24th October, with kick-off at 3pm.