Emley AFC manager Richard Tracey is hoping his side can continue their recent resurgence when the Pewits travel to Alfreton Town on Saturday afternoon, following an impressive run of seven points from their last three Northern Premier League Premier Division matches.

The Pewits head to Derbyshire in confident mood after recording a hard fought 1-0 victory over Lancaster City last weekend, securing their first home league win since August and moving up to 14th in the table.

Lewis Gould's first-half strike proved decisive at the Fantastic Media Welfare Ground, with the on loan Barnsley youngster rounding the goalkeeper to score on his home debut.

Despite difficult conditions throughout the afternoon, Emley produced a determined defensive performance, with goalkeeper Ben Bottomley making several important saves to secure all three points.

Reflecting on the victory, Tracey was delighted with his players' resilience and believes confidence is beginning to return to the squad. He said: "Firstly, credit to both sides because the conditions were really difficult. There was constant driving rain throughout the 90 minutes, which made it challenging for both teams to play their football.

"We made a pretty slow start, but once we found our way into the game, I thought we did really well. We managed to get ourselves in front through a really good goal from Lewis, and I was delighted for him, especially having recently joined us on loan from Barnsley.

"I think Lewis has given us something a little bit different, which is really pleasing. At the other end, Botts made a couple of important saves in the first half and certainly towards the end of the second half.

"We're in a really good position now to hopefully kick on and build on our last three results. Hopefully, the confidence is coming back into the group, and what's particularly pleasing is that we've managed to achieve these results despite having a number of senior players unavailable through injury. We're really pleased to have taken seven points from the last nine available, but we know we have to keep that momentum going."

Emley's recent improvement has seen them move away from the relegation places following a difficult spell earlier in the campaign.

However, another challenging afternoon awaits against an Alfreton side relegated from National League North last season.

The Reds have undergone significant changes to their squad following relegation and currently sit three points above Emley in the league standings. Alfreton also head into Saturday's encounter following a 2-1 FA Trophy victory over Mickleover, although their league form has been inconsistent in recent weeks. Tracey expects a difficult examination of his side's recent progress.
He explained: "Alfreton have a relatively new squad this season. Having come down last year, I think the majority of their players moved on, so they've had to rebuild their squad. They started the season quite well, although their recent form hasn't been the best. However, they had a big win against Mickleover in the FA Trophy at the weekend, which will certainly give them confidence.

"They've got some strong, experienced players, so we know it's going to be a tough game, particularly away from home. From our perspective, we have to focus on building on what we've achieved over the last three matches. We've picked up seven points from nine, and hopefully we can go there and put another three points on the board. We know how challenging this league can be, especially when you're playing away from home. There are no easy games, but we'll prepare properly and do everything we can to get the points."

Ahead of Saturday's fixture, Tracey has also confirmed that midfielder Coban Bird has returned to parent club Leeds United, with the youngster now having an opportunity to continue his development at Step Two.

The Emley boss thanked both the player and Leeds United for their support during his time with the Pewits. He said: "Unfortunately, we've lost Coban Bird, who has returned to Leeds United. I think he's now got an opportunity to go and play at Step Two, which is another important level in his pathway and development. I want to put on record a massive thank you to both Leeds United and Coban for his time with us. Leeds have been fantastic in allowing us to bring him into the club, and we really appreciate everything they've done. Hopefully, they can also recognise the role we've played in supporting Coban's development during his time at Emley. Obviously, from our perspective, it's disappointing to lose him because he's been an important part of the squad. However, moving up to Step Two is a fantastic opportunity for him, and we wish him all the very best."

Meanwhile, Emley are also facing the departure of Joe Stacey, with the player attracting interest from another club.
Tracey admitted that retaining players can be challenging at this level, particularly when clubs are unable to offer contracts across their entire squad.

He explained: "We've had some interest in one of our players from another club, and obviously we were hopeful that the player would decide to remain with us. Because players are on non-contract terms, there is an opportunity for them to move elsewhere if they feel they've received a better offer. Unfortunately, that's the nature of football management at this level. Financially, we're not in a position where we can build a squad at the start of the season, put every player on a contract and effectively lock the squad.

(Since this quote was received from Richard, the club announced on Friday afternoon that Joe Stacey had left Emley after receiving an increased offer from another NPL club).

"When players aren't contracted, there's always a risk that another club might come in and make an approach. But do exactly the same ourselves when we put seven days' notice in for another player, so it's part and parcel of football at this level."

Injuries are also continuing to present challenges for the Emley manager, with Jack Cowgill, Gabby Johnson and Alex Kwame still being monitored. Tracey said: "In terms of injuries, we're still not entirely sure how long Jack Cowgill and Gabby Johnson are going to be unavailable.

Tracey commented: "We're continuing to monitor both situations, along with Alex Kiwomya, and hopefully we'll have a clearer picture of their recovery times soon. We've got a number of players who would ordinarily be involved with the squad but unfortunately aren't available at the moment. We're looking at all our options to make sure we've got a competitive squad going into the weekend."

One positive for the Pewits has been the emergence of young Nathan Stephenson, who made his league debut against Lancaster after impressing in the midweek cup fixture against Worksop Town. Tracey was full of praise for the youngster and believes opportunities are there for players to make their mark. He added: "I thought young Nathan did really well when he came into the side against Worksop. He then came on against Lancaster on Saturday and made his league debut for us, which was fantastic. I'm really pleased for him because it's a great opportunity for a young player to come into the first-team environment and show what he can do."

With Emley looking to continue their climb up the table, Tracey will be hoping his side can produce another positive performance and extend their unbeaten league run to four matches.

Emley AFC travel to Alfreton Town on Saturday 31st October, with kick-off at 3pm at the Impact Arena.