Bishops Cleeve at Home Today

Manager Paul Collicutt up against his old club

Evesham United manager Paul Collicutt says his players cannot afford to relax now they have reached the edge of the Evo-Stik Southern League Division One South and West play-off positions according to the Worcester News.

The Robins start 2015 sitting sixth in the table following a magnificent seven straight victories, a run that has also included five clean sheets.

Next up is a home local derby against Bishops Cleeve today.  The New Years Day game at Wantage Town was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.

Although their opponents are flirting with relegation, Collicutt insists Evesham have to keep their focus in their bid to stay in the promotion mix.

“The easy part is getting there, the hard part is staying there,” the United boss said. “We have got our work cut out and we can’t afford to take the next two games lightly. Football has always got a way of coming back and kicking you when you least expect it so we have got to make sure the players are right for the game. We can’t afford to take anything for granted.”

Evesham beat fellow high fliers Stratford Town 2-1 at the Jubilee Stadium on Boxing Day, with goals from Carl Brown and on-loan Adam Mann, as they ensured 2014 finished with a successful result.

“There’s a good atmosphere around the club and the squad and that’s what winning brings,” Collicutt said. “But there’s still an awfully long way to go, we have got 20 games to go. There’s a big difference between winning and drawing games. When you go on a run like this it does open your eyes to that. But to take 21 points out of 21 deserves a big pat on the back for the players,” added Collicutt.

The manager should have a fully-fit squad to choose from now that striker Ashley Edenborough is set to come back into the fray having missed the Stratford match with flu.