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Chelmsford City aiming for maximum haul

Thursday, August 28, 2008, 08:00

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CHELMSFORD City will be looking to further consolidate their top six position in the Blue Square South with a maximum of six points over their next two games.

That's the aim of manager Jeff King who declared: "We're looking to win both away games and keep picking up the points and not worrying about anybody else."

City, who hope to have influential midfielder Jeff Minton back from injury, go to Basingstoke on Saturday and then visit former Ryman League rivals Bromley on Tuesday.

King was happy with winning 2-1 at St Albans on Saturday - "It was a comfortable win in a game we dominated from start to finish" but there was relief all round at the point gained in Monday's home 1-1 draw in the Essex derby against neighbours Braintree Town.

"I think we deserved it for the second half performance when we pinned them in their own half," he said. "Local derby games are always the same but we were unlucky not to have scored more with all the shots we had on their goal."

City forced ten corners in their second half siege of the Iron goal and had shots cleared off the goal line while goalkeeper Craig Holloway pulled off a magnificent save to deny Ian Cousins a goal.

But head coach Glenn Pennyfather felt City players could learn lessons from the Braintree game, adding: "We do need to learn how to win in these situations because like Newport, they sat back quite deep and what we needed was an early breakthrough to help us break them down.

"We didn't perhaps do enough on the day to collect all three points as we didn't play as well as we can but we'll have to get used to trying better to break sides down at home.

"We look upon it as a well earned point against a Braintree side without a league point so far who were obviously fighting for their lives."

On the St Albans win he admitted that it was a one-sided game and when they were two goals up they really needed a third goal to kill the game off.

"The goal they did get was offside but it was given and so they naturally had a go in the final minutes to try and get an equaliser but I felt we were always in charge of the game," he added.

Former City player-coach Brian Statham made a shock exit as manager of Heybridge Swifts this week because he felt he could not take the club any further.

Along with his assistant, former City midfielder Barry Lakin, they leave Swifts without a Ryman League Premier Division win and currently third from bottom.

Statham, who took over at Swifts in 2005, said that he had thought long and hard about his position but felt it was the right decision for both the club and himself.

"I have decided to resign now because I feel I cannot carry on any further and that it's in the best interests of the club.

"I have taken the club as far as I can in what everyone knows are difficult times economically."

Reserve team manager Wayne Bond has been named as the new boss and Saturday's trip to Margate will be his first game.