There’s an intriguing encounter taking place in the Pitching In Southern League Division One South on Saturday when unbeaten Helston Athletic visit one of the favourites for the title, Bristol Manor Farm, who themselves have lost just once in six League outings.
For the Cornish outfit, this is their first-ever taste of life at Step 4 and they have certainly adapted well to the added demands, but has the start that they have made surprised them? We asked reliable defender, David Barker.
“Given the players who left the club over the summer, I think it is a slight surprise how quickly we’ve adapted to this new level,” he admitted to us. “However, we knew with the players we have that we can compete in this League having seen other local sides do so in recent years.
“We’ve got a great group of lads who are used to winning games together after the success last year. A lot of our squad and management have already previously played at this level and above, which also helps.
“Going into the season, I wasn’t sure what to expect from this level, other than each and every game would be a challenge. It’s certainly been more physical than I was expecting and every team seems to be well set up and coached better, which you would expect as you move up the levels.
“The fixtures so far have seen us playing a lot of the more familiar sides from recent years, but I’ve enjoyed the games against different opposition and visiting new grounds.
“I’ve been happy with the start I have made. Defensively we have performed well as a team and I am pleased to have been able to play a part in that, but we need to turn this into more clean sheets moving forwards.
“I like to try and contribute as much as possible going forward as well and have chipped in with a few assists already, so hopefully this will also continue.
“Saturday’s game is going to be a massive test for us against quality opposition who will definitely be up there challenging this season. They are a strong side, but it’s another test for us and one that hopefully we can come through.”
We asked the 30 year-old what his aims and targets were for the season, both from an individual perspective and for the team as a whole?
“Personal targets would be more clean sheets and goal contributions,” he responded without hesitation. “As a team, I think the target has to be play offs and see where that takes us as the season progresses.
“We’re definitely not looking too far ahead and just enjoying each game. This League has always seemed to be very tight in recent years and a couple of bad results can see you dropping down the table quickly.
“We’ve got a busy month coming up after a pretty quiet September, but it is only ever a game at a time.”
IMAGE: TB Photography
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