Hard work the key to out-of-form Knaresborough Town getting their season back on track

Knaresborough Town suffered a 1-0 home defeat to Albion Sports in their most recent NCEL Premier Division outing. Pictures: Gerard Binks

Simon Parkes is convinced that hard work is the only way for Knaresborough Town to get their season back on track.

The Manse Lane outfit are without a win in six NCEL Premier Division matches having begun the 2023/24 campaign with five consecutive victories.

They were beaten 1-0 at home by Albion Sports last weekend, meaning that they have now taken just two points from the last 18 on offer.

But they remain just four points outside the play-off places, and Parkes is confident that things will start to pick up sooner rather than later.

Knaresborough Town manager Simon Parkes.

"We were flying with confidence after winning the first five matches, but it was always going to be a tough September with the teams we were facing,” he told the Harrogate Advertiser.

"We’ve played four teams who will probably be in and amongst the top six come the end of the season and some things haven’t gone our way in those games, while we haven't performed to our best in others.

“I think that we could easily have come away with three points from the Handsworth and Hallam fixtures, and if we had done then we’d be looking at a very different picture.

"But we have just got to keep working hard. That’s the message to the guys. We have to work hard on the training ground and on our fitness levels. And we can’t be six or seven out of 10s in games, we need more consistency.

"But it is a long old season and we are only 25 percent of the way through. If we stick to our values I think results will come.”

This Saturday, Knaresborough visit rock-bottom Bottesford for a 3pm kick-off.

"We’ve got a run of fixtures coming up where there should be really good opportunities to get back to winning ways,” Parkes added.

"I fully believe that we have still got the caliber of players and enough in our locker to be competing at the right end of this league.”

Boro suffered a blow in the build-up to Saturday’s clash with Bottesford, confirming on Friday that striker Nathan Cartman has left the club.

The vastly-experienced former Harrogate Railway, Darlington and Scarborough Athletic hitman only joined the club in the summer and made a big impression, netting seven goals.