By Liam Price, photo by Jonathan White
Following the great start for Marc Feighery as Interim Manager on Tuesday, the Dabbers face another challenging away trip with a visit to Congleton on Saturday (3pm kick-off).
Grizzly Bears
After a few years of almost unbroken success, this season seems to be one where Congleton have plateaued, which is no disgrace at all. Hampered by a pair of serious injuries to talisman Max McCarthy they have found it tough and find themselves 16th in the NPL West and only outside the relegation zone on goal difference. Incredibly there are 5 teams all on 23 points at the moment, with the Bears having the best GD of them and at least 1 game in hand.
Their current run is of 1 win from their last 9 games; that came against Sporting Khalsa in the last game before Christmas. Since then, they have lost to Shifnal and drew with Kidsgrove. It’s important to note that they haven’t played since New Year’s Day after their game last Saturday was postponed, so they’ve had 16 days rest before this one.
They have only lost twice at home this season but have drawn 6 times out of 12. This, combined with a poor away record with 1 win and 9 defeats from 12, is what has left them in their current league position. But the squad remains largely the same as that which has been so successful in recent times so that, combined with experienced manager Richard Duffy, is what they will be leaning on to get away from danger.
Last Time We Met
It was a comfortable victory at the Swansway for the Dabbers in October, a 2-0 win courtesy of goals from Fenton Green and Paddy Jarrett in the first half. Highlights below.
Players to Watch
After returning with a flurry of goals, McCarthy picked up another injury in early November and hasn’t played since. In his absence, Ebou Badjie has scored 5 goals in his last 5 games from December into January.
Duffy could well be on the pitch himself having played against Kidsgrove on New Year’s Day, but that could depend on the availability of others.
Familiar Congleton names also include keeper Dave Parton, Peter Williams, captain Darren Chadwick and forward Kieran Knapper.
Match Information
The Cleric Stadium is about a 45 minute drive from Nantwich, with the postcode CW12 4GA.