Northern League: Easington Colliery boss wary of Carlisle City threat despite heavy Whickham defeat
There are some eye-catching fixtures taking place on the second weekend of the Northern League season.
Olly Hotchkiss has warned Easington Colliery they ‘have to be at their best’ to end a promising first week of the season with a positive result in Saturday's home game with Carlisle City.
The Colliers kickstarted their season with a narrow win at Penrith on Saturday as Liam Adamson grabbed the only goal of the game to give his side all three points at the Leo Group Stadium. That was followed up by a 1-1 draw at Marske United on Tuesday night as a Dan Maw equaliser earned a share of the spoils on Teesside. Hotchkiss was on hand to witness Saturday’s opponents in action on Wednesday night as City slumped to a 5-0 defeat at Whickham just days after starting their campaign with an impressive home win against Cumbrian rivals Kendal Town.
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The defeat against the Lang Jacks will offer Hotchkiss much to ponder when his side face a Carlisle side looking to bounce back from such a disappointing loss - and that is why the Colliers manager was keen to set a firm stance with his players ahead of Saturday's game.
He told The Echo: “I am really pleased with the return but also slightly frustrated with Tuesday night because we had 23 attempts at goal and only took one of them so it was disappointing to not come way with three points- but I am pleased, it’s a decent start. But those results don’t really mean anything unless you build on them and Cumbrian sides are also a tricky customer and Carlisle City are no different to that because they have proven to be a difficult opposition on a number of occasions in the recent past. So we know we have to be at our best to make sure we can keep this promising start going.”
Division One fixtures
Friday: Newcastle Blue Star v Whickham Saturday: Birtley Town v Yarm & Eaglescliffe, Bishop Auckland v Shildon, Crook Town v Penrith, Easington Colliery v Carlisle City, Kendal Town v Redcar Town, Marske United v Blyth Town, Newcastle Benfield v Whitley Bay, Northallerton Town v North Shields, Thornaby v Newton Aycliffe