Northern League: Easington Colliery handed 'no easy games' warning

Easington Colliery manager Olly Hotchkiss has warned his players there are no easy games in Division One as they prepare to take on struggling Newcastle Benfield at Welfare Park.

The Colliers are riding high in the table after their 4-1 win against Thornaby allowed them to leapfrog leaders and title favourites Bishop Auckland and take their place at the summit. By contrast, Benfield are sitting at the foot of the table after falling to consecutive home defeats against Kendal Town and Redcar Town over the last week.

The Tyneside outfit are functioning with a youthful squad this season and they have struggled to find form and consistency during the first two months of the campaign. However, they have produced some eye-catching performances and results during that time as they collected impressive wins against Whitley Bay, Penrith and Birtley Town.

Hotchkiss was on hand to watch Benfield in action during a 5-1 defeat at Newcastle Blue Star earlier this month - and he saw enough on that night to know that his own players will have to put in a strong performance to maintain their impressive record on their home patch.

He told The Echo: “Being at home, where our pitch and our surface is really, really good, we have to be taking the initiative and taking the game to the opposition. I am pleased we are at home because our home form has been really strong and we are expecting a tough game against Benfield because there are no easy games in this league. Hopefully, we can get three points because that is what we need to do to keep the pressure on the teams in and around us in the table.”

Fixtures

Bishop Auckland v Whitley Bay, Blyth Town v Shildon, Carlisle City v Newton Aycliffe, Crook Town v Northallerton Town, Easington Colliery v Newcastle Benfield, Kendal Town v Birtley Town, Newcastle Blue Star v Marske United, Redcar Town v Penrith, Whickham v Horden CW, Thornaby v Yarm & Eaglescliffe

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