Northern League: Easington Colliery wary of Birtley Town challenge
There is a busy weekend lying in wait across the Northern League’s top tier.
Olly Hotchkiss has warned in-form Easington Colliery they will face a sizeable challenge when they visit Birtley Town on Saturday afternoon.
The Colliers moved three points clear at the top of the Division One table in midweek when they produced a stunning comeback to claim a share of the spoils at fellow promotion contender Shildon. After falling three goals down inside the hour thanks to a Jack Blackford opener and a Joe Posthill brace, Hotchkiss’ men rallied in the final 12 minutes and earned a point with goals from James Watson, Ethan Ord and Aiden Stanton.
With one tough test safely navigated, Hotchkiss and his players are now fully focused on Saturday’s visit to Birtley as they take on a home side that are sitting just four points shy of the play-off places ahead of the weekend. However, the Hoops have struggled over the last weekend after falling to defeats against Carlisle City, Kendal Town and Redcar Town that brought a disappointing end to a five-game unbeaten run.
Despite that recent disappointment, Hotchkiss has described Saturday’s hosts as ‘a very capable side’ and praised Hoops manager Paul Foster for the qualities he brings out of his players.
When asked if he was surprised by Birtley’s league position, Hotchkiss told The Echo: “Yes and no - but people probably say the same about us. They’re a very capable side, they are well-managed, organised, hardworking and the manager doesn’t accept players that don’t work hard or those that shirk responsibility. When Birtley are at it, they are very capable of putting runs together and they can beat anyone on their day. So for us, we need to make sure we are at it because this is always a ridiculously tough game for any team in this league.”
The hosts will have new signing Tyler Richardson available after he joined from Darlington Town earlier this week.
Fixtures
Birtley Town v Easington Colliery, Carlisle City v Redcar Town, Horden CW v Blyth Town, Marske United v Kendal Town, Newcastle Benfield v Crook Town, Newton Aycliffe v Newcastle Blue Star, Penrith v Whickham, Shildon v Yarm & Eaglescliffe, Bishop Auckland v Northallerton Town, North Shields v Thornaby
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