Hall Road Rangers manager Martin Thacker (right) believes his players play better against the top sides
Hall Road Rangers manager Martin Thacker has urged his side to forget about the shock 3-1 defeat to doomed Grimsby Borough in Toolstation NCEL Division One.
Hall Road face a huge test against promotion contenders Clipstone at Dene Park tomorrow night (Tuesday), just a few days on from the deserved loss to Grimsby, who hadn’t won at home all season.
He told Non-League Yorkshire: “We actually play better against better teams when we have to think a bit and try different things to break a team down we come up short.
“When it’s an arm wrestle and we play against the better teams, and it’s an arm wrestle rather than more of a technical game, we become a better team.
“That’s exactly what Grimsby Borough did.
“They’ve got players with big scrapes down their legs and stud marks on their chests, and we had to think a bit and change our game.
“It wasn’t a problem with effort really it was execution.
“First half their centre-halves must have been smoking cigars, and that’s exactly what we do against the big teams.”