Keeping his players motivated is the hardest part of the job for Worsbrough Bridge manager Luke Forgione during the uncertain times caused by the pandemic.
Managers across the Non League circuit are finding leading their clubs extremely tough due to lack of clarity of whether leagues will restart in some regions or if fixtures will get postponed at the drop of a hat because of Covid.
It is especially hard for Forgione as Worsbrough are struggling in the Toolstation NCEL Division One table and got stopped from playing in November just they were getting into the groove.
“Being new to the job I wouldn’t say I lack motivation to play games and I’m not getting disillusioned,” Forgione told Non League Yorkshire.
“Obviously it is not ideal with regards to things being uncertain. Everyone is in the same boat. Maybe managers with a bit more experience will get more frustrated than I am currently.
“The only frustration I’ve got is like other managers that we can’t get any rhythm. Before the (November) lockdown we played Brigg Town away and Glasshoughton and we drew 1-1 in both so we were unbeaten.
“We were then going into a run of fixtures that were maybe an opportunity to get some more points on the board. It is the same for everyone. Some teams will be saying they’re in a bit of form and winning games and want to continue.
“Some teams might have lost two or three in a row and seen it has a blessing in disguise so they can reevaluate. I don’t think you can use it as an excuse.
“The biggest frustration or challenge now is to try and keep our lads focused and remain confident and if the games go ahead and don’t go the way we want them to go that they don’t get disillusioned and still see the bigger picture.
“We’re not negative and not going into games thinking we won’t win or we won’t pick up any points. We’re trying our best to give ourselves the opportunity to get something.
“We went with a game-plan at North Ferriby to get something and it will be the same when we play Retford. We’re going there to get points. Ideally we want to win.
“All the lads have been spot on. We played two friendlies after the lockdown and trained a couple of times and we have a good changing room and good team spirit. We used the lockdown to ty and work on different things like building team spirit virtually over Zoom.
“It has been enjoyable so far, we just want more.
“It is hard because there’s no end goal. You don’t know want going to happen. The Government are constantly changing things.”
Unless Tier 4 restrictions are implemented further up the country, Worsbrough are scheduled to travel to Retford FC on the 28th December for their next fixture.
The game was originally penned in for Boxing Day but Forgione felt it was inappropriate to be playing on that day.
“We were playing on the 12th in a friendly against Worksop Town and we were training on the Thursday and it was announced that evening,” he said.
“Originally we didn’t have a fixture on the 19th so we were expecting not to play. We then received further news on the Saturday that we were playing North Ferriby as their FA Vase game was put back.
“We were like ‘brilliant, it’s a game, we want to play’. My personal opinion on Boxing Day was that in any other year I would be really keen to play but this year I wasn’t too happy about playing on the 26th.
“At the time we were expecting everyone to have the five days to spend time with family. I thought it was a bad idea to play on the 26th when they should be spending time with loved ones rather than be expected to play football.
“You have got to remember these players are semi-professional and they are human beings and they need time to enjoy themselves in what has been a difficult year.”
The Retford clash is an opportunity to move up a few places from their lowly second-bottom placing if they win and other results go their way.
One downside for Worsbrough looking forward is they have played far more games than the teams around them.
Bridge have played 12 and collected only six points – all under Forgione who took charge in early October after Worsbrough had lost their opening four fixtures.
Even though he has done well considering the quality of opposition faced since ascending to the throne, Forgione admits he is worried about how the league will be finished if the season cannot be completed.
“We are games in front of people, I wouldn’t say it is a concern,” he said.
“If you look at the current climate, would you rather have more points on the board? Yes but those teams who have got games-in-hand have got to win them.
“My only concern currently is if the season does go down to points-per-game. It would be very harsh on us in our situation to be relegated on points-per-game based on the opposition we have faced and are going to face in the next month or so.
“We always plan that those games will go ahead. With what’s going off in the world no-one knows and you are living week by week.
“January on paper is very difficult. We have got Emley again, Winterton again, we will have faced them twice since I have been in charge.
“We might not face them, you never know but we are planning to play and our focus is on that those games will go ahead. That’s all can do.
“The fixtures haven’t been very friendly to us. If it did come to a points-per-game situation it wouldn’t be very fair on the club or ourselves.
“I don’t want to think about it negatively because I still think we have got the ability and the players to climb the table.
“We could just do with a run of games of playing teams around us rather teams in the top nine.”
Saturday’s game – the 2-0 defeat at North Ferriby – is an example of playing the top sides. Forgione took plenty of heart from that defeat though.
“I suppose we did give a good account of ourselves and we’re not too disappointed,” he said.
“The game-plan was to always try and stay in the game and give ourselves the best opportunity to get a result.
“You have to recognise your opposition’s strengths and they are one of the favourites to go up and we’re down at the bottom at the moment.
“We did ride our luck, especially in the first 20 minutes. They came out of the traps really well. There were shots off-the-line and bodies blocking shots in the six-yard box.
“My old mate (from playing together at Pontefract Collieries) Iwan Heeley scored from distance and that was just before they had a goal disallowed. It could have been two or three in the early stages.
“But we stayed in the game and just before half-time we had a goal disallowed. We didn’t get too many opportunities but Hutchinson slotted that chance away and the offside call looked really close. That could have meant we went in at half-time at 1-1.
“We discussed at half-time about continuing to be resolute and trying to stay in the game until the hour mark when we may be able to make some substitutions that might change the game.
“I think it was in the 70th minute when Leighton Sawyer got sent off on his debut. We felt a bit disgruntled about his first yellow card and then we conceded and it was 2-0.”
Forgione has overhauled the threadbare squad he inherited in October with quite a few signings and he remains on the lookout for further additions.
“We’re working on a couple of things,” he said.
“We had four or five lads who were unavailable and they would have strengthened our squad. They’re going to come back into the squad in the next week which will good for us.
“Rob Oldham due to work commitments has only played one game this year and he’s going to be massive for us when he returns because of his experience and flexibility in playing in a number of positions.
“We’re looking forward to bringing him back. (Goalkeeper) Ross (Pritchard) got injured in a training session and he’ll be back soon which will be great.
“Obviously we have some lads who are chomping at the bit waiting for an opportunity.
“We have identified a couple of areas we want to improve and we’re working on those targets.”
If you have enjoyed reading Non League Yorkshire over the past few months, please consider making a donation to the not-for-profit organisation NLY Community Sport which provides sport for children and adults with disabilities and learning difficulties. CLICK HERE to visit the JustGiving page. There is a video at the bottom of the page showing our work.
NLY Community Sport, run by James Grayson and Connor Rollinson, has always had combatting social isolation at the top of our objectives when running our Disability Football teams. When we properly return to ‘action’, our work will play an important role in reintroducing our players, who have disabilities and learning difficulties, back into society.
We have six teams, a mixture of Junior and Adult teams – Nostell MW DFC, Pontefract Pirates, Selby Disability Football Club and the South Yorkshire Superheroes (Barnsley) – across Yorkshire.
We have enjoyed great success over the past three years. Several of our players have represented Mencap GB in Geneva, including Billy Hobson from Selby and Greg Smith, whose story is quite inspiring.
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