Toolstation NCEL Division One
Christian Fox says a new-found “togetherness” has driven Selby Town to four consecutive wins and back into the play-offs picture.
Selby’s season was floundering prior to the win at Clipstone at the beginning of the month as they had been on a run of seven games without a victory.
Now with a home game with Shirebrook Town looming tomorrow, Selby are looking up the table again.
Fox has assembled some exciting and quality teams during his four-and-a-half-years in charge at Selby but he reckons his current crop is up there with his best.
“We have got togetherness and that’s why we have been getting the results,” Fox told Non League Yorkshire.
“I said to the lads last week that it is the best group we have had in terms of camaraderie and team spirit since I came in.
“We might not be the best side quality side but I think team spirit and camaraderie goes a long way.
“The celebrating together, the nights out; you can see in the group chat we have that everyone is bouncing off each other and it is good to see.
“It was doom and gloom four or five weeks ago and the off-the-field stuff didn’t help but the lads have come together.
“They’ve taken pay cuts and some players in there have turned teams down from two league higher to stay.”
Some players did leave after Selby published a statement highlighting a financial shortfall.
To replace the departed bodies, Fox has brought in several ‘hidden gems’ – with Connor Qualter, the brother of former Shaw Lane captain Ryan, being a stand-out name.
“We’ve brought Connor in and his partnership with Goth and the two full-backs has been very good,” Fox said.
“We brought Tom (Brown) in, the goalkeeper, and he’s looked brilliant – he’s very mature for his age.
“We’ve brought in Luke in recently and he’s another one who works hard.
“Chris Murray has come in from Hall Road and he knows the level and he’s a box-to-box midfielder.
“He’s been a good addition.
“We’ve added players that we needed in decent position.”
Despite recent results, Fox is refusing to get carried – emphasising how quickly the table can change.
“The natural feeling of where the budget is, (when the budget was cut) we were probably thinking mid-table because budgets tend to speak at this level,” he said.
“That’s where we found ourselves.
“A couple of months ago when the lights went out at Worsbrough we could have gone top if we had won.
“It changes quickly in this league and you can’t anything for granted.”
If Selby continue to play like they did at Worsbrough Bridge on Tuesday then who knows what will be possible.
The Robins brutally decapitated their hosts in a 5-0 victory and Fox was thrilled.
“We were dominant literally from the first minute,” he said.
“Everything fell into place and it has been coming.
“We have been on a decent run in the past couple of weeks and it is a credit to the lads as they went to Worsbrough and were ruthless.
“The goalkeeper made a few decent saves at the end but the pleasing thing is we’re creating chances.
“I thought we were going to go there and it be a real battle.
“I know they like to play football out from the back so we set up with that in mind.”