NPL Division One East
Wayne Benn wants Ossett United to reignite their bid for a play-offs with victory over local rivals Pontefract Collieries on Friday night.
Ossett host Craig Rouse’s Pontefract in a mad Friday humdinger at Ingfield.
Ossett are without a win in five games in all competitions and their barren run has led them to fall from the play-offs zone to eighth.
“We’re not in great form at the minute but we have to stick together and work harder individually and collectively and retain that belief that we can go into a difficult game on Friday and hopefully get that win that is much-needed,” Benn told Non League Yorkshire.
“It’ll improve everyone’s confidence levels and make everyone feel better about things.
“Hopefully we’ll then kick on and get our play-offs challenge back on track.
“To be where we were in August, September and October was fantastic.
“We only dropped out of the top five on the 20th November so that shows the quality and consistency of the start we made.
“What we can’t deny is that from the 20th November to now is that the results and performances haven’t been what we wanted.
“We have got to work hard and we have given ourselves more work to do to continue to be in the play-offs race and to get back into the top five.
“I don’t disagree that the form we are in has meant we have let a good opportunity (of pulling away from other teams) slip away but it still doesn’t mean we can’t get in (the play-offs).
“There’s a lot of football to be played and a lot of points to be played for.
“We’re honest people and we would like to have been in better form than we have been.
“We didn’t want to drop out of the top five which we have been in for pretty much for three or four months.
“The reality is our performances haven’t been good enough for a few weeks now and we need to put that right and put it right quickly.
“I fully believe in this group of players we have put together.
“Under-performing at the minute, yes, but more than capable of putting it right and let’s hope that starts with a win on Friday.”
Both Ossett and Ponte need a victory.
Pontefract are chasing the three points to move further away from the bottom reaches of the table.
Benn don’t see the match as must-win for both sides and he says where Ponte are in the table is irreverent.
“I think every game is important,” he said.
“It is a local derby and there’s only seven or eight miles separating the clubs.
“We know what to expect from Pontefract and like-wise they know what to expect from us.
“There’s no secrets from either team.
“It is going to be like every game in this Division, any positive result is going to have to be hard earned.
“They’ll come into it in possibly a better fame of mind than my players might.
“I’m sure Craig (Rouse) will get his lads believing they can get a good result out of Friday.
“We have to make sure we perform and do our jobs properly and if we do, we believe we’ll end up on the right side of the result.
“We expect a really tough battle.
“I don’t care whether any team is second bottom or second top, in this Division if you don’t do your jobs properly you’ll have every chance of getting beat.”
Last time out Ossett lost 1-0 at Stocksbridge Park Steels due to Josh Nodder’s screamer.
Benn says Ossett were second best.
“We started well for 15 minutes and we were on the front-foot but then for one reason or another we allowed Stocksbridge to get the upper hand,” he said.
“In that period where they were on top, they scored.
“We weren’t particularly pleased with what we saw in the first half but second half it was a marginally better performance.
“It was still lacking our usual quality but there was a bit more effort and collectively more work rate.
“We gained a lot of territory and penned them back.
“We had a couple of a chances that we could have done better with.
“Maybe an equaliser would have changed things but we also have to admit that our ‘keeper has kept us in and Matty has had a good day and made two or three important saves in the second half.
“On balance you have to say Stocksbridge deserved to win.”