Pickering Town ‘battle’ lines drawn (From York Press)

Pickering Town ‘battle’ lines drawn

10:40am Friday 14th September 2012 in Sport By Steve Carroll, Sports reporter

Tadcaster striker Callum Ward, left. Picture: Ian Parker

PICKERING TOWN manager Jimmy Reid will tell some of his players to “shape up or ship out” as he looks to instil a new fighting spirit into his side.

The Recreation Ground boss has tired of a lack of “battling” in several members of his squad and plans to “regroup” after tomorrow’s home FA Vase second round qualifying clash against students Team Northumbria.

The Pikes followed last weekend’s 7-2 win over Lincoln Moorlands Railway by being thumped 4-1 at Bridlington with former striker Carl Stewart bagging a brace – a performance Reid deemed “very poor”.

And he said he would rather pay some of his under-19s players to turn out for the club than continue to persist with those he regards as “not winning the battles on the pitch”.

“You need to win more battles than you lose, that’s how you win the game,” Reid explained. “If you win six or seven of those battles you win the game. Too many of our boys don’t win the battles.

“Either one or two are going to have to shape up or go, or I will be going, and I won’t be going. You have to fight your corner.”

He added: “Maybe we need to change a bit of direction. We need to change something. Maybe we need to get some more players in and shake up a few. All I want my players to do is to go out on the pitch and come off with no petrol left in the tank.”

Reid is wary of tomorrow’s Northumbria University-based opponents, who were promoted into the first division of the Northern League and last weekend won 3-0 against Billingham, who Pickering conquered in the first qualifying round.

With vital funds up for grabs, the winners get £700, Reid stressed the cash was vitally important to the club.

“It is money you don’t have to earn in one sense,” he added. “You don’t have to do sponsored bag packings, it is money you get for winning a game. For clubs like us, it can be the difference between paying players until the end of the year and stopping paying them at Christmas.”

Reid said his men will not be able to take Team Northumbria lightly. “They will want to take us on. They have a lad up front who was released by Newcastle and is scoring goals for them and they will be fit.”

Chris Gower is injured and will miss the Vase clash but Mark Willoughby and Matty Turnbull, who both came on during the Bridlington game, will be up for selection in a side that will not be picked until tomorrow.

Selby are also in Vase action at home to Lancashire side Formby.

Tadcaster Albion enjoyed a fine win over champions Retford in midweek at Ings Lane, Callum Ward’s goal giving the Brewers a 1-0 victory, and manager Paul Marshall wants that level of performance to be repeated at Staveley in the Northern Counties East League premier division.

His squad has been boosted by the addition of 19-year-old Josh Barrett, who has joined from Dunnington .

“We had a 4-3-3 against Retford with him, Ward and Nick Thompson and he played really well,” Marshall said. “He has been away in America. He’s a big, strong boy and his signing is a real bonus for us.

“We are on a tough run of games. It was probably our best performance against Retford and we just have to carry that into the Staveley game.”

Marshall may be without Stuart Rice and George Bissett but should be able to welcome back Danny Gray.

Elsewhere, Scarborough are at bottom side Lincoln Moorlands in the premier division while Harrogate Town entertain Oxford City in Blue Square Bet North.

Harrogate Railway host Bamber Bridge in the FA Trophy preliminary round.