Table topping Lads Club travel to Malvern Town this Saturday, with both sides unbeaten in the Hellenic Division One West, it promises to be a cracker!
With Malvern not playing on Tuesday night, Lads Club took full advantage of the opportunity to go top of the table, with a hard fought 1-0 home victory over Tytherington Rocks at The County Ground. Jamie Cuthbertson scoring the winning goal.
Many involved will remember the match last season at The Langland Stadium. Lads Club coming back from a goal down to win 2-1 thanks to goals from Olly Price and Jamie Cuthbertson. Lads Club, cheered on by a large following, certainly made plenty of noise.
You’d expect the hosts to be up for it this season. Off the pitch, Malvern have all the credentials of a club that could easily compete at a higher level. In comparison Lads Club have the passion of a club that never feels beaten. None of the Lads Club players get paid and that’s what attracted us when we first started to give the club coverage. These lads just want to play football and win games. That’s what it’s all about, right?
We’ve managed to catch up with Lads Club forward Tom Bendall and Malvern Town defender Jay Sauntson ahead of Saturday’s game. Both players know each other from their days at Westfields Football Club. We’ll start with the visitors.
Q&A with Tom Bendall of Lads Club:
YH: You’ve had an interesting start to the season on a personal basis. You’ve scored a couple of goals on your return from concussion. How are you feeling now?
TB: It has been a frustrating start missing the first 2 games with concussion from our final pre-season game. But it’s good to be back now and amongst the goals, I’m feeling much better now.
YH: There’s a brilliant spirit in the camp. What is different at Lads Club to other clubs?
TB: Togetherness! Everyone at lads club buys into what the club is trying to achieve. We can’t compete financially with other teams in the county but we don’t need to. Everyone gets on really well and plays for club and that shows in our results.
YH: It was an eventful trip to Malvern last season. Lads Club have great travelling support for a team at this level. Does that spur you on further?100%, having the support we get for home and away games massively helps us out. Football without fans is nothing!
YH: Do you know any of the Malvern team? Which player is their biggest threat?
TB: We know a lot about Malvern. They are a very good team and we know what to expect from them.
YH: Which teammate have you been impressed with the most so far this season?
TB: Good question! There has been a lot of very good performances already this season, Adam Hockey has been lethal but Belly and the back 4 have impressed me the most. 4 clean sheets…you can’t argue with that.
YH: How many goals are you aiming to score this season?
TB: I want 25+ this season.
YH: Most annoying member of the squad?
TB: Haha, easy question! James Hancocks and Cam Godsall – no more needs to be said!
YH: The gaffer is vocal on the sidelines. Does that help push the team to the next level?
TB: Definitely. Mooner knows how to get the best out of us and he coaches as if he is playing himself which I love. He’s brought the best out of me since I’ve come here.
Q&A with Jay Sauntson of Malvern Town:
YH: A brilliant start to the season. Do you think you can keep up this momentum?
JS: Yes, it’s been a great start but we’re only three games in and taking nothing for granted. We just need to take each game at a time, focus on the team we’re playing on the day and make sure we’re at it.
YH: This weekend’s fixture promises to be a cracker. Following last year’s result and Lads Club winning the fixture at Malvern. Do you feel you owe them one?
JS: You could say that, but we go out with the intention of winning each and every game we play. We will prepare for this game just as we would for any other to ensure that we are ready to hit the ground running from the very first whistle.
YH: You get some fantastic crowds over here. Does that give you the edge over your opponents?
JS: You can’t knock our fans; the support we get at this level is incredible. It’s a cliché I know, but they really are our 12th man. It goes without saying that it gives all of us players a lift, especially if things aren’t quite going the way we’d like it to in the game.
YH: Who’s been the best performer in the first few games?
JS: I honestly couldn’t single out one player as the best performer; we’ve all been on it so far. We’ve had to chop and change the starting 11 a couple of times through injuries, but when the lads have stepped in they’ve been quality too. One thing I would say is that we’ve had a few new signings this season, all of which are top lads and have fitted straight in; they’ve all been great additions and we’ve got plenty of strength in depth this year.
YH: Do you know any of the Lads Club squad and who would you say is their biggest threat?
JS: I do know a couple of their lads from my time at Westfields. I wouldn’t single out any players as their biggest threat, but what I would say is that they always seem to up their game against us. It only emphasises the fact that we will have to focus on ourselves and make sure we’re at it from the off.
Match Predictions:
Keith Newbury – Lads Club to win 1-0. Levi Ellis the scorer.
Leon Cooke – 3-3 draw. Jamie Cuthbertson, Adam Hockey and Olly Price scoring. (
Mark Hopkins – Lads Club to win 2-0. Adam Hockey grabbing both.
Justin Fuller – Lads Club to win 3-2. Adam Hockey, Tom Bendall and James Hancocks scoring.
Guy Cooke – Lads Club to win 2-1. Tom Bendall and Adam Hockey scoring.
Fans Comments:
Leon Cooke: “Everyone involved with the club, management, players & fans all buy into what Danny wants and that’s to win the league & gain promotion.”
