Pic: Mark Gledhill
OSSETT TOWN have praised the secret weapon that helped them secure their Step 4 status – sports therapist Tally Clayton.
Town have won four of their past five games to climb out of trouble in the Evo-Stik NPL North and they now know they will be remaining in the division next season.
Part of the reason for their upturn in form has been the lack of players missing out in the recent busy period which has been down to Clayton's hard work.
Appointed in November 2015, Clayton quickly integrated herself with the squad and revolutionised the way the club's medical department runs.
Centre-half Nick Wood recently made his 100th appearance for Town, a feat that looked unlikely to happen this season after he suffered from knee and hamstring injuries.
Skipper Danny Frost has also benefited, recovering from a hip flexor injury sustained at Glossop North End that threatened to end his season.
“Without Tally and the way she has got players on the pitch I don't think we would have been safe from the drop so early,” said Frost.
“I call her Mrs Miyagi! She is fantastic and if it wasn't for her I don't think I would have been able to play the last six or seven games. She is a top lass and a vital part of our team.”
Player-assistant manager Steve Ridley added: “She has been fantastic since the day we walked through the door, I have been around football a long time and no disrespect to anyone that I have come across before but she is the best I have worked with.
“It is not just treating the players, she genuinely cares about what she does. We have had a lot of games in a short space of time and without the time and effort she put in, outside of match days too, many of us would have struggled to play in all of the games.”
