By Mark Carruthers
Dunston UTS manager Jon McDonald is paying no attention to league positions as his promotion-chasing side prepare for a short trip to NPL East Division rivals Heaton Stannington.
The North East neighbours are in wildly contrasting form ahead of their Friday night clash at Grounsell Park as Dunston arrive sat firmly in the promotion race after winning five of their last six league fixtures. By contrast, The Stan are lying in the relegation zone and have been unable to take maximum points from their last 11 games.
However, McDonald remains adamant he has prepared his players for a tough contest and warned the Dunston squad against under-estimating their local rivals after they were forced to battle to a narrow 3-2 win in the first meeting of the two sides in October.
He told The NLP: “It’s a game that both teams will be looking to win, and one that we won’t be taking lightly. We are anticipating a tough contest, but it’s a game we are very much prepared for. Hopefully there’s a good crowd in for a game between good clubs on a Friday night, under the lights.”
The Stan players have also been issued with a warning ahead of their meeting with McDonald’s side as manager Dean Nicholson stressed the need for his squad to ‘stand up and be counted’ as they look to boost their hopes of avoiding an immediate return to the Ebac Northern League.
He told the club website: “It was important (to get points) six weeks ago and if things don’t change, I think we all know what’s going to happen. It’s a really tough game on Friday, a local derby where we need to stand up and be counted and see what happens.”
