Mildenhall Town manager Phil Weavers confident side can prove their staying power after going top of the Thurlow Nunn League Premier Division
Mildenhall Town’s player-manager Phil Weavers believes the winning mentality within his squad can continue to propel them towards the Thurlow Nunn League Premier Division title as they look to negotiate a run of local derby fixtures.
The Recreation Way outfit managed to find a way to see off a stubborn hosting Soham Town Rangers side 2-1 with late goals from Ben Nolan and Olly Hughes sandwiched between a Cameron Watson equaliser on Saturday.
The three points used one of two games in hand on Newmarket Town to see them take over at the summit a couple of games from their half-way marker.
It saw ‘Hall bounce back from their Isuzu FA Vase exit at Romford the previous weekend to travel to Ely City on Saturday (3pm) with a two-point gap and a game still in hand on the Jockeys and looking for a fifth straight league win.
And although Weavers believes there will be bumps along the way in their promotion quest he is confident his squad can continue to react in the right manner to hone in on the ultimate prize.
"If you look at the fixtures now out of 17 league games we've won 15, drawn one and lost one. The only team we've dropped points to is Newmarket and that's a fairly big stat in itself really,” he said.
"It shows you the kind of form and winning mentality of the group and I can't see why that will leave.
"I don't anticipate going the same again (10 straight wins), we will slip up this season there’s no doubt, but the key to football is to stay away from the ruts and that's what we've done.
“Every time we've slipped up we've bounced back at the first opportunity obviously with today with the Vase last week.
“It's a good habit to get into, football is ups and downs and they say don't get too up and don't get too down.
“We've still got a long way to go with 21 league games left and every squad in this league is only two or three injuries away from disaster, so we'll need a bit of luck but I'm confident, absolutely, if I wasn't I wouldn't be here.”
He also pointed to the special unity within his squad as being another key characteristic that sets them apart.
“I would back my lads in front of anybody,” he said.
“I believe in the squad and I put together because I believed in it.
"We built a team and designed a way of playing that we wanted to implement and we recruited to fit that.
"We spoke about it again today before the game about our unity, we're a tight bunch and we're good mates off the pitch, not just a clique that turns up on the pitch, and I think it shows in games like today.
“Seven minutes to go you concede and to find it in you to go up the other end and get another one, there's more to that than football."
Saturday’s trip to 17th-placed Ely is followed by two festive home fixtures, with mid-table Walsham-le-Willows’ visit on Saturday, December 23 coming ahead of current seventh-placed Lakenheath three days later on Boxing Day.
