Haverhill Rovers and Borough bosses play down first derby in five years ahead of Thurlow Nunn League First Division North clash

Both Haverhill managers have played down the rivalry between the two sides as they prepare to lock horns tomorrow night, in what is set to be a fierce derby at The New Croft (7.45pm).

The two Haverhill clubs have not met since August 2018, when Rovers ran out 2-0 winners in the FA Cup, but both Ben Cowling and Rhys Shulver are realistic about the fixture not defining their seasons.

Rovers boss Cowling said: “It should be a good crowd and a good atmosphere which will be nice. In terms of rivalry, we’re just looking at it as another chance to get three points.

“When the game was played five years ago I think both groups were in a better place than they are at the moment. Rhys is doing a good job with bringing through the young lads and giving them a lot of exposure and we’re on a rebuild.

“I don’t think there is as much on it as there was before in previous derbies.”

Meanwhile, Borough boss Shulver said: “It’s a brilliant occasion for Haverhill as a town and in reality the two sides playing against each other doesn’t happen often, but it can’t be the game that dictates our season because we’ve got some really big tests coming up.”

The slight ‘playing down’ of the match could be do to with the fixture congestion that both sides are facing in the lead up to the game.

Typically, teams will have time to build up nerves, adrenaline and excited tension in the run-up to derby day, but this week could not have been further from the norm.

Tomorrow’s match will be the second game that Rovers have played in three days, as they travelled to Whittlesey Athletic in the Thurlow Nunn League Challenge Cup last night, and booked their place in the next round with a 2-1 win.

This is on top of their 2-0 defeat away at Cockfosters on Saturday – in the Isuzu FA Vase – which saw them slip to only their second defeat under Cowling, ending a run of three wins in all competitions.

Borough have had a busy week as well, as after they were defeated 5-1 at home by Great Yarmouth Town, they fell to a 4-0 loss at the hands of Stanway Pegasus on Tuesday night – meaning Shulver’s side are winless in five games in all competitions and have only recorded one league win so far this season.

“I don’t think results really lie, it’s been challenging for us,” said Shulver.

“I’d probably say recently we’ve been more positive, we’ve found a better structure and way of playing with the players we’ve got and now it’s about grafting and getting some more points on the board.

“We’ve had some really tough games and it’s a challenge but at the same time it’s something we love and enjoy because we’re there every week.

“The moral is still there and even when we’re in a bit of a rut in terms of results, we’re playing at a level of football where everyone works so it’s still really important that we come to our football and enjoy it.”

As for his opposite number, Cowling has enjoyed a positive start to his second tenure in the dugout at the red side of Haverhill.

Despite having only taken charge of two training sessions since his arrival, Rovers have scored 23 goals in eight games and have worked their way up to 12th in the Thurlow Nunn League First Division North table.

“There’s been a massive amount of turnover in the squad. They’re players that I’ve worked with before but not players that have played with each other,” said Cowling.

“I think the fact that we’ve managed to get these results without really having time to gel or a pre-season to work on shape and systems is quite impressive from the boys. Some of the football we’ve played has been really good so there are a lot of positives for us at the minute.”

The Rovers boss believes the club ‘attracted some very good footballers’ over the summer, while Ryan Weaver cut short a switch back to Borough to rejoin his former boss.

He added: “We’ve got some real threat and quality in the team but also solidity as well which is really important. Clearly the side struggled at the start of the season so we needed to do a lot with the group. I think a lot of the heavy lifting has been done and we’ve got a solid group.”

Rovers continue their hectic schedule when they travel to fellow top current top six outfit Cornard United on Tuesday.

And while Rovers are up pushing for the play-offs, second bottom Borough are seemingly fighting to keep their Step 6 status. But as the old saying goes ‘form goes out of the window on derby day’.