Horsham YMCA boss praises his 'great bunch of lads' ahead of visit to Hassocks

Horsham YMCA boss Peter Buckland has hailed the togetherness and spirit of his squad ahead of Saturday's trip to Hassocks in the Premier Division. Picture by Steve Robards.

The Gorings Mead-outfit, who lead the division, are unbeaten in five in the league and have plundered 16 goals in four Premier Division fixtures.

With YM free-scoring and playing with confidence, boss Buckland has attributed this to the players' attitude.

SEE ALSO Horsham YMCA hit five against Little Common but Buckland rues 'flukey goals' | ‘Teams go to Manchester City and Anfield and put people behind the ball, they always get broke down in the end’ | Horsham YMCA boss Buckland felt 'the points were never in doubt' in convincing Arundel winHe said: "It says something when you look into the stand and every single lad that is injured or can't play is sitting in the stands getting behind their mates. It's a tight little unit.

"If they're not in the starting eleven and you reveal it before kick-off there is a bit of disappointment but in no time at all when they're doing the warm up they're having a laugh and getting together.

"I've still got the hardcore, like the Dan Evans', the Ash Dugdales', the Dave Browns', who have been with me a long time, but they just seem to be a great bunch of lads. They're so easy to manage. It makes it so much easier."

YMCA's opponents on Saturday sit fourth-from-bottom in the division after taking 15 points from 15 games. They did however pick up a morale boosting 3-2 win over Lingfield on Saturday as Jake Lindsay's 90th minute winner secured the points.

Buckland added: "We are away to Hassocks on Saturday, who had a good win at the weekend. We will be going down there offensively. We won't be going down there to put men behind the ball because I'd rather go for it."

After YM visit the Robins, they then take on second and third in the league in a crucial period at the top-of-the-table.

In consecutive home games, Buckland's side take on second-placed Newhaven on December 8 before facing off against Chichester City in third on December 15.

With two crunch games ahead, the Horsham YMCA manager believes defeats against Haven and City won't curtail their title push.

Buckland continued: "No disrespect to Hassocks, but the next two games will be pivotal. All we can do after Hassocks is keep knocking on the door and keep picking up the points.

"We stand a chance of beating both Newhaven and Chichester but they won't be season changers. Even if we lose both of them I feel we'll still be in the mix."