By Manvir Rai
AFC Fylde manager Dave Challinor could not hide his delight following his side’s start to the season. Fylde currently sit fifth in the league and says his side are not overwhelmed about playing in the Vanarama Conference North following their promotion last season.
AFC Fylde started the season with an emphatic 4-0 home win against Brackley before losing to Staylbridge and Lowestoft Town on their travels. This was followed with a 0-0 result at Kellamergh Park but a sensational 0-5 win away at Colwyn Bay and a well-fought 3-1 victory against Hednesford sealed a bright start to the campaign.
Challinor said, “I’m delighted with the way we have started. Our form, our performances and our support has been great.
“We have been getting used to the league but we’ve been gaining more confidence with each game. Putting away our chances was an issue when we lost the two games against Staylbridge and Lowestoft but we haven’t had that problem in the last few games because we kept going.”
The Coasters have scored eight goals in their last two games and Challinor believes the upcoming match against Oxford City will be challenging but with the attacking and defending options at his disposal, he feels his side can get a positive result.
“The game against Oxford will be tough but we are more than prepared” he added. “We are the second top goal-scorers in the league. We are always looking to score and play attractive football but our defence has been equally important – Josh Langley has been brilliant since coming in.
“It was also great to see Danny Rowe score his first goal for us last week. We take pride in our attack and defence. Our performances away from home have been good despite losing to Stalybridge and Lowestoft which was shown when we beat Colwyn Bay 0-5. We will now look to keep this going against Oxford tomorrow.”
AFC Fylde go into tomorrow’s game against Oxford City with an almost full strength team and Challinor expressed the importance of keeping the squad fit for what promises to be a long but exciting season. “We’ve been fortunate that we haven’t had many injuries and fitness concerns since the start of the season. Matty Blinkhorn is currently side-lined but we go into Oxford feeling confident and with a strong team available.”
Preparation is key for games like this and Challinor will prepare his side in the best possible way by travelling down tonight to stay over in Oxford before heading to the ground fully refreshed ahead of tomorrow’s 3pm kick off.
The match will take place at The City’s Marsh Lane stadium and you can follow all the action live on the club’s official Twitter feed, @AFCFYLDE.
