Attfield pleased with how team dealt with tricky conditions

CROWS manager Paul Attfield was pleased with how his team dealt with the difficult playing conditions on Tuesday night against Hertford Town in the Premier Division Cup quarter final.

First half goals from Ricky Young and Ryan Lockett sealed their place in the last four on a bitterly cold night at Garden Walk.

“As the game went on it was always going to get more and more difficult [with the pitch getting harder],” said Attfield. “So from that point of view it was good to get the job done in the first half. We moved the ball around well and got two good goals, and we were a bit unlucky not to get a few more. Hertford had a bit of a go in the second half but our goalkeeper didn’t really have a lot to do.”

The team now turn its attention to Saturday’s league match at home to Hillingdon Borough, who Attfield admits are a bit of a Jekyll & Hyde team. He will be hoping for a repeat result from the cup match back in October when Royston won 4-0.

“You never know what you’re going to get from them,” he added. “They’ve got the second best defensive record behind us in the league, but we’ve been playing well and apart from the FA Vase result we’re undefeated. We’ve just got to keep doing what we’re doing.”

Attfield will definitely be without the services of the league’s top scorer Kaan Fehmi (calf), as well as defender John McGrandles (twisted knee) who went off injured on Tuesday. Jack Bradshaw is rated as 50/50 to be fit.

Meanwhile goalkeeper Jorden Gibson has been released from his contract and will join another club until the end of the season.