Easley insists confidence is high ahead of Slough trip

ROYSTON TOWN caretaker manager Duncan Easley says his players will travel to Slough Town in confident mood on Saturday aiming to win their eighth match in a row, writes Liam Osborne.

The Crows went top of the Evo-Stik Southern Central Division following their 3-2 win over promotion rivals Guildford City at Garden Walk on Saturday, but face a potentially even tougher assignment this weekend when they travel to the home of the Rebels.

Steve Bateman’s side were cruelly knocked out on penalties by Mansfield Town earlier this month in their FA Cup first round replay, but they will be eager to make up for lost time in the league by moving back up the table.

Due to their cup exploits, Slough have only played 12 league games so far this season, compared to Royston’s 16.

“Slough will be a tough match because they were one of the pre-season favourites for promotion and they aren’t short of money as they have one of the biggest budgets in the league,” Easley told the Royston Crow.

“They have got a bit behind on their league games but obviously they have been doing well in the FA Cup, and only went out on penalties to Mansfield. So they are definitely in a bit of a false position, and if they win all their games in hand they will have the same amount of points as us.

“But we go there full of confidence having won seven matches in a row, so the players will be up for it.”

Royston were full value for their victory over Guildford last Saturday, according to Easley, who says the team deserve to be where they are in the table.

“It was a really good game of football despite the poor conditions. Both teams got the ball down as much as they could and played some nice football. It was an end-to-end game which was good to watch and thankfully we got the win we deserved,” Easley said.

“We’ve played most of the top sides in the league now and the table is starting to take shape. We’re up at the top end on merit and we are not in a false position. Maybe you could say that after six or seven games but we’re over a third of the way through the season now and hopefully we can keep plugging away and keep ourselves up there.

“We showed great desire and commitment against a very good side, and to be fair to the players they have shown that all season. We created plenty of chances and we really should have scored five or six goals by the end.

“We asked for a good start and we got that after scoring early – so it meant Guildford had to chase the game which suited us. But we really should have put the game to bed much sooner as we had enough chances.”

Easley also said he was impressed by the 200-strong support that braved the wet weather to cheer on their sides at Garden Walk, and says he would like to think the support base at Royston will continue to grow in line with the club’s success on the pitch.

“There was a decent crowd there, and obviously Guildford brought quite a few supporters with them as well. But to get over 200 on a day as miserable as that was great for us,” he added.

“I’d like to think that a few more people are coming to watch our games now we’re playing at a higher level and are playing well. I think people enjoy watching us play and hopefully that continues.”