Paul Musgrove calls on league-leading Bury Town to be ‘super focused’ for visit of basement side Ipswich Wanderers to avoid slip-up against Michael Brothers’ new team
Bury Town’s management team will be warning their table-topping players against slipping on a banana skin when they host Pitching In Isthmian League North Division basement boys Ipswich Wanderers tomorrow (3pm).
Despite their Suffolk visitors being four points adrift at the bottom of the table, they will likely arrive a different beast, according to Bury’s assistant boss Paul Musgrove, having been buoyed by the managerial change that recently saw Michael Brothers put in charge.
“It will be an interesting one, they are struggling a little bit and have just had a turnaround of managers, so it will be one of them with all the hallmarks of a banana skin as we are at the top,” he said.
"We are going to have to be super focused and that means mentally our concentration levels will have to be at their peak as we need to get through another game. With Felixstowe winning in the week they are hot on our heels (6pts, game less) and there are others who have got games in hand, so we have got to keep plugging away.”
Musgrove confirmed the Blues have no fresh injury concerns with just long-term absentee Joe Carroll (knee) remaining unavailable.
Bury sees off Boro to extend lead at top
Bury Town extended their lead at the top of the Pitching In Isthmian League North Division table with Saturday’s 2-1 home win over Haringey Borough, writes Kevin Hurst.
The result saw the Blues move six points clear at the top ahead of welcoming basement side Ipswich Wanderers tomorrow (3pm).
Bury made the perfect start against Haringey, getting themselves in front within a minute.
The division’s leading scorer, Cemal Ramadan, nicked the ball off Damilola Taiwo-Pratt just outside the penalty box before going on to slip the ball past the keeper for his 14th goal of the season.
The home side had the chance to double their lead five minutes later when Mikey Davis’ cross found Luke Brown, but Ebenezer Addo Kufuor cleared his strike off the goalline.
In the second half, Haringey came out fighting and took the game to Bury.
And that pressure paid off for the away side in the 68th minute when Matthew Young was tripped in the box and Charlie Beckwith could do nothing to stop Young scoring from the penalty spot.
But Bury took all three points when Ollie Canfer scored what proved to be the winner in the 76th minute.
“Our second was a really well worked goal to see it through,” said Musgrove.
“We have just got to keep plugging away and believe in what we are doing, with the emphasis on training and a big focus on the final third.”
And Musgrove was pleased to have come through another game to take five wins and a draw from their last six games.
“We knew this match (Haringey) was going to a tight affair, having played Borough only 10 days ago in a mid-week match at their place (4-3 win),” he said. “They play with no fear and there was a lot of chances in the first half, it was one of the most dominant displays we have seen.
“We failed to convert loads of those chances which I feel would have made going in at half-time and the second half a lot easier.
“But it was credit to the boys they took on the message at half-time and we managed the game really well.”
